Fire Still Burns

First and foremost, I want to say thank you to those who follow my blog. You fuel the fire in my fingertips each time I sit down at the keyboard or pick up a pen. I must admit that I don’t write as much as I should or want to sometimes. I go through phases. There are times when my fingers can’t keep up with all I’m striving to get out of my head, and I am left to wonder how much information gets lost in the lag. Other times I will stare at the blank screen for hours trying to summon a word, one word that will trigger an onslaught of other words to follow. My ultimate goal is to write something worthwhile that I can share with the world. Blogging is a way for me to exercise my writing skills in order to write that something worthwhile one day. Thanks for sticking with me, for your comments, and for your feedback. It means more to me than I could ever express.

I need to apologize for my absence this past month. As some of you may have picked up from my poetry, a friend of mine has been in the hospital fighting for her life. Her name is Sue, and she contracted a virus that the doctors have been unable to identify. The first couple of weeks were rough. Her heartbeat was unstable, blood pressure low, and kidneys shut down. We had a terrible scare and were afraid we were going to lose her. I always knew Sue was strong, but her strength has really shown through all of this. Currently, she is winning the fight. She is stable and conscious, but her life will never be the same. She has lost part of her hearing, and one of her lungs is giving her some trouble.  Both of her feet, along with part of her legs, have been removed.  They will be removing both hands as well. As much as she has fought, it seems the battle has just begun.

A mutual friend sent me a picture the other day. Sue was in a wheelchair, her hands wrapped in pink bandages to her elbows, and husband kneeling proudly beside her in front of the hospital. It was the first time she had been outside in a month. She looked great considering everything she has been through. She is a wife, mother, and recently became a grandmother. A truer friend you will never find. I know she is going to need a lot of love and support from her family and friends in the coming years. I can’t even imagine what life will be like for her after this, but I am beyond happy to announce and truly grateful that she is still here with us today.

On a brighter note, and the other reason for my absence this past month, I have been planning a wedding. I will be married to Brad on October twenty-fifth, which will mark the tenth year we have been together. Brad is the love of my life. If you are one who doesn’t believe in love at first sight, I can say with certainty that I am living proof. When I met him, I was happy being single, and I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend. In fact, I was at the last place on earth I would ever expect to find one, a gay club. My friend Mikey was performing in drag, and I was there to see him.  When Brad walked in, I knew I was looking at the missing part of me. I can’t explain it. I just knew. He was invited to the show by his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. I bought him a drink. The rest is happiness and ten years of history together. I consider myself lucky. I found someone who loves me for who I am, someone I love just as much, someone to share my life with. There is a beautiful balance that is created when you put the two of us together, one that isn’t there when we’re apart. Some of you may know what I am talking about. If you don’t, I hope some day you will.

This was an update to let you know I have not dropped off the face of the planet, nor do I ever plan to stop writing. By the end of October, everything should be pretty much back to normal, and it will be easier to keep up with my daily posts. Until then, I promise to post whenever I can. Thanks for keeping the fire alive. I couldn’t do it without you, my treasured readers.