(By
the way it's never too late to thank those who have influenced you
for good or bad--lessons are learned from both!)

Bill G--THE
love of my life--I learned that loving and being loved isn't enough to
hold (or continue) a relationship together.

Perry A--a great guy
who I met when I was 20--he worked his way through college by doing drag
shows and never again dressed in drag when he graduated--it was, also,
him who 40 years later set me on the road to a happy and contented
old(er) life and teh joys of Gateway.

There are people like Chuck, Terry, Allen, Gino,
John, Gerry, Robin, Aaron, Alfredo, Mike, James, Jill, Maria and many
more. Some I have known for over 25 years, some just the past 5 years
and a few just 5 months but all have in one way,  or many ways,
have influenced me.

Older
men--too many to mention--for whatever reason
I was always the youngest
in a group--they prepared me for whatever was
ahead in my life and showed me the choices I could make. I am no longer
the youngest in a group! LOL)

3
authors and their books who
turned my life around when I was 32--"Loneliness: The Fear Of Love" by
Ira Tanner, "Passages" by Gail Sheehy and "Born To Win" by Murial James
and Dorothy Jongeward--they, also, made me aware of the power of the
written word.

NoName--don't really mean to be
mysterious here but
I promised never to mention his name--I was a cocky, know it all 26
year old--he was a BIG name in the world of entertainment--at the
beginning of the height of his success--we were together for a very
short time--I believe I was the ONLY gay experience in his life then and
until he died--I watched this man go through so much hell in a business
that he wanted/needed to succeed in that it influenced the path I would
continue on.

The people I
have mentioned in this 2 part blog have influenced my life in many ways,
as have others, but it is due to
them that I have lived a life going through all the ups and downs to be
at 74 very happy, contented, calm and with very, very few regrets.

I
hope some people would put me on their list--I know a few who would!
:O)