Since we are talking about the family, let’s talk about my parents. After telling them about my excommunication, I hadn’t been in much contact with them for many years. However, in 1997, after Thom and I had been together for 11 years, my brother in New Jersey married his current wife and they invited both of us back for the wedding. The whole family was there: all my brothers and their wives. Everybody was nice and friendly to us. I really think that when people saw Thom and me together, they realized that we really belonged together and accepted us. Thom and my dad had a long talk together, and I don’t know everything they talked about, but they came to a reconciliation and acceptance.