Acknowledgments

    Before I begin with the business of formally blogging, I would be remiss were I not to acknowledge and thank those that have carried me through many a harrowing and hazardous situations that if left untreated could have turned an another blog into an obituary. Instead of running from, they ran to and with me. Instead of being shocked into inaction they sprung into action. Though we often look back at potentially catastrophic situations and say, "well we can laugh about that now," not all ends so well.
     Just last year, I lost a dear friend to the tragic consequences of mental illness. Though in recovery from its acute and unexpected onset, she seemed to be doing well, yet the proverbial rainbow was not enuf for her. This marked the first time (and hopefully the last) that the unforgiving, and undiscrminating consequences of mental instability proved fatal in my circle. While she was with us, she inspired me with her intellect and amazed me with her warmth. She is missed.

     Her situation could have easily been mine. That being said, endless credit and thanks are due, and while I could, and at one point surely will list the names of everybody that has been involved in my journey thus far (family, doctors, therapists, social workers etc.), this particular space is reserved for those friends who functioned as surrogate families while distance and dire straits kept me from mine. They have looked after me at my worst in the midst of one of my "episodes." (I will fully clarify what that means in general and for me specifically in an one of my next blogs) and for that I am eternally grateful.
     I haven't had the chance to ask my friends' permission to post their first names, so in order to say thank you anonymously, yet with them knowing they are being acknowledged I will use middle names or slight derivations of them in this and future postings until I receive consent to do otherwise. Just names for now, no annotations. I plan to fully flesh out in detail each of their roles in future entries about these episodes.



Eliza
Demetrius-Williams
Alan
Aubrey
Chanel
Artis (and his parents/pastor)
CH (initials listed, middle name unknown).
HG

"Friends are the family we choose." - Unknown