I wonder if the "forgiveness" thing is different when you actually are back living with them? Forgiving somebody that you are never going to have to REALLY rely on again, is actually not that difficult. You can put it all down to poor judgement, a mental issue, bad childhood... POOR HIM/HER! Easy to feel sorry for them and forgive them because you don't have to live with it ANYMORE.
I think that may be where we are getting our wires crossed. I'm not sure you can quite understand the depth of the forgiveness required, ONCE you are trying to reconcile, then another whole bag of tricks once you are actually reconciled. All the demons come out and haunt the hell out of you. In spite of how wonderful they are being, it is hard not wonder, CAN IT LAST? That's the part that is hard to forgive them for, not being able to really BELIEVE in them... or trust your own intuition about them.
It makes me angry sometimes, that I have these thoughts. I'm sorry for the comment about lecturing, I was frustrated because I couldn't find the right words to explain what I was trying to say and all the responses were coming in fast and furious and I was thinking, THEY REALLY DON'T KNOW, how can they, they are not here yet! Then I felt terrible for being so snarly.
Truth is my friends, we are not all talking about the same forgiveness. Someone mentioned a whole book about forgiveness, I believe that. This is forgiveness for hurting our family, me, himself... risking our lives. Heck in a sense, even my life, when he had unprotected sex with that WOMAN. Yes JoJo, you are right, forgiveness is for ourselves, I totally agree, but there are many, many layers and just as you THINK you have forgiven this or that, there is something else and something else. There were things I have had to work through that I didn't even know I was angry about, that I had to let go of and try to forgive.
This is the gift that just keeps on giving. Just when you think you have her beat, something else smashes you upside the head. It's worth it, it really is, but you have to be prepared for it. Be aware of what is ahead, as then it is not such a shock when you fall prey to it. That's all I was trying to say.
Sorry! Me bad!
Hugs Stayed