Naked.

I took off my wedding ring yesterday -- for the first time since the Husband put it on my finger almost 5 years ago. My hand feels naked, so I've replaced the wedding band with the two "Mother's rings" my mother-in-law gave me after the boys were born. It's time -- a big first step in the emotional healing that needs to take place as we move on. I've taken care of a lot of other things -- like finding an apartment, buying furniture, organizing a move, and talking about the division of the property -- and all of these tasks were overwhelming, but not nearly as scary as the emotional tasks that need to happen. The first was taking off my ring. The next is figuring out a workable custody solution, and the third will be leaving the home where I've lived for the longest period of time since I was 17 years old, the home where I brought my newborn babies, the home where I learned to be a mother, the home that was supposed to house a long and happy life as a family. I can't think about that, especially the custody arrangement. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it -- one day at a time, right?