I met an older woman on my walk in the neighborhood, during the height of my "ordeal."
She said she'd been married for 56 years (I know, she was doing the same WALK as I was. No wonder she was in great shape).
Then she said "although I don't count 3 of those years b/c h was a real jerk then" and it happened to be his age 47-50, almost exactly my h's.
Yes I think it'll be a blip in 30+ years, but at the time it sure was a Mountain to climb.
Just think about how you'd feel if this were a mountain, though. You'd already have a much better view of the world and where you started b/c you are a lot higher on the mountain than before. No, not at the top yet.
But I think we don't have to wait til we are at the top of a mountain, to look around & see how far we've come.
Also, you mention how you just have to forgive your wife. Yes that's true.
No long term Happy marriage exists, without a lot of forgiveness on both ends.
But it is a process. A series of choices we make, sometimes every day.
Last Easter I dragged my daughters to Mass (as a present to me, I think, they went). One of them is gay and has felt shamed by traditional Christian churches.
Well, imagine the surprise when we all saw a gay couple, (men) holding hands in the front row.
And the priest said some remarkable things about our faith, and the traditional Easter focus on resurrection was there too.
But he closed with this:
"IF you only take one thing away from today's Mass, let it be this:
Know that you are dearly loved, and never alone."
M: 57 H: 60 M: 35 yrs S30,D28,D19 H off to Alaska 2006 Recon 7/07- 8/08 *2016* X = "ALASKA 2.0" GROUND HOG DAY I File D 10/16 OW DIV 2/26/2018 X marries OW 5/2016
