The biggest low was my father’s death. It really wrecked my family apart. We were a very close family and now half of us don’t even talk to each other. That is still really hard.

The biggest high is Val and the life that we created. I have had more fun in twenty years than I have had in twenty-seven. He gets me. He gets the bullshit and my seriousness, what I am trying to achieve. And he is there for support.

Val: He helped me take care of my mother. We talked on the phone every single night. He came out to help me. When I brought my father out here to live, he took care of my father with me for three or four years.

My brother was Mormon but he would not take care of my father. I had to quit my job and take care of my father. In a town of Mormons. They barely accepted me because I wasn’t part of the church. That is why I taught English as a second language to Mexicans who spent their time picking cotton in the fields and herding cattle. They accepted me.

The Mormons were nice but they did not really invite me into their homes or anything. The Mexicans did. My brothers and my sisters would have nothing to do with it. I think all religions can be good but they can also be divisive. I can see good in all religions. Organized religion has not been a good thing for me.

Matt: One of the best times in my life was when Val took me to France to show me where he had lived. Seeing them in real life and seeing Val light up, it was so amazing.