Friday, August 6, 2010

See Here


Seeing is believing.

Or is it that believing is seeing? It all depends on where you sit. Or stand.

If faith precedes the miracle - as testified by one of my superheros, SWK, then what is the miracle I am waiting for? What am I believing in, and how do I show my faith in it?

I was an invisible kid in the eighty's. I saw no one around that was like me. I spoke to no one about my homosexuality. I cried and pleaded, I panicked and freaked out -before I knew what freaking out meant. And I did all of this in a closet before I understood the connotation.

I don’t want other children to have to do the same; to have to cry in some closet because they think that they are unworthy of love or acknowledgement.

I want responsible dialogues established, I want someone to announce at the dinner table, “Hey family, I think I might be gay.” And then I would like the first thing said to be “Please pass the potatoes.”

Sound of potatoes being passed.

“Now, what were you saying?”

I want love and understanding. I want kindness and appreciation shown. I want every child of god to know all about his linage and therefore his power, and his worth.

All children of heavenly father should expect to treat each other with civility and kindness and then do the same to others. If respect is something that is earned, the least we can do is start off at neutral. I don’t need to be treated as your brother.

Yet. I will probably have to earn that. But I would like to be treated as a friend until I prove differently.

That is what I believe. All people deserve kindness. As for what I will do to show my faith? Faith moves us to action. So, how will I choose to move?

I will show my faith by being aggressively kind to those I do not agree with. I will be vocally demonstrative and appreciative. And grateful. I choose to believe that I can help to change perspectives within my lifetime - that unless I am hit by a truck tomorrow or spontaneously combust this afternoon, what I say and do in my life will be a force for good.

If I am the only Homosexual you know (Hi. How are you? I’m Calvin Thompson, a four generation member of the LDS church) then I will be the best one you know.

Oh, I know Cal, too! Oh, yeah… He’s a good one”

The path to reconciliation will be much rougher and longer if we meat halfway at some point. I am going to run out to the halfway marker, and I might go further. Then we can converse like people. Our conversations can start out like “Hey cousin Merrill, nice shirt.” Or "Gee Alfred, I thought you were dead.” Just like every other family gathering.

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