Like others, I did not grow up in only one place.

And, while I was baptized as a Catholic, we stopped going to church when my parents divorced when I was about 5. So, I was not raised "with religion." My step-mom occasionally took us to church, but that was the extent of it.

So, there is nothing culturally or otherwise unappealing about where I grew up. In fact, politically, I absolutely long to be west of the Rockies or Sierra Nevadas. Where I am now, I am a fish out of water.

Puertorricans used to have the tendency to return home to die. My ex-wife is remarrying a third time and retiring to live back in the island with her non english speaking husband. Me? I had become a "citizen of the world". I had lived in better places not for being better places but because the experience made a better person out of me. If life is suppose to be the journey and not the destination... you planting your feet on the side of the road that you like while it roots you also stops you from seeing what's around the bend. Also stops you from learning if the path taken on a fork was right or not. As a teenager trying to become a functional communist in a capitalist society we talked about being "citizens of the world" or the beauty of being an "anarchist adventurer". I was born to be in for the whole experience. I even served in the military while believing in the Independence of Puerto Rico. But the fire in my belly is not consumed yet... I understand the ex for being tired of traveling in her job that takes her anywhere in the planet where ever senior military needs to make a home so that includes China and Russia. I may return home one day to die. But I know that the day will not pass when I will not tell someone... "You need to get out of the island while you bullshit". Religion will never be part of the decision... I had been a gipsy and I endorse this message.

I love you brother but I've done this a couple of times before. The life story and how i got here. I'm just grateful I'm here. I'm retired... there aint no going back... it's straight forward from here.

I didn't live at home from about 16, not my choice. But was guilted into helping my family out in many ways, pretty much raised my youngest brother, paid my parents mortgage out twice, the 2nd time because my father re mortgaged it to cover gambling debts. The demands on me never stopped, so just before my sons 2nd birthday, I up and moved interstate. I never went back to the family, and am not welcome back. I talk to my disabled sister and my youngest brother but have nothing to do with the rest of the family. I have nothing at all in common with them, they remain pious religious twits incapable of doing anything for themselves, they have too much reliance on doctors as in they are hypochondriacs and waste time and money with constant visits, high levels of medication and will shop around if they don't get the medication they want, they also accept whatever the Government tells them, will never argue, never seem to have an opinion of their own on anything important.

Funny you should ask this question....I just hung up the phone on my father about 10 minutes ago. He's been calling for some time asking me for money, and today I was very clear that I could not help him anymore. He went on a rant yelling that I was committing a sin for not being there for him and that I would suffer an eternal damnation...blah, blah blah! I told him I will no longer tolerate his disrespect of me, my time, my views and that I will NOT be damned by his god, as I have no belief in said entity...he continued to preach and I just hung up the phone. Boy that felt good! Everyone else in my family is aware of my non-belief and they all respect it. I attend family functions and all are polite to not discuss religion with me.

I think we all grow and adapt, and every situation is different. I'm by no means the same person I was, and indeed I don't fit in with the groups I was involved with growing up. But groups are made of people, too, so while I couldn't ever go back to the way things were when I was a kid, the strict religious environment, my family has grown and adapted along with me. Most of them still believe, but I fit in (somewhat) because they accept me even if we disagree.