By:
On:
With: 1 Comment

This year seems to framed in terms of love. Every corner has been shaded in one way or another with beautiful acts of love — marriages, friendships, deepening relationships at every turn. It is a nice time to be alive, to know the people I know.

In two short weeks, Heather and John will get married. Words fail to express how perfect these two are with on another. They are two halves of a whole, seem meant to have found each other. I’m incredibly happy that they are starting a new chapter in their life and committing themselves more fully. It is powerful and I wish them all the luck in the world.

In July, another of my favorite people is getting married. My cousin Rebecca has long been one of those people whose kindness is so strong that it is humbling. Her attitude towards life has been overwhelmingly positive and she is a joy to know. She is definitely one of the members of my family who I’d want to know even if I was not related to them. I’ve not had the privilege to meet her fiancé, but the chatter has been that he is an amazing person who seems made for Beck.

I love couples. I’ve seemed to gravitate toward couple in my life and prefer being in the company of people who are deeply connected. As long as I don’t feel intrusive, which I must admit I often do at times, I enjoy being witness to such love. It has a sort of magic about it and I don’t need it for myself to appreciate. Love is so powerful. It has a presence. I can feel it filling to house when I visit my parents, hanging in the air before even entering the house. I feel it when David talks about Daniel and when Daniel’s eyes light up around David. Their love captures fully the spirit of the thing.

One day I’ll find that for myself, but I’m content for now to bask in the warmth of other people’s connections. Life feels perfect sometimes.

By:
On:
With: 0 Comments

The fight continues…

Adding the GLBT community to Anchorage’s anti-discrimination law has been quite the journey. For those who are unfamiliar, this all started in the 70s. At that time, there was a proposal to add sexual orientation to the state’s existing anti-discrimination policy. That proposal passed, but was vetoed by the mayor at the time. A few weeks later, the proposal passed again. Once again, the mayor vetoed. In the early 90s, an anti-discrimination policy including sexual orientation was enacted, but later repealed by a different assembly.

It is ludicrous that we are having this debate. It is absolutely insane that it is so accepted to play with other people’s protections. It isn’t enough to deny actual rights to gay and lesbian couples, these people go the extra step to ensure that members of their own community are not protected from employers or bankers who bring misguided religious beliefs into their business decisions. The proposed ordinance would prevent a person being turned down for housing based on sexual orientation.

Opponents of the ordinance feel that this would be pushing homosexuality on heterosexuals. What they really mean by that thought is they don’t want their right to exclude people they don’t understand taken away. They want to impose their own religious beliefs on others. And that is where their argument makes no sense. This is not a religious matter, but a civic one. Religious belief should keep away from it.

As a Christian myself, this sort of hate-mongering really gets under my skin. It isn’t in keeping with the lessons of love that dominate the Bible. It is such a non-issue. How is it that something so obviously not a part of Scripture has been concluded from it and used to oppress friends and neighbors. What hurts the most from these folks is the very common claim of several gay friends. Why would a person support something that prevents protections from people they refer to as friends. Ludicrous.

And really it all comes back to a larger issue. I’ve been working on some research on gay books and stumbled across a particularly irritating one. The premise of this title was to arm Christians with arguments against the new gay Christian movement. Are they serious? The synopsis claimed that this was an outreach; it stated that there was still hope for these gay Christians and that it was not their goal to push people away from God. Are they serious??? It makes me angry that there are actually Christians out there who are upset that other people are Christians. I think the worst part was the comment by a woman about her gay son. The hate in her comment made me feel so sad for her son that this sort of thinking exists in our world. And I felt so blessed to have the parents I have.

Why does this not make perfect sense to everyone else? How is it that we don’t wish for everyone to be happy and healthy and secure? How can we want anything except love and acceptance for everyone on our planet? I cannot wrap my mind around how parents can send their young children to protest the protections of other people.

Fortunately, the GLBT community is not alone. If we were, concerns about changing laws wouldn’t be as prominently on our minds. We have on our side an army of allies from the straight community who have taken up this fight, having recognized what I mentioned before. This is about friends, neighbors, family members. I owe these allies so much.

Heather & John have done more than anyone I know in Alaska to try to make sure it is a better place for me. I’m humbled by their diligence and cannot begin to express my gratitude. Anchorage Baptist Temple should look to these two as examples of how to treat other human beings. Neither approaches with hate, but with understanding, even when that understanding is for someone whose opinions makes very little sense to their own beliefs.

It is amazing to know people like this.

