I love the people I’ve met here. The people who have encouraged me, mentored me, and even the ones who told me to shut the fuck up. I took a hiatus hoping that it would bring me the energy to come back here and write. My kids are nearly grown now and need me to drive them more than I need to write. The pain that spurred my need to be here is gone. I’m living a life that is so rich and so full and so brilliantly colorful to me that nothing I say will ever be able to describe it adequately. But, as I told my latest girlfriend, this thing has evolved to a place where I need to move on. My creative juices are flowing in a different direction – Our Big Gayborhood.

But, I want to call out a few people and for the people I don’t mention, I’m sorry, because each of you has been so important to how this has evolved and how it has spurred me on – and where I hope you’ll go to cheer our group on – I just can’t even tell you.

Chris – Who started blogging with me. A life-long friend who moved on to comedy and a life far from the one he had.

Kim – Who got my political passion up and became my good friend for a lifetime – a sistah’s sister.

Peg – The funniest person I know but haven’t met – bar none. Can’t let a week go by without talking to her even though she quit her blog and has not allowed me to yet woo her to Our Big Gayborhood.

Mike S. – The Old Injun’, who despite his own bumps in the road, was always there for me and continues to be on the sidelines.

Guy – The biggest smarty pants I know. He is the me in male form – only I have better hair.

Margo – Who has joined me in my latest venture and has shown me lifting up is never putting down.

To everyone who has read, everyone who has written, to every single person with whom I have connected over the past four years, I thank you. There will be no encore, though if there was it would be me on stage singing, “Closer to Fine” with Amy Ray. Sela Ward would be the guitar wrangler and afterwards, I’d have to take her home.

So, let’s take her home…