The delicate fragrance
brought me to a stop as I walked down my busy street this evening....could not
imagine where it was wafting from…it came from the same scraggly
magnolia that caused me to laugh at its impertinence the other day…blooming on the
edge of winter....reflected in the amber
street lamp…a waxing gibbous moon in the distance. First seeing, now experiencing the fragrance of this street tree is
the message: this is my environment. And, I have a new friend.
"We, the people, declare today that the most
evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides
us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and
Stonewall ... Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters
are treated like anyone else under the law—for if we are truly created equal,
then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."
President Barack Obama: 2nd Inaugural Address
It
seemed unimaginable that in my lifetime the President of the United
States would state that gay rights are a civil right in the inaugural
address. Tears and applause were appropriate!