Hey there, Rick,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It's hard to imagine all you've gone through. It seems that although we each have our personal reasons for being so moved by Brokeback Mountain, our stories seem to have common themes - loneliness, isolation, tragedy, missed opportunities....
I hear much truth here:
When I saw Ennis looking out that window all alone it made me realize that you shouldn't give up on love and you need to take risks. I never wanted to risk the chance of being hurt again in a relationship but BBM made me realize that the alternative (Ennis) was not the way.
I am so happy for the happiness you've found and wish you all the best! You deserve it!
...but am more convinced than ever before that individual happiness cannot be achieved if we let what others say or do restrict us from reaching for any dream or goal.
Vince - that's a wonderful way to summarize my feelings too. I'm trying to apply many of what I call 'my lessons' from BBM to my own life. It's no magic bullet, in my case, but I feel for the first time in many years that I am moving in the direction that is right for me.
-Lynne