All you need is love

My wife and I attended our first same-sex commitment ceremony this past Saturday. It was a "commitment ceremony" because it was held in one of the many states that does not recognize marriage for same-sex couples. To those of us in attendance, however, we recognized it for what it really was - a declaration of love between two people and an exchange of vows that they will forsake others for the remaining days of their lives. Regardless of what others might think, this certainly sounds like the "M" word to me.

I've known these two people for only a couple of years. They are actually friends of one of my offspring. But, in the time I've known them, it has been apparent to me they truly, deeply, madly, love each other. As with most young couples, you can see it in their eyes. Or the way they look at each other when they think no one else is watching. Even the little hug or smile they give each other. Love doesn't need to be loud or full of PDA - it can be subtle too.

The ceremony was held in the backyard of the home they have purchased together and was attended by numerous friends. Sadly, only the family of one of the two partners was in attendance. From what I gather, the family of the other partner opted not to attend because they do not approve of their child's situation. To me this was a tragedy as this person's parents missed out on a day of love, fun, and good food and drink. But, again, in my opinion, The family is who missed out.

Honestly, I can say that had one of my children turned out to be Gay or Lesbian, I would've accepted it. And, as I have now gotten older - and, hopefully, wiser, I would've embraced both their diversity and life partner. When I was younger I don't know that I would have had that wisdom. Somehow in your youth, you are always 100% sure of how you feel about things. Your convictions are solid. But, at least with me, as I grew older and saw many things, I found that there are very few things in life that are black or white. Most things occur in varying shades of gray.

It takes a while to process certain things in your head and in your life. I suppose all new parents want their sons to grow up to be football heroes and then become President of the United States. They want their daughters to be beautiful and smart and have a good career AND provide many grandchildren. But, as a parent, watching your child grow into adult-hood, you start to realize the thing you most want for your children - more than anything else - is for them to be happy in life.

To reach that goal, as John Lennon wrote, "All you need is love".

Old Fart Mike