Has it really been only this long?

I looked up at the calender today, and stopped to think. I moved in January of 2001. Ebon's been living with Warin and Catchild since 2000, and he's been in a relationship with Catchild for about six years now. I've been here for almost three years now.

We've lived together, bought furniture, vehicles, land, and houses, together, raised and are raising children together, gone to restraunts, movies, and grocery stores together, packed and unpacked together, built things together, gamed together, cleaned the house together, cooked together . . .

It feels like I've been here all my life, when it's really been not quite three years. It's a day late, but I'm thankful for this. I'm thankful for my family.

I'm still scared at times. I'm not terrified anymore, though. And I finally can see how strong we actually are as a family, and I can see how small the chances are that we're going to fall apart. The control freak is finally fading.

There's a line from a Sandman comic that springs to mind right about now: "Sometimes you fall. And yes, sometimes you die. But sometimes you fly."

I'm flying.