It's true that it's hard to say that you understand something you've never been through, but even the attempt at understanding is always, always appreciated.

What's important to understand -- and what took me years to understand -- is that each of us come to these understandings in our own time. It's totally unfair to try and push someone into revealing something like this before they're ready. When my sister found out that was perhaps the hardest part of the whole thing. Her need for my parents to know made her feel that she had the right to make me tell them. Despite the fact that was -- and still am -- a million miles from being ready for that.

Often times the best kind of support that you can give is to simply let someone speak. Sometimes, that's all it takes. Just one person to listen, to not judge, but to be a sounding board. I know that without Wayne I would have just gone on holding it in, never even able to reach the point where I could say something like what wrote here, to myself.

*hugs hard* It means so much to have the support of friends, even if we are far apart. Thanks, babe.