Exposure

If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is to be straight with people. Tell them how you feel, be honest, and regardless of the outcome, take your medicine like a grown up. Why is it then, that although I know this is the right thing to do, I cannot manage to live by it. Telling the ones I care about how I feel has never been the problem.; I can do that with the best of them. My feelings for the ones I love are worn proudly on my sleeve. One only need to look at my face and read my expression to know what kind of mood I'm in. I do not hide my emotions well; whether they be happy or sad.
Honesty really isn't a problem for me either, but it can be a relative term. I always tell the truth, but sometimes not the whole truth. Maybe I want to be open and honest, but I don't want the other person to think me too forward, or too direct. I want to protect the ones I care about the most. I want to protect them from these powerful emotions that sometimes overwhelm and often expose me. I guess I think that if I keep some of the facts to myself, they will not think of me as ... well... obsessive. I do that...I obsess over things that I cannot control. You would think given my superior intellect (ha! that's funny right there!) that I would just leave the things I cannot control to God and move on, but sometimes I really have a hard time with that.
There are people (friends and family) in my life that have made such an impact on me that I have difficulty expressing it, and sometimes in my quest for emotional release, I come on a little bit too strong.
What I'm trying to say (and perhaps poorly) is that I appreciate all of those who have touched my life.
You have laughed with me, cried with me, stood beside graves with me.
You have been a source of inspiration, of guidance, and of light.
You have filled me to overflowing with love, with faith, and with hope.
You have held me, rocked me, and loved me.
You have sang with me, walked with me, and screamed with me.
You have prayed with me, for me, and about me.
You have stood, worked, and learned beside me.
You have led me, followed me, and carried me.
You have comforted me, fought with me, and taught me.
You are my family...
...my friends...
...my teachers...
...my soul mates...
I LOVE YOU - and that IS the truth