Thank you Lori. You know I think 21 years is remarkable.
We don't have any leagl backing or societal backing. We didn't have the parties and congratulatons and the ceremony when we first met. We don't have the yearly marking of it by family or friends or society. In fact it is pretty much ignored by the majority of people. For all sorts of reasons. Homophobia being one. Envy being another. I shared last week with the people I work with on Tuesdays. I was humiliated by the response. It was shameful. I didn't let it pass tho and made very sure they knew exactly how I felt about their crudeness and cruelty.'how dare you say such a thing to my face'. Well, they looked pretty shocked and shame faced. trouble is the denial I have to employ when being with such people is now impossible. Yes, denial is a good ploy. It's one I use all the time wehn with str8 people. I tell myself they see me as equal, as just as valuable as they, and that my 'marriage' is just as real as theirs. I am not so stupid as to continue that denial when it is thrown in face that they do not feel that way at all. TWENTY ONE YEARS!!!!!!! Isn't that amazing? And nothing to keep us together but our love and loyalty and committment and honesty and trust. (and I am sure I don't need to add that living with me for that amount of time has not been easy-for either of us!) And the divorce rate is 50% here.......
