1. My 40th Birthday. I was surrounded by those friends with
whom I am closest, and who have seen me at my very best and my very worst, and
with whom I have no reservations about being myself, because they love and
accept me just as I am. Other than
the absence of possibly a couple of individuals, I don’t know that the birthday
could have been more perfect.
Not that I didn’t already know it, but that night proved to me that I am
loved.
2. The day in August 1994 when I met my best
friend, Lee. He’s the one
person who has stood the test of time with me. He’s seen me through every range of emotion, dried more than
his fair share of tears, dodged rumors that would have caused a lesser person
to run, but no, he is the picture-perfect definition of friendship.
3. 1996. Yes, the entire year. It’s worthy of a blog in and of itself. That is the year that I
officially “came out”. The
year is filled with memories of wonderful music, life-long friends and, in some
ways, a simplicity that I truly miss.
4. The first time I played in church-June 17,
1990. I filled in on the organ for
Vera. A dream was realized, and a
life-long journey begun to accompanying and solo playing of the piano and,
sometimes, the organ.
5. The day I bought my baby grand piano. It was a life-long dream
realized. I had a few tears in my
eyes knowing that while I was only getting $100 for old piano, that I was
making my Grandmother happy somewhere out there, because she always wanted me
to have a grand, yet there wasn’t money left after she died to make that a
reality.
6. My first Alabama sunset. I saw it just south of Fort
Payne, Alabama in June 1997 as I was driving to meet my then-partner to help
him with his move from Florida to Alabama. The sunset was the most beautiful, majestic thing I
had ever seen. I think it
must have been foretelling the future as for the last 15 of those 16 years
since that night I have called Alabama home.
7. The day in 1989-my sophomore year of high
school-when I first heard about my college. It became my only choice, and where I would spend ten
amazing semesters making memories.
8. The last time I saw my grandmother alive,
approximately two weeks before she died. She told me that she wouldn’t be able to make it to my
confirmation (into the Catholic Church) because she was just too weak and
didn’t think she could make the trip from Tennessee to Alabama. She died on Monday of Holy Week before my confirmation
on Saturday.
9. My college graduation trip from my boyfriend
in December 1997. I flew from
Knoxville, TN to Orlando, FL to meet up with him the day after Christmas and we
drove from Melbourne, FL to New York City for New Year’s Eve. (While I NEVER want to experience New
Year’s Eve in NYC again, I enjoyed the city and want to go back again)
10. Driving to Knoxville with my high school
friend, Morgan, in 1996 to see “Philadelphia”. While I have a steel-trap mind for most events, I
confess that some of the details are fuzzy. However, what is most important about this excursion
is that I already knew I was gay, and wanted to tell her so bad that night, but
couldn’t. Yet, we enjoyed an
amazing movie, and a great meal at Chili’s. She still remains one of my
greatest friends and confidants.
Here’s my
confession: In life, I’ve
observed, that we never know WHAT moments are going to turn out to be
memories. Usually, it turns
out to be those run-of-the-mill, mundane, every-day occurrences that stick with
us the most. I’ve had 40
wonderful years of memories, and I still look for every opportunity to make new
memories. When all is said
and done, I know that I am blessed beyond any possible scale of measure. And,
yet, I don’t think it’s done quite yet. Life is good. If you have been a part
of a memory, thank you. If not,
don’t worry, I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities left.
No comments:
Post a Comment