Even though I had considered myself to be out of the closet for a couple of decades, I was still locked in a closet of shame. I burst out of that closet once I rejoined SAA (Sex Addicts Anonymous). What a feeling of exhilaration I experienced when I could once again walk down the streets of my hometown with my head held up high during a Gay Pride event with my parents.
By that time I was no longer with my partner. We had spent twenty-four wonderful years together, but life tossed me some lemons and I reacted by leaving him. It had also become a case of thinking the grass would be greener on the other side of the fence.
Truth be told, there is no one person who can meet all of our needs. I have since begun to build a life with another younger man from whom I am learning new lessons about becoming more comfortable with who I am. He is someone with whom I can kiss in public and walk down the street of my conservative hometown holding hands.
I am blessed that my former partner and I have remained the best of friends. My new partner has been very accepting of the importance I place upon maintaining a relationship with my first male lover. He had also been a vitally important person with whom I walked into the light of greater self acceptance. Coming out is not a single act. It is a continuing process.
My new partner and I belong to a church which embraces the sacred truths of all religions. It is also a church in which many gay and lesbian people as well as many recovering people attend. This speaks to my latest part of my self-acceptance. I have embraced a loving God who I believe truly loves me. I have come full circle after years of feeling judged by some Christians. Instead I believe in the benevolent and loving Father that Jesus portrayed as recorded in the gospels. As long as I remember this love and practice it within my life, I am free.
Books and Kindles by Author David Aujourd hui (these two below are at a special price on Kindle for $2.99)
"The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude" Book 1
"Babes in Bucksnort" Book 2
"Putting the Pieces Together" Kindle Version only for .99 cents!
Putting the Pieces Together is an anthology of a gay man's journey toward self-acceptance. It is a poignant and intimate book chronicling recovery from mental illness, sexual addiction, and alcohol.
No comments:
Post a Comment