The ones who really understand, are the ones who have gone through it themselves. Most of us really don't have close friends who have had to deal with this. I'm sad to say that shortly after I moved to Colorado, my son's wife decided to leave him.

He couldn't even bring himself to call me about it..sent an email! I called him and said "no not speak, just listen", I then told him how I knew EXACTLY how he felt and how sorry I was that he was going through this. I also told him that he would have many hurdles to get over in this process and that even when it is over he will have many more!

It's been some months since he's started this journey, but in those months he's been able to open up to me more about things. Little things like when he says "well I'm annoyed"...I say "annoyed or downright pissed?". Or if he says "I'm bothered by"...I say "bothered or hurt?". We now speak the same language...but probably only because we are/have been, going through the same thing.

Oddly enough he is the one person who has never said to me, nor I to him "you'll meet someone someday". We both know, thats NOT the thing to say.

Time honey, this all takes time!

yeah, like a house burning down. unless you've had it happen to you, you can only try to sympathize or presume, you don't really KNOW.

Jacquista, I just had a very similiar conversation with my younger sister last night. Must have been something riding on the wind.

Winds of change? I hope so for you and me and many, many others like us.

Of course I'll have the interest in human contact and I do have needs. I'd love to just cuddle up with someone and have them have a genuine interest in me. Hopefully, my time alone is making me stronger but I'm simply not ready to get my toe wet.

Toe wet? Hell I'm running around the pool screaming "HEY YOU, OUT OF THE GENE POOL!".

Yes indeed. I have really gotten to the point where I do not want to even talk to my family about this because they don't understand why I do some of the things I do. No one in my family (besides one cousin) knows how it feels and what I am feeling.

I can so relate you your post that states:

"Of course I'll have the interest in human contact and I do have needs. I'd love to just cuddle up with someone and have them have a genuine interest in me. "

I feel the same thing, but I am sooooo new to this and I am not ready yet..I think.

God bless ya and lots of hugs.

Sometimes me thinks that the gene pool is either too shallow or not enough cholorine....but anyway.

I don't converse with my "family". My dad and stepmom tell me to Thank God I am old enough to forget relationships...and my younger sister (40 and divorcing) immediately started dating a Dr.

I get depressed when I speak to them :-/

Normally, when I speak to my family I give them the facts, not the feelings. The facts are a courtesy, my feelings I keep to myself. Coming here is my saving grace. I can be the true me without feeling judged. I can be both strong and vulnerable, if it's how I feel.