Once On This Island (of Manhattan)

Happy Pride Y’all

Happy Anniversary to Larry and Me.

Eleven years ago, Pride fell on Sunday, June 28. That’s the day Larry and I celebrate our anniversary. So, yesterday being the 28th and today being Pride, I guess this is our anniversary weekend.

Eleven years. Whoosh. Where does the time go?

Eleven years. In gay years, that’s … well I don’t have the formula handy, but it’s a long time. A long, amazing and wonderful time.

Eleven years ago I stated seeing a man and my life has been a series of amazements ever since. We’ve shared so much, lived in two cities, 4 apartments and found a house up on the Cape. We’ve been bored together, with each other and with the world in general. We’ve found ourselves excited and giggling ike litte kids on Christmas morning over the silliest of things.

We learned to SCUBA dive together. We trained for and run marathons together. We’ve been to Mexico, Australia, Canada and Greece and we’ve got so many more places to go. We've faced fears together ... some we've gotten over, some we still struggle with.

We’ve found each other’s families to be way-too similar to our own, and have the great joy of each being a part of each other’s families … for better or worse. It's usually for better.

And we still laugh. A lot.

So on this day of Pride, I know that I'm proud, but I also know I’m even more grateful. Grateful for this life I’m sharing with the man I love. Grateful for my family and friends. Grateful for my health. But today, mostly grateful that a (seemingly) quiet Canadian came to my party just over 11 years ago.

For such a long time in my life, I wanted someone to sing me a certain song. Today, through lots of therapy and a little maturity, I can sing that song to myself, and to all of you, and especially to Larry …

The courage of a dreamer
The innocence of youth
The failures and the foolishness
That lead us to the truth

The hopes that make us happy
The hopes that don’t come true
And all the love there ever was

I see this all in you
You are part, part of the human heart
You are part, part of the human heart

Of all who took the journey
And managed to endure
The ones who knew such tenderness
The ones who felt so sure

The ones who came before you
The others yet to come
And those who you will teach it to
And those you learned it from

You are part, part of the human heart
You are part, part of the human heart

This is the gift I give
Through your love you'll live
Forever...

You are part, Part of the
Human heart
Forever

You are part
Tonight, Tonight

Part of the human...Heart.

We’re all part of the human heart, so get out there and whoop it up … whether it’s your Pride or just a regular old Sunday.

xooxoxox