Ready as I'll ever be for 2010

Spent the long weekend on retreat with a great bunch of gay, lesbian, trans, straight and undecided sweet peas. Glorious!

As I think I've mentioned before, this was the retreat I met Linda on, so there were a good number of people there who have known Linda longer than I.

There were tears, of course. We also laughed ourselves silly--and not just during the no-talent show, but that was one of the most hilarious things I have seen in a very long time. It felt like a dream, a dream featuring most terrible drag acts ever, performed by dear men who had no business doing drag but who could not care less--they just wanted to have fun, and did they ever. My face hurt from the laughter, and that hasn't happened to me in ages.

And I was able to share about Linda and some of what this past year or so has been like. It was difficult to do, but so freeing--and it was appreciated by people who knew her and by many who didn't. One dear man told me he had wondered who Linda was when he saw how upset people were when they heard about her passing during the last retreat (held just after she died). Due to what I shared during the weekend, he felt as though he knew her a little, and thanked me for it. Felt so very good to hear that.

And the hugs--the glorious, numerous, heart-felt hugs. Best medicine for a broken heart, ever.

So I feel about as ready as one in my shoes can hope to be for 2010--this ought to be good.