A Little Bit of Background Before We Go On

First off, let me start this blog with a bit of background, so you know the type of writer you’re dealing with.

I’m a 43-year old wife, sister, daughter and mother of three.  My kids are a teenaged daughter, a pre-teen son and a son who is about to start kindergarten.  I’ve been married to my wonderful hubby for twelve years this June.  My oldest went to the same Catholic school I did but now all three of my kids go to the wonderful public schools we’re blessed with where I live. 

I grew up in a hard-working neighborhood of people where I still live now, 42 years later (we bought a house around the corner from my Mom’s the year we got married).  I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic school all the way to graduate level, and nearly became a nun in my twenties.  Back then I went through some serious life changes that turned my world upside and made me re-examine everything.

You may think with that very Catholic upbringing that I’d be conservative, maybe even a Republican.  Pardon my chuckling, but I’m the farthest thing you could ever imagine from my childhood environment.  I think it’s the various eye-opening social, political and religious events that bombarded my life in my twenties, to be honest. 

I saw a lot of hypocrisy that led me to another religious path.  I went through a lot of things that challenged my mind and my heart.  My father, who I adored, passed away after a short but intense bout with cancer.  I had a fiancée die on me under horrendous circumstances.  I became an activist in the gay rights movement, inspired by my LGBT friends.  I became an AIDS buddy for a local group.  I became a single mother before I found my loveable husband.  I was active in a coalition of LGBT friendly faith groups in my state. And I ended up becoming involved in what I term “medical activism” – advocating for my family members with mental health issues.

This has resulted in morphing me into an individual who puts one thing in life first: LOVE.  This has apparently worked rather well; one of my Christian friends has remarked that I live “love one another” better than some Christians he knows!  Life together is too blasted short; we can’t spend our time living it blind and heartless.

So needless to say, the political environment of late has been heart-wrenching and sometimes even nausea-inducing.   When you’ve been raised on a religion that tells people to love one another and then see the major proponents of the narrow-minded hatred out there saying they’re from the same faith? 

How do you not sigh and shake your head?  How do you explain anti-LGBT legislation to a ten year old when they ask about it?  How do you talk about the election year insanity with your teen who will be voting in 2016?  How do you explain things like bigotry and racism and sexism to your kids?  How do you teach your kids to be thoughtful American citizens who vote with their heads AND their hearts?

That’s what this blog is going to be all about.  So fasten your seat belts and be prepared for a ride.  Mom’s got a lot to say . . . .