but i was also nervous. you see, my parents and i have had somewhat of a strained relationship the past few years due to their lack of understanding of my "lifestyle" (as they've called it). their position on my being gay is that it's wrong, i'm wrong, and i need to change (as is the position of many christian fundamentalists). i've done my best to be compassionate, understanding and respectful, but also have made it known i cannot choose who i love or change who i am.
and so my relationship and contact with them these past few years has been limited, even as i long for their acceptance and unconditional love.
they say time heals all wounds, which i tend to believe. but i also believe love and understanding are attainable in almost every relationship if people would just open themselves to get to know one another. people are so much more than a label ("jew," "african american," "hispanic," "gay") placed upon them by society. if individuals in the world took the time to step outside their comfort zones to understand someone who's different than themselves, hatred would diminish and love would prevail.
i'm not sure whether it was time or some other force healing my parents' wounds, but regardless of the reason, my mom and dad chose to open their minds to a different kind of relationship. a relationship that looks different from theirs on the outside, yet is very similar on the inside. just as my parents love each other, so too do lucky and i love each other.
because of their willingness to reach out, lucky and i felt more comfortable in their presence. and their visit last week turned out to be a visit we'll always treasure. not only did we get the chance to learn more about my parents, but they too learned more about me and lucky. plus, they got to see the pacific northwest with two of the best tour guides ever -- us! we saw the giant redwood trees in northern california, beautiful haystack rock in the pacific ocean by cannon beach, the gigantic "spruce goose" wooden airplane at the evergreen aviation museum, flying fish at pike place market in seattle, the boeing airplane factory, the seattle skyline while on a harbor cruise, and gorgeous multnomah falls in the columbia river gorge.
here's a picture of me with mom and dad at pike place market in seattle:
thank you, mom and dad, for being willing to look beyond a label in order to see your daughter. thanks also for a wonderful trip, thanks for the laughs, thanks for the love, and thanks for giving me life. i love you so much.
and so i leave you all with this thought: you never know what might happen if you get to know someone who's different than you. in learning more about them, you might learn more about yourself.
as always, we're sending LOTS of love and hugs across the miles.
