Wintering In

Yesterday was such a strange day for me. December 21. The Winter Solstice. The Sun entering Capricorn.

It was the first day "on which same-sex couples were allowed a legal status comparable to marriage -- including the same social security, pension, tax and inheritance rights -- in England and Wales. (The law went into effect earlier this week in Northern Ireland and Scotland.)" And perhaps the most famous gay couple of all, Elton John and David Furnish were married. Bravo for them!

Then in the afternoon, Donica and I drove all the way down to Midtown Atlanta to see the new movie, Brokeback Mountain. It spans 20 years starting in 1963 (the year I graduated from high school), and by now I'm guessing everyone knows what it's about: the love that cannot be spoken. Donica's first words after it was over was "What a great love story!" And I just cried. It touched so many places long ago left behind. Or at least I thought. Maybe those places never really go away as long as we live in a country so split over the issue. Maybe we're meant to relive them until change happens?

So I left the theater wondering if this movie will make a difference. Will it have any power to bring us one step closer to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Or Canada, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Or will it only rile up the opposition that much more!

Once we got back to our neck of the woods and did some last-minute shopping, we stopped for an ice-cream cone. My choice: Rum Raisin! A good flavor for bringing in the Winter of our souls. Maybe we'll be surprised by some warm fireplaces a-blazin' in places we least expect? Eternal optimist that I am, I can only hope so.