I have spent most of my life without any real friends. When I was very young I did have a friend but when we moved house we lost contact. I would have been twelve at that time. Quite a few years later when I was about twenty that friend called to my new house and wanted to see me however, I did not wish to renew the friendship. I had become a very anti-social person by then and that continued until I was about twenty-five. I didn’t want friends, I really didn’t want anything and I guess I was just rebelling against society and the fact that I was also suffering from gender dysphoria, something which haunted me all my life until 2002 when I went through re-assignment surgery. My life had changed tremendously when I became a Christian and I realised how precious life is. I love people, I wanted them to know what I knew and had experienced. I still do. The thing is I became very open to friendship and will make friends now very easily. Since my transition too I have become a much more settled and loving person. I first found love when I met my marriage partner and I still love her though we are now divorced. Then along came Jesus into my life and I learned the true meaning of love. Even though I am open to friendship and am very generous to those whom I make my friends, I seldom find people willing to be a real friend to me. There are but a couple of people in my life whom I would call my real friends and they know who they are. One of those friends is going through a bad patch just now and is finding it hard to cope financially. If that person is reading this I do wish my offer to help is accepted, for with me there are no strings when someone is in need and especially if that person is my friend.
Shirley Anne
