Final Reflections on March 2013

If you’re a regular reader, then you’ll know that March 2013 was a little tough for me. If you're not a regular reader, you can read more about that here and here, if you’re so inclined.

However, things seem to be looking up lately. I’m definitely feeling better, and as I look back on the month, I realize that it wasn’t a total wash. Sure, my creative writing is at a standstill, which is definitely a bummer. Even so, I’ve managed to keep up with this blog. In fact, my posts have been fairly consistent – I’ve been at it for 8 months now without a break, which is probably a record for me.

I’ve also managed to be creative in other ways. At my March “stitch ‘n’ bitch,” I made a collage, the first one I’ve made in years:

Unfortunately, now that I've made it, I don't know what to do with it.

I used to make them all the time. It felt good to get back to it. Also, this past weekend I bought a new cross-stitch kit. It’s Halloween-themed, but the spooky houses, bats, cats and so forth are right up my alley. Here’s the first one, which I did in just a handful of hours on Saturday:

I may do something crafty with these come Halloween-time.

In addition to remaining creative in one way or another, I’ve also been getting out for walks at least once a week, and sometimes more than once. The weather is beautiful right now, so I feel good about enjoying it while it lasts.

Lastly, the fact that I’m able to start focusing on the positives is a good sign. I’m pretty sure that it means I’m on my way to healing.

In national news, the only big story I really keyed in on was marriage equality. As you know, I try to keep politics off my blog, but this is one issue on which I’m unwilling to remain silent. I believe in marriage equality. If consenting adults want to get married, I feel that they should be able to. Furthermore, I feel that denying them those rights is wrong.

I spent 8 years of my life working at a Unitarian church. I happened to be working there when the county in which I lived and worked briefly, and kind of out of nowhere, legalized gay marriage (I believe that this was in 2003 or 2004). Many of the gay couples who attended our church called to ask if they could come down and get married that very day, the second their licenses were in-hand. So we found some altar cloths and ran to the nearest grocery store to buy some flowers and we threw open our doors and a whole bunch of people got married that day.

I count myself lucky to have been there to witness this. Here were these couples, dressed in whatever they’d thrown on to rush down to the county clerk – usually just jeans and sneakers and sweatshirts – standing there without any frills and they were so happy. We all were. Everyone was grinning from ear to ear the whole day, the couples and the ministers and us witnesses and the families. They were, by far, the most joyful weddings that I’ve ever attended.

No one will ever be able to convince me that love like that is wrong. Love is a beautiful thing. And, as was once the motto of the church, I will always stand on its side. People who oppose marriage equality will eventually find themselves on the wrong side of history. I can only hope to live long enough to see that day.

These are the things that were on my mind in March 2013. If you’re stopping by to read, why don’t you tell me what’s been on yours?