The Friday after Thanksgiving: beautiful day on the Marin Headlands

I'm not too sure where to start describing my Thanksgiving weekend. Over the past six months I've been getting to know Josh, a guy who lives in Washington DC. We've e-mailed, and talked on the phone quite a lot; and last month, we met for the fir

When Josh first wrote to me he told me that he was straight but that he was driven to form emotionally intimate relationships with men. Of course, I immediately leaped to the conclusion that Josh was gay, and that he hadn't come to terms with tha

Josh loves to travel and had spent previously only half a day in San Francisco. I was going to be alone through Thanksgiving, as usual, so when he suggested that he come to visit me for the long weekend, I agreed. I think that both his friends a

Well, here I am on Tuesday morning, Josh having departed by Supershuttle early this morning, and as you can see I'm fully alive. And what's more, I had a great weekend. But, I a don't think that I've begun to process my feelings yet. The only wa

Josh is an extremely confident, outgoing guy with a huge network of friends. I think he must spend several hours every day on the phone to one friend or another. Unlike many extroverts, he doesn't seem to acquire friends just so that he can assem

So one question that has repeatedly risen to the forefront of my mind is why did Josh choose me to invest so much of his precious time. Unbidden, has arisen the idea, at times, am I some kind of mission? Josh first found me by reading my online

In a sense, though, all that is immaterial. Friendship - true friendship - is one of the ultimate healing powers. And I, for one, feel a little bit healed.