Out with the Old in with the New....but you still have to keep talking to him!

This morning on Island Roar, I read the latest piece and didn't get much farther than the first sentence in which the esteemed author states that 12 years ago this month she separated from her husband.....wow what an onslaught of memories that brought forth for me!
I left my husband of 11 years in 1996, he had anger issues, leading to verbal and physcial abuse of me, my children (NOT his) some other nasty habits that I don't care to think about on Christmas week..suffice it to say that on December 23, 1997, exactly 12 years ago this week, he had our divorce finalized (this was supposed to make me sad, as Dec is MY month, contains Christmas, my birthday, my parents birthdays, and those of several friends, so it was a time for celebration for me, ALWAYS! Mr. Manipulative (one of his BETTER non-attributes) decided, evidently to teach me a lesson. Well, that he did not. What he taught me was that people who love you don't treat you in any way that would or will affect you painfully, especially if they think that this will happen. I learned this from the man who was to become my next husband (we married in 1999 but were already together in '97).
That year we had the least abundant Christmas materially that I'd ever experienced, because with Mr. Materialistic Manipulator it was all about keeping up with the you know who's. (Literally, as our best couple friends were last named Jones! She is my friend today, he is Mr. M's, don't know how they do it, they must compartmentalize because they are the epitome of loving marriage. They don't hurt one another even to the extent that they allow one another to keep their friends no matter what they may personally feel, something that was alien to me until Bob my current husband moved into my life!)
On December 23, 1997, I received the biggest gift that I'd ever been given in any December or ever for that matter, in my then still young life. I received the gift of having that guilt ridden, hideous pain riddled decision taken from me, and the gift of his final act being one that he felt would harm me more deeply than anything he could have imagined.
Thanks Matt, I've honestly never, ever been happier!
Merry Christmas Everyone!