SOSAnchorage Blog

Enjoying Alaska

Last week, we celebrated Dru’s 30th with merriment at David & Daniel’s house. It was a nice evening, if a bit rainy. I love being surrounded by friends and these moments just seem perfect. We talked into the night in the relative closeness of the dining room and kitchen. But it was nice. Liz & Joan are talkative and enjoyable people to be around and I only regret that I tend to clam up in groups and enjoy the being rather than the interacting. Daniel and David are great hosts.

Tuesday, we celebrated Denis’ birthday with a similar soiree. We’d planned a small cookout, but surprised him with presents and guests. The sun was out and we spent our time on Denis’ deck and around a fire. The food was nice; I rediscovered my love of corn on the cob. The group was similar to last week’s and I once again retreated into myself after a time.

I love Anchorage summers almost as much as I love the winters. It is nice to sit outside with friends until almost midnight in the daylight. It was a good day.

Today was warm. I threw open the doors I could and opened up my windows and just let the air through. It was nice.Continue Reading

By:
On:
With: 0 Comments

I’ve been doing a lot of both lately. I’m currently working on a number of stories. I hope they work towards something great. Thoughts and suggestions greatly appreciated. Ask me for more details. I’ve also located my journal from my trip to France in 1996. I’m almost finished typing up the original and will add to the France page as I get to the notes.

Currently, I’m reading:

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You :: Peter Cameron
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban :: J.K. Rowling

Books I’ve got lined up to read soon:

Vast Fields of Ordinary :: Nick Burd
Glinda of Oz :: L. Frank Baum
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate :: Jacqueline Kelly
Bambi :: Felix Salten
The Dark is Rising :: Susan Cooper

Books I’ve read this year so far:

The Giraffe :: Marie Nimier
David Inside Out :: Lee Bantle
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets :: J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone :: J.K. Rowling
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie :: May Gibbs
The Magic of Oz :: L. Frank Baum
The Tin Woodman of Oz :: L. Frank Baum
The Lost Princess of Oz :: L. Frank Baum
Rinkitink in Oz :: L. Frank Baum
The Scarecrow of Oz :: L. Frank Baum
Sky Island :: L. Frank Baum
Tik-Tok of Oz :: L. Frank Baum
The Patchwork Girl of Oz :: L. Frank Baum
Dot and Tot in Merryland :: L. Frank Baum
The Emerald City of Oz :: L. Frank Baum
The Enchanted Apples of Oz :: Eric Shanower
The Speckled Rose of Oz :: Donald Abbott
The Sea Fairies :: L. Frank Baum
Finding the Boyfriend Within :: Brad Gooch
The Magical Monarch of Mo :: L. Frank Baum
The Road to Oz :: L. Frank Baum
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz :: L. Frank Baum
Ozma of Oz :: L. Frank Baum
The Marvelous Land of Oz :: L. Frank BaumContinue Reading

By:
On:
With: 2 Comments

Of course I do! Here are some recent covers I’ve fallen in love with: [missing images]

I’ve got a lot of reading going right now. I plan on reading The Evolution of Calpernia Tate, but I doubt I get any of the others from my above list. I’m currently working on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, The Giraffe, Glinda of Oz, & The Thrive Diet.

I love my job sometimes. This isn’t one of those times.

By:
On:
With: 3 Comments

Bea

The swan lands, awkwardly gliding
into water among strangers, among friends.
On the far horizon, the ponds edges
kiss coy stars, lurking in the dusk.
The swan gracefully turns her long neck;
her eyelids close softly — contentedly.
A world escapes behind veils of thin skin;
the murmur of voices fades to silence.
Gently, the elegant bird tucks her beak
under her wing and lets peace take her.

4.26.2009

Notes

Written 26 April 2009 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Brian Fuchs, “Bea” from Okie Dokie (Scissortail Press, 2019)

By:
On:
With: 0 Comments

I’m into tea again. I didn’t really ever stop, but I had been drinking really mediocre teas for a while and it just wasn’t the same. Not everyone agrees, but I love Republic of Tea. We got in another tea order in (because apparently Alaskans love tea a lot) and I couldn’t resist. I got me a couple tins of white teas and one rooibos.

Harney & Sons makes a really wonderful Earl Grey White… try it, love it. Even better than black earl greys.

By:
On:
With: 2 Comments

Well, probably not. But I did like these paper ornaments that I made. I think I’ll make sets of them to sell, but I’m not sure if I should make them and require that the person buying them put together the top part or if I should sell them already assembled and just charge the extra shipping. I’d like to assume people aren’t stupid, but… hmm.

I have been searching the corners of the earth for seahorse stamps. So far, I’ve purchased two. I will stop after 2 or 3 more. I really need a variety and a variety of sizes to really make the most use of them. My search brought several really great sites into my radar too. In the spirit of sharing (which I hear is a good thing), here’s a little list of the craft sites I like:Continue Reading