The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

My dear friend Brian, who came out to me over 22 years ago and was disowned by his parents after sharing with them who he was, recently passed away. Regardless of what his parents and their sympathizers want others to think, I will not be fooled, and wrote a poem titled "BeLIEve" to share my thoughts and feelings on the matter. In response, I received this comment: - "That's poignant and very well said." The poem can be read here. - https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2011/08/blood-before-principle-poem-i-just.html

Like every holiday season, it was hectic and draining this year. Many presents were opened. A lot of food was eaten. A number of people called for the family to do shots. Movies and football were watched. Music was played. Laughs were had. There was one moment, however, which stood out from the rest this past Christmas season. A family member of mine had alienated himself from the rest of the family for the past 10-15 years. I hadn't seen this individual for roughly 8 or 9 years. After hearing about an awful accident this person was involved in, I wondered to myself if we'd ever see each other and interact again. I thought, "Was it really worth it? The grudge(s) which prevented you from spending time with the family?" That's one thing that's always struck me about grudges. None of us know full well when our time will come in this life, so if tragedy strikes either us or an individual to whom we've given the silent treatment for years, how much regret wi...

I wrote this just now in dedication to a friend of mine who has been disowned by his parents, his father in particular, due to the fact he's gay. "Blood Before Principle" Born into this world, A different kind of guy, An uphill struggle from the start, Not accepted by the majority, Not wanting to admit to this world, What makes me different, Dating as many girls as I can, To try and change myself, Not wanting to admit to myself, What is inevitably true, I deny myself of reality, Hoping to please you, The moment finally comes, When I can deny no more, Out to you I reach, For acceptance and love, You turn away at my admission, Tell me to never step inside the house again, As I walk away homeless, Forever shunned by my family, In denial again, Hoping I can change myself, Pills and drinks consumed in abundance, Wanting love and acceptance, I wake up, Nothing's changed, I reach for the bottle, To erase the pain, Please take me back an...

So, I talked to an old buddy of mine on the phone last week. He came out of the closet to his closest friends about 10 years ago and we were all fine with it. None of us were surprised. In fact, when he came out to me, I didn't even realize at first he had just come out, because rightly or wrongly, I kind of assumed it. When he came out to his parents, unfortunately, they weren't as accepting. His mother seemed disappointed, but could live with it. His father was a different beast entirely and wanted nothing to do with him. So, my friend, I'll call him Bill, was disowned by his own parents. Ever since that point, he's battled problems with alcohol and drugs, has moved around a bunch and has come back home wanting his parents' acceptance. They'd take him back for a short while, thinking they could "cure" him of this obvious illness and when that didn't happen, they'd kick him out again. Just last week, Bill told me he had recently spoken t...