Whew everybody has gone home, and it's just us again. It's a relief in a way. We had a nice time, and it was definitely a start on a road towards healing. My whole family drives me crazy sometimes

SAS, I really appreciated what you said:

I also know that sometimes fences (???) cannot be mended but they can be taken down. So, keeping the relationship at a certain distance until and when you feel comfortable enough to resume what we all think should be a "normal" relationship, is something that you must deal with
That is so true. I think that this is where we are at...no fences, no hard feelings (exactly) but not quite a normal relationship either. Trust is built over time, not overnight. So thank you for the helpful comments...they really help me to keep things in perspective.