Update #1: My Family

I realized I never really have posted much about the response from my family about everything and especially where things are at right now.  This partly because I'm not 100% sure.  I can say, however, that I've felt very peaceful about things lately.  My parents wrote separate emails back to me after I initially told them.  I very much appreciated their comments, feedback, concerns, and love.  I really do have amazing parents and I feel so lucky to be their son.  They both expressed their wish that I'd had been able to come to them sooner with everything.  They felt bad that I had been going through this on my own for so long and appreciated that I felt that I could talk with them about it.  They both, in their own words, expressed their struggle with the idea of me finding a partner.  I can understand very well.  It's taken me a long time and a lot of pondering and prayer and frustration and confusion and so many other expressions to get to where I am and I certainly did not expect them to be at the same place as I am.  They both did, however, express their great love for me.  I know that my parents love me.  My little sister was a little more exciting as her first question to me was, "Are you seeing anyone?". :)  I told her over lunch so she didn't have the time to digest everything like my parents did but I know that she and my parents have been talking some which I think is good. My sister has since attended a couple of the Matis Firesides with me which has been nice for both of us.  She's amazing and I look up to her so much.

It's now been almost 3 months since all of this.  I'm heading home tomorrow for my 10 year class reunion this weekend and I've never been more excited to go home.  My parents and I, while we may not see eye to eye on everything, we have a much greater amount of respect and appreciation and understanding for each other than we've ever had.  This past week, inspired partly by events that I'll be writing about shortly in another update, I have had a couple of very interesting impressions regarding my future interactions with my parents/family.  I can see myself taking someone special home and there being a level of mutual respect between us.  It's been a very comforting thing and I'm very grateful that I have been so blessed.

Thank you so much to all of you who offered encouraging support and unconditional love.  You all have enriched my life so much.  I often find myself wanting to write blog posts about individual people that have so greatly affected my life.  I'm pretty sure I'll start doing this at some point but probably in another blog....a sort of "Tribute Blog" to those extraordinary people in my life.  So many of you will be in there.

Thanks again.

Andy