Cotton, this was a wonderful thread to read. I love your posts. On one of the posts you mentioned knowing they'll be back and if you have that slight hesitation. I was listening to Agnes Vivarelli (awesome individual on YouTube for anyone who hasn't seen her) and she was bringing up the emotional scale for LOA. < Abraham Hicks
One can gauge their manifestation progress (I'll do simple version) by tapping into the gut instinct. So if you're feeling extremely sad and bummed out, then you're repelling the manifestation and it's far off. If you're feeling only slight moments of sadness and missing them, but overall doing extremely well? Then you're around that halfway point. You're getting closer. If you're feeling really great, hopeful and a general state of just awesomeness? Your manifestation is right around the corner (time is an illusion so that doesn't mean minutes, but can mean it's very close - confirmation that it is coming for sure though so relax and get excited).
Your comment about the knowing and preparing and not feeling bad made me think about that. It's funny. In the span of a week I went from crying (only on that first day, but the second I felt UBER happy and hopeful) to now I just know and don't miss him at all. He'll be back. No worries about that at all. He can't stay away from me long and I know he's missing the hell out of my presence. :D