[sand_man]

I'm sorry for the pain this must be causing you. I went through this, but I was the one who finally had enough. In the damn near twenty years we were together, there were some good times, overshadowed by a lot of mental abuse. With two kids that I loved so dearly, I tried my best to be the glue and keep it going. When I lost my job during the 2008 economic collapse, I had a lot of time to reflect on all of the baggage I had been sweeping under the carpet. I never came out of it. And I realized that beyond being a good father, all the love I had to share with someone else was being wasted and taken for granted. I wish I had made better life partner decisions. I wish I hadn’t stayed in it so long. I wish I hadn’t alienated my family and friends to make it work. I wish…

As others pointed out, this too shall pass. I pretty much lost it all to get out of it. But I’m still close to my kids and we make it work. I have been able to spend more time with my family back in FL. And I’ve been in a long term relationship with someone I so dearly love…someone who also came out of a crappy marriage. Someone who gets me, respects me, and loves me unconditionally. In the words of one of my idols, “I lost everything I had, now I’m startin’ over from scratch…”