And a fine opinion it is.

It occurs to me now, reading over this thread and its answers so far, that I began the uphill climb way back in October of 1990 when I married my second husband. He was not an alcoholic/drug addict, like most of the men in my life had been until that point. Nor did he ever abuse me. In fact, after my first marriage ended, no man ever committed DV on me again. THAT is when the change began. It has culminated with me sitting in a beautiful house my now-and-forever husband and I both love. One that we *own.*

I don't mean for this to sound too materialistic. We're not greedy. This house is a cottage, not a mansion, but it's a cute cottage, and it's everything we want.

Besides, the journey that started when I first married a man with no chemical dependency, doesn't end here. It will end with me finally recovering my sanity as well. Being "normal" in a way that I never thought I could qualify for. Because the thing that blows my mind the most, about my husband and his family, is that they don't make a big deal about healthy, average behavior. My own family will praise me to the moon and stars for doing things most people my age do without thinking. They make it sound as if it is such a surprise to them that I did it successfully! Whereas, my in-laws don't think it's all that big a deal because everyone else is doing it too. And I'm on their side. Praising a five-year-old for tying his own shoes is one thing. Continuing to praise a forty-year-old for it, well, that's just silly.