Thanks so much for writing. A phone call from a very kind friend helped me recover from the news of the day. What happened will be an on-going contributor to my stress for some time. I will write about this when it is safe to do so.
My friend suggested that I get to bed early for a change!
I was delighted to get the card from my niece. My brother and sister-in-law and my nephew had already sent cards. They are all reaching out to me and I need to respond.
My niece and I easily reconnect when we see each other. So we are close. We view people and the world in much the same way. She is very accepting of all kinds of folks. Unfortunately, she lives nearly 1,000 miles away and we seldom have a chance to visit.
One of the best experiences I have had is just what you long for, "feeling one of the girls". The first time that happened was weeks before I transitioned. I stopped at a local bar with some female friends from work. Most of them already knew that I would be transitioning. I told the rest that night.
I never felt that I fit in with men. Since I transitioned, I have spent many happy moments speaking with individual women and just relaxing with groups of women. This has been a real blessing.
I will get a good night's sleep, right after my next post anyway! I want to say a few words about transitioning realties. [Addendum: I will postpone the 'transitioning realities' post so I can get to bed now. I want to discuss some of the difficulties of transitioning, but not to discourage anyone. I have never been happier. As with any change though, and transitioning is a huge change, there are gains and losses.]
I wish you the best,
Danya