You don't want to be with someone who is already not getting from you what he needs emotionally.

Sometimes the pain outweighs the good things.

Awkwardness is when there's a risk of a perception gap between what you mean and what you appear to mean.

The most reliable ways to make oneself miserable are attempting to change people and not attempting to change circumstances.

One helpful thing to keep in mind as a retort-stopper is that you won't "win," you won't change anyone's mind, you won't change any votes, you won't make the atmosphere in the room any better, YOU won't feel any better.

There's nothing like a good family when you're really up a tree.

Plan your own vacations when you want to, and plan a suitable combined vacation with this other family when you want to. If they freak out at your planning your own vacations as you see fit, then let them. Bowing to unreasonable demands because someone will make you pay emotionally if you don't is not a healthy option.