When word came mid-morning that the Supreme Court had struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Jered let out a whoop and we raced to the organ console. Using Nancy Wellington’s emailed directions, we figured out which buttons to push and then we rang the church bells for a good five minutes. The ancient bells that had pealed at countless weddings, funerals, and Sundays at St. John the Evangelist, pealed again throughout the Summit neighborhood, joyfully and beautifully as they always do. This time they were celebrating a gigantic step for human rights.
Jered went to the front of the church to videotape the event for Facebook, and I stayed at the organ with the remote control to keep the bells going. As I stood there, the tears flowed as I thought about my daughter and her marriage to wonderful Pam and the fact that the benefits and rights they so richly deserve would no longer be denied them. I thought about my countless gay friends and St. Johns’ parishioners who must be rejoicing at this moment. I remembered those for whom this decision is hard to fathom and doesn’t align with their moral values. The significance of the moment sunk in, and it was overwhelming.
Yesterday, the Court made it harder to vote in many states and Texas immediately began redrawing the voting district boundaries and issuing old restrictions about voter ID’s. Shamefully, someone posted a photo on Facebook of the Court with several members in KKK hoods. Even though I hated the court’s decision on voting, I was disgusted by such disrespect.
Emotions are running high on all sides, that’s for sure.
Nothing is perfect, including our courts, government, and ourselves. We will never all agree. But in that imperfection, we can still seek and find the holy. We can still move forward in love. This is our calling.
“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That is how the light gets in.”
Leonard Cohen
See you in church.
Barbara
