Good-bye

            I’m writing this post to say thank you and good-bye.

            I’ll start with the good-bye.  There are two reasons that I’ve decided to stop my blogging. First is that I’m going to be so incredibly busy. Starting up the nonprofit and then running it will take a huge amount of my time, and any spare time I have will be spent with my loved ones. If I had more time, I still probably wouldn’t be able to write. Second, I started this blog because I needed a place to speak my thoughts and feelings, and while this blog was incredibly important for my growth, I’ve learned that speaking to those in my life is more productive than blogging about it. If I had just talked to Fred earlier instead of speculating here, we’d have worked things out sooner. If I had asked Marie about how she treated me rather than complain about it, we would have understood each other better months ago. If I had told my dad what I’d written here, I’d have been free of him a long time ago. Being able to write out my thoughts and feelings on this blog – not to mention all of your responses encouraging me – was important for me to gain strength. But it’s been a crutch. And I can walk without it now.

            And now, the thank you. I don’t know if any of you can truly understand how important you have been to me. So often in my life, I’ve felt alone and not important. But your care and concern for me, your sympathy in my disappointments and celebration in my triumphs, have meant the world to me. It made me believe in my worth again and to face what I needed to change head on. You’ve helped me in more ways than I can count. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

            And now, as I leave you, I hope that all of you find the same support and encouragement you’ve given me.