Monday, July 1, 2013

Shouting From the Rooftops




Passau, Germany

The one time in my life I could have literally climbed to the rooftops of every building in the whole wide world was the day son Mark, all those years ago, fell out of the car flying at 70 mph and ended up scraping only two of his precious little 2-year-old fingers.  I already told you that story.

It was a miracle, acclaimed by the doctor himself.  If you had said it wasn’t, I would have fought you to the end…and won.

Without thought to political grandstanding or stirring up murky religious or moral waters for some…please indulge me in saying what happened last week (Wednesday, June 26), with the striking down of DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, comes in a close second. 

It was a miracle I never expected to see in my lifetime, except for, perhaps, this last year as I’ve watched the marriage-equality ball around the world roll faster and faster, like a whirlwind.
   
It’s not a “done deal” by any stretch of the imagination but the first step is there:  as regards immigration law, I can now sponsor Astrid for green-card status in America by simple virtue of the fact we have a legal Dutch marriage.

With that comes access to over 1000 Federal marriage benefits related to taxes, health, pension, social security, etc., just as with so-called straight marriages.  Sounds like a huge YIPPEE.

However, the glitch happens at the state-by-state level as each grapples with YES or NO to the marriage-equality question.  Why that matters to me personally is because if we chose to live in Michigan (where my tribe lives) or Georgia (where my children and grandson live), we would not have state marriage benefits.  Those states do not yet support marriage equality.  Furthermore, they are not required to recognize same-sex marriages carried out in other states or countries.

Did you get that?  How is it possible to be married in America but not in Michigan or Georgia?  Does that make sense to you?

I’m not a prophet but the handwriting appears to be on the wall that, sooner than we all think, the whole ball of wax will be a “done deal.”  Even Scalia, the most conservative and dissenting of the Justices in this Opinion said as much after Wednesday’s ruling.  He all but threw up his hands in despair.  It’s just a matter of time.  “Argle-bargle,” he said.

When that day comes…in my lifetime, I believe…I will not only climb to all the rooftops again but will surely feel I’ve died and gone to heaven!

Speaking of heaven, it would have been Mom’s 97th birthday last Wednesday.  I thought of her all day long, somehow sensing her presence.  In spite of being a conservative preacher’s wife, she was always a woman ahead of her time, questioning the status quo.  There was always something sensible about her…once she got all the facts.

So, this is for you, Mom.  This is for believing all things.  This is for love winning and shouting it from the rooftops.

This is also for all of you who stood by our side and cheered us on.  THANK YOU!

LOVE ALWAYS WINS.
Love is love.  Family is family.  Marriage is marriage.




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