Canada, here we come... almost.

We're apparently going to Presque Isle on Monday.  There's a lot to work out and we're both not entirely sure why Drac's mom actually has to go, but we're all going.  We think she might have something up her sleeve, as she usually does, but she won't clue us in on what that is.  I tried to do some research on Drac's brother, to see if we might be able to, somehow, miraculously find him when we're up there, which then got me thinking of his other brother that I have been wanting to find for him for quite some time, but that will take more patience and research on my end.

Years ago I wanted to find information on his father for him.  I didn't want to tell him, figured I would go on the only thing I had (his name) and if nothing came up, fine, I wouldn't get his hopes up.  As luck would have it, after much research, I found out a decent amount of information and we were able to get some more information from the army about him.  To this day it still pleases Drac to know how much work I put into it for him, as he never got to meet his father who died when he was 3 months old in an accident.  His mother doesn't speak much about the past at all, so getting information out of her is difficult.

I wish we could be up there longer, to make the most of the trip, but it's incentive to gather more information and keep looking.  I've always thought of him as an only child, as, essentially, he is an only child with his adopted mother, but he has 1 brother who he had kept in touch with and 2 others he never saw again after they were put up for adoption.  Nimue could have cousins... it's such a strange thing to me, and I have asked if he has any interest in ever finding the other 2, and he does, but I think he doesn't want to do the work, for fear of not coming up with anything and leading to disappointment.  It is bringing up a lot, so I can understand.  It's made me want to look at my own family ancestry, which is a bit of a challenge as we're the first generation American's and trying to find anyone in Chile is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

We'll be leaving on Monday and coming back sometime Tuesday evening since Drac has to work on Wednesday and can't take anymore time off since his funeral leave.

I'm saddened by the news that Maine did not pass the legal marriage act for gays on Tuesday.  Awful.  To be quite honest, I was actually really surprised.  If NH could pass it, a state that is supposedly "live free and die" but quite Republican and essentially a step backwards in various aspects, if they could pass this, surely Maine, the state where everyone is free to be who they are, such the relaxed and open atmosphere, would be willing to pass it too.  Such a shame.

California, while a surprise to some extent that Prop 8 was even passed, I suppose that when looking at how large the state is and just how many people really don't vote, it was a sad and harsh loss to the LGBT community felt everywhere.  With Maine, I thought it would be a victory and a sort of slap in the face to CA and would push them even harder to fight to overturn Prop 8.

The ads were beautiful.  I was on vacation in Maine when I saw a couple of them and it brought tears to my eyes to see the beauty and bravery of these families to put themselves out there in hopes that people would see them just as they are: regular people trying to enjoy love, just like everyone else.  It's hard to not feel defeated when you hear news like this.

Though, the upside had me thinking of the struggles we've had in this country and how each of those have been overturned for the better.  African American's not being able to drink from the same water fountain; womyn not being able to vote, these were huge aspects of our history that shifted, in time, and while there are still those close-minded people who still mentally live in that time of without justice, there are the warriors fighting this fight now, and this, too, will be won.  It's disheartening, yes, because we want that time NOW, but it will happen.  The upside in all this horrific turn of events is that Kalamazoo passed Ordinance 1856, 62-38%.  It is a victory, and we must take each victory with strength, because the losses are hard.  It's not lost on me that Obama has signed the hate crime legislation, which is another big step in equality and tolerance.  It's days like this that make me sigh a heavy sigh for our world, wondering how much personal, human emotional and compassionate advancements we are really making in our world.  There is only love in my Avalon, and I must continue to cultivate a compassionate way of being. 

As Gandhi said: "You must be the change you want to see in the world."

Today that quote has whole new meaning for me.

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Comments

Wendy said…
OMG, OMG, OMG! David's ancestors are from Aroostook County! Say hi to their spirits for me! Someday I have to go there (Mars Hill and Hodgdon).

In other comments... Yes, the Maine voting is so sad. I do hope that, at some point in our lives, this will change and marriage will be an equal right granted to ALL people.


Keep me updated. I know you'll email me when you get home.

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