Matt here.
My friends! My dear friends. Most of us have never met, but I’ve been writing to you for years from various places. Those of you who’ve been around the ‘sphere long enough have seen me grow from a dark, sad sixteen year old to a bright, happy twenty-four year old. And today, I’m so very thankful.
I’m thankful for your comments and emails, your Facebook friendships and Skype sessions, our meetups and adventures. I’m thankful that I didn’t have to go through the past eight years surrounded exclusively by straight people, who, while often wonderful, can’t connect with me in the same ways you can.
I’m thankful for my parents, who were devastated when I came out but who pulled themselves together, like me, a bit at a time. I’m thankful that this weekend my dad is flying out to Japan so that we can have a three-week foreign adventure together. I’m thankful that my mom Skypes with me most weeks and my sister, who is an EFY session director, asks about my love life.
My life is filled with cherry blossoms and sunshine, and even my impending unemployment (two weeks!) can’t get me down today.
Without the darker years it would still be bright now, but my joy, my understanding and experience and savor of today’s brightness, would be blander. If your bright time hasn’t come yet, I hope it comes soon. I hope you can make yourself strong, and when you can’t make yourself strong, I hope you can find people who’ll lend you strength. If your bright time hasn’t come, know that someday this pain will be useful to you.
Nature.
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You.
Great post! :) So excited for (and, of course, jealous of) you.
ReplyDeleteThat was the nicest thing I've read all day. Thank you Matt!
ReplyDeleteSorry I didn't notice these before . . . y'all are great and thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteAnd to the spambot: your mother was an atari.