My name is Daniel Ritchie. I am a 26-yr-old man living in Fort Lauderdale, FL with my 39-yr-old partner KB. We've been together for thirteen months and have had many up's and down's while trying to get to know one another. He is my polar opposite (he's grounded, while I am more imaginitive) and it took quite a while before we "settled" in with each other. He has been a very stabilizing force in my life, helping to reunite me with my family, and has caused a wonderful change in me.
I was raised in the church, and only began to fall away from the faith around 2006 when I got married to my best friend. My BFF (a woman) met me as a gay man and we even double-dated a few times until we starting having sex together. Big mistake. BTW, she proposed to me after saying that God told her we should get married.
I soon found myself staying home from church to appease her, rejecting the advice of many who came to know and love me, and if that wasn't bad enough, a wedge was eventually drawn between me and my family because of my blind devotion to her. She turned a confident gay man into a resentful pretender that NO ONE wanted to be around.
I began using drugs on the weekends and working long hours just to keep from going home. I was in denial about the state of my life, until I met a very powerful woman who made me wake up and take responsibility for myself. I admitted to this woman (who soon became my spiritual mother) that I was still a gay man and felt trapped by a woman who said she could change me, and I needed help. My spiritual mother (SM) "counseled" me every weekend to help build my internal fortitude, and when I felt strong enough, I told my wife that we should get a divorce. I was tired of living a lie, and I wanted her to be with someone who was truly in love with her.
Fast forward ... I finally meet the man who has filled my dreams (and fantasies). KB pursued me the old-fashioned way. We maintained a healthy, respectful relationship until we decided to commit to one another in May 2009. My life has taken a drastic turn for the better. My mother, grandmother, sisters, and brothers ALL love him, and he makes a point of spending time with them as often as a holiday can come around! I have a great relationship with his daughter (who happens to be four years younger than me), his mother and father, and his brothers.
Although we have our normal struggles (bills, bills, and more bills!), he handles it with a silent confidence that is so rare these days. I thank God for him, and I thank God for you, GCF. It seems that my ideal life really wasn't years away as I thought, but one person away ...
Now all I need is that darn job!!!
