Love Wins

As you already know, the US Supreme Court made it official that gay couples may be married in any state. There was an uproar of excitement and disappointment that swept the nation. I had been asked to share my thoughts on this topic and wrote an article about it. That brought some a lot of contention and my article was taken down. I'm not offended; my article was really just my opinion. I thought I'd jump on here and share with you a condensed version of my thoughts on this topic.

I don't care. I don't care if you're gay. I don't care if you're not gay. We're all human beings and we are all different. Some of us are gay; some of us aren't. And that's okay! Some of my dearest friends are gay or part of the LGBT community. I love them just the same.

I admit, I don't really understand why people can't love and marry who they want; whether they were of the same gender or not. I remember the uproar that Prop 8 brought. I was a freshman in college. I didn't know or understand it well enough to make a decision on it. I have always thought that love is love. And you should be able to love whoever you want. You should be able to marry whoever you want. Everyone deserves to be happy.

While this is how I feel, my Mormon faith condones the act of gay marriage. (Not the individual.) I grew up being taught that marriage is between ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN. As I've gotten older, I had to make a choice to decide for myself whether I agreed with this or not. So I went on my own journey which consisted of research, fasting, and prayer. I was able to make my decision.

I agree. I agree 110%, because I love God. I love him so deeply and intimately and I choose to follow Him. I have willingly accepted his laws and commandments and I choose to keep them. Thus, I choose to stand up for traditional marriage. Does that change the way that I feel about gay couples and them getting married? Not at all! I still love them. We're different and we have different views. That's completely okay.

Here's where I draw the line. I believe that you cannot force a church to change their views and standards to accommodate your beliefs. That is crossing a line. Yes, gay couples can marry in any state, but that doesn't mean you can force a church clergyman (or something similar) to officiate the marriage, if it's against that churches standards! Don't forget about religious freedom! You can't take that away!

Glenn Beck said, "I will stand with my church. Just as I would stand with your church if you wanted to marry gay couples. I was never against churches that decided that they were going to have female priests or marry gay couples. That's fine. That's up to you. But you can't force my church to do it."

Here's the official statement from the LDS church: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acknowledges that following today's ruling by the Supreme Court, same-sex marriages are now legal in the United States. The Court's decision does not alter the Lord's doctrine that marriage is a union between a man and a woman ordained by God. While showing respect for those who think differently, the Church will continue to teach and promote marriage between a man and a woman as a central part of our doctrine and practice."

Other than that, life is still good. History was made yesterday. We can all still be respectful to each other and show love and kindness. Our differences make us unique. So to you who are celebrating this new freedom, I congratulate you and wish the happiness you seek for. As that goes for everyone; You all deserve to be happy!

Dear Emma

I have a lot friends. I have a lot of close friends. I have a lot of best friends. But I only have one Emma.

Emma is different. Emma isn't just a best friend, but she is my confidant who has deemed herself worthy of a true intimate friendship. If anyone in this life knew me better than myself, it's her. I have never fully been able to open up to someone. Ever. I always draw a line and no one has crossed that line except for Emma.

When told in counseling that I needed a support group, I immediately thought of Emma. I admit I was hesitant to open up to her. I didn't want to burden her. She lived in California and it would be too complicated. Then one day she told me she was coming to visit. We go together and I felt comfortable around her. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed being around her.

She could see in my eyes that I needed to talk. So I said a quick prayer for strength and was able to open up to her in the deepest, most sincere, and intimate way. For the first time in all my years, I took off my mask. She never judged me for my imperfections. She immediately forgave me and embraced me for all that I am. She encouraged me and cheered me on as I have battled some hard things. She saw my emotionally raw true self. And she still loved me.

Together she and I had forged an unbreakable friendship. She knows things that no one knows about me, not even in my family, counselor, or close friends. Our bond was so strong. The only person I thought I could ever have this kind of relationship with was my husband. God proved me wrong. He taught me that I could have this bond with very special people. Emma being one of them.

Emma passed away, leaving behind her sweet husband and baby boy. I can't comprehend or explain the ache I feel inside. It's too intimate and the cut is deep. What I can say is that I hope to be half the friend she was to me. In honor of my dear friend, I share with you some of her words that have touched me.

You could be whoever you want. You could do whatever you want. You could make x amount of dollars and buy France, if you wanted. But if you can't be true to yourself then you are living a miserable lie that will bring eternal hell. And you're not worth that!

Think about it; prophets of old, dedicating their lives in the pursuit of happiness for others. They know God. They love God. They served God. It only makes sense that they would willingly give their lives to Him. They know what joy is. We need to be like that. Come to know our God and to love and serve Him; be willing to submit fully to Him. Because that's how we experience true happiness.  

I won't say that I'm mad, because I'm not. I won't say that I'm not confused, because I am a little. But I will say, that I forgive you, because you're worth it. So you screwed up. Big whoop! What impresses me the most is seeing you here; mask off and exposed. It makes me love and appreciate you more. And that's why I forgive you; I see your worth. It's beautiful! I want to see more of you.

Forgive me as I lament over my dear Emma. She truly is a remarkable woman. She will be dearly missed! More importantly, I pray for the Bezzant family in their time of grief. How hard it must be to lose a daughter, a wife, and a mother; I can't even comprehend that pain. I now rely fully on the mercy and healing power of the atonement to fill the emptiness. It always fills the gaping holes in my heart. I pray that the same healing power will also heal those who are aching at this time.

Goodbye Em, see you on the flip side.

Summer Days and the Kool-Aid Gang

Let's be honest. Kool-Aid is delicious. Especially when you're a little kid. That cold, sugary drink is what cools you down on a hot summer day! My mom never bought Kool-Aid, BUT my neighbors pantry was stocked! I remember those days sitting on the front porch in the summer heat, drinking Kool-Aid with my friends. That was the life!

One hot day after drinking a whole pitcher of Kool-Aid, we got a crazy idea. Kool-Aid is practically colored sugar. Add water and voila! You have yourself Kool-Aid! We filled the pitcher, added the necessary cups of sugar, and (for color) a few drops of food coloring. We stirred everything together and poured us a tall glass. I took a nice big swig and my world came to halting stop.
BLEH!!! It was disgusting! (Vomitrocious as my young self would say.) I guess you could say we forgot about the artificial flavoring that satisfies the palate.

Moral of the story: Save the sugar water for the hummingbirds.

#ConfidenceIsMe Update

If you thought I forgot about #confidenceisme then think again! I've gotten through the responses and have been working hard on this project. I've asked a few special people to be part of this and I can't wait to share with you. I've been compiling all of your responses and have shared a few of them on my Instagram account in April. (@missmarlirock if you want to follow.) I've been very impressed with what many of you had to say. I'm still taking responses, so please see the #confidenceisme tab for more information.

CORE-TER-OV-A-CEN-TUR-EE

Do you get it? Quarter of century? Twenty-five years? Hahaha. You're so smart.

Yes, I hit the big 2-5 earlier this month. Want to know a secret? I love aging! Every year I get older, I am happy as a clam! I don't mind getting older. I've been on this weird grown up adrenaline vibe lately. Planning, goal making, and soul searching. It's been weird, but refreshing. I'm re-evaluating my life goals and planning what I want to do for the next twenty-five years. My perspective on life seems deeper and has more meaning. Here's to the next twenty five years. Cheers all around.