GRATITUDE

I pause again to reflect on the week behind me. It has been a week of change, adjustment, and, surprisingly, peace. It has been a week that has reminded me again of all the many blessings I have. It has been a week of reflection, and a week of looking forward with great expectations.

I am grateful for the peace that has transpired between Parker and me in the wake of our separation as a couple. He informed his parents of the decision earlier in the week. They both took the news well, and wished us both the best as we move forward. Both of them affirmed to me their desire for me to still be part of their family. Since the very beginning of our relationship, they have welcomed me as though I were one of their own, and even though the relationship between Parker and me has changed, I feel no less a part of their family. The relationship I’ve experienced with his family is something I don’t take lightly. So many gay couples don’t experience that kind of support. Over the last nearly five years, they have become my family.

I am grateful for renewed friendships in the last few days through a social networking site I’ve joined. I’ve rediscovered so many people from my past I had forgotten. I look forward to rekindling these relationships and forging new ones in the near future.

I’m grateful for the encouragement I’ve experienced over the last week or so. I have so many amazing people in my life, so many people who truly, genuinely care about me. This week I’m most grateful for the encouragement of an unlikely friend, someone with whom I went to elementary school, who told me of how my blog has helped her to reflect on her own life. I’ve carried that thought with me the last couple of days and am truly at a loss for words to describe how good it made me feel.

I’m grateful for this season of Lent, a season of growth, reflection and preparation. Lent this year comes as I have reached a crossroads in my own life.

Here’s my confession: In a week that should have been extremely difficult, I’ve found peace and much gratitude. In a week in which I should have been mourning the loss of a love, I’ve found so much more to be thankful for in our past than regrets. I lie here tonight, silent. I glance over and see my cat gently, peacefully sleeping beside me. All is well in his world, and I’m grateful that all is well in mine as well.