I’m not brave
enough to show my face or reveal my name but I’m brave enough to speak up about
something I live every day to try to fix, even though it’s too late. I had a
bestfriend who turned out to be gay. At that time in the 80s, gay meant that he
was a predator. Gay meant that he just wanted to get in my pants and that he’d
have no respect for my standards. In those days, we were taught to fear gay
people and I was definitely afraid.
So, I disowned
him and tossed his friendship into the garbage. Denying his friendship wasn’t
enough, though. I lied about him…I told stories about what he said he wanted
and how I had to fight him to keep him away from me. None of that was true. I
heard, a few years later that he killed himself.
If he were
alive today, I’d tell him how wrong and sorry I was and am. To this day, I
don’t really know why he killed himself. But, to show that there really is
justice in this world, my son has just told me that he’s gay and all the old
ghosts have come up again.
I will not
disown him and I’ll never throw him away…he’s my son and I love him more than
anything. But, it just goes to show that old sins sometimes come home to haunt.
I pray every day that my old companion will somehow forgive me even though I
know I don’t deserve it. I now live every day watching out for people when
they’re being mistreated for who they are. The old fears and prejudices are
gone…
I still have
my standards. But I also know that I have a responsibility to uphold standards
of kindness and tolerance for everyone, even though that’s not easy
sometimes…and I’m going to carry that with me for the rest of my life.’
What are your
thoughts?
What advice
would you give this person?
When we are young, we are careless with people. We lack a belief in a future. One that holds us accountable for our actions. As we age, we see the value of those who come into our lives. Those we failed? We cannot help now. Those we have? We must treasure and care for as if our life depended on it... because it does. You are what you put out there. You must live in the moment and decide each moment... am I the person I was? Or am going to be the person I can be. The person I can be now? Values those in my life. I take care of them... because my life does depend on it.
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