experiences in colorado & in the air
Caleb and I just returned from a week-long work trip to Fort Collins, Colorado. He changed so much in just that one week that it was almost like playing with a whole new baby when he and Gerry were reunited last night!
These dandelions were nearly the size of my fist!
Anyway, Caleb was a joy on the plane, both ways. Going to Colorado, he got his own seat and snoozed the entire two hours in the carseat. And on the return trip, with him now being able to sit up solidly, I put the seat-back tray down and let him sit on that to play with his toys, grab at my food, and flirt with the other passengers for most of the way.
We had an interaction on the plane with one of the flight attendants during our return trip that really tugged at my emotions and allowed me to share in her joy. During boarding, she commented on the Ergo baby carrier that Caleb was riding in and shared that she was looking for something that would work well for her own baby. She wasn't visibly pregnant, so I asked how old her baby was. Her whole entire face lit up as she responded: "My wife is 36.5 weeks pregnant right now, and we're doing what we can to get ready." I congratulated her, we chatted some more, and I made her laugh when I commented that having a baby isn't like the movies portray it ... a sudden pain, water breaking, some screaming, and a baby 5 minutes later! (There are usually warning signs that the little one is on the move.) But so that she can be sure to get home in time for the birth okay, she is only doing routes that are two hours or less from home. Smart lady.
Anyway, what impressed me about our interaction was the sheer joy that flight attendant showed in her face as she talked about her family. They're untraditional, sure. Depending on our personal opinions, they may or may not be in an ideal situation, sure. But they're family all the same. I just love meeting gays and lesbians who are simply "normal" people (vs. the parade-marching, flamboyant activist types) and getting little peeks into their lives. Person by person, family by family, they are changing my stereotype, and that's a good thing.
Every time I have one of these positive interactions, I remember back to an experience five years ago when two people approached me outside a polling station in Florida about a proposed marriage amendment. What struck me was their personal testimonies into activism. "Believe me, I am not the type to be standing out here and approaching people! I never thought I'd be an activist or feel so strongly about something that it would actually move me to action," the woman told me. The man nodded his head vigorously in agreement and said, "This affects me personally, so it's important to me personally." Because of those two, I was shaken out of my FOX News mentality about the issue and stopped thinking in "us vs. them" terms. I think of those two often. I wish there was a way to go back in time and thank them for being there at the very start of me thinking differently about gay people. Thank them for being vulnerable, and thank them for being so "human" to me. Thank them for opening me up to now having beloved gay friends, and to whole-heartedly congratulating a flight attendant on the coming arrival of her first child!
Gerry and I had a good discussion about this after he picked me up from the airport, and about how the church is going to have to change its response to gay and lesbian families in the future. How we need to welcome them, invite them in, serve them humbly, and help to strengthen their families ... regardless of opinion, and no matter how uncomfortable it might be at first. Because Jesus loves these couples, and Jesus loves their children.
- There's the tooth ... it went from a white dot the size of a period to a full-fledged, razor-sharp fang.
- There's his sitting abilities ... Caleb went from being a wobbly baby who needed an adult or pillows nearby to cushion his inevitable fall, to being solid enough that we can sit him down and leave the room for five minutes.
- There's his kisses ... this went from nothing to full-on slobbery cheek smooches.
- There's his communication ... instead of subtle fussiness, Caleb now makes loud demands that we change his diaper/feed him/pick him up/etc.
- There's his interest in food ... it went from simply glancing at my plate to actively trying to grab everything on it and shove it in his mouth.
- And there's his first word ... oh yes, Caleb very distinctively responded to our airplane seatmate's, "Hi baby. Hi. Hi. Hi," with a clear, "Hi!" of his own ... we were stunned!
These dandelions were nearly the size of my fist!
Anyway, Caleb was a joy on the plane, both ways. Going to Colorado, he got his own seat and snoozed the entire two hours in the carseat. And on the return trip, with him now being able to sit up solidly, I put the seat-back tray down and let him sit on that to play with his toys, grab at my food, and flirt with the other passengers for most of the way.
We had an interaction on the plane with one of the flight attendants during our return trip that really tugged at my emotions and allowed me to share in her joy. During boarding, she commented on the Ergo baby carrier that Caleb was riding in and shared that she was looking for something that would work well for her own baby. She wasn't visibly pregnant, so I asked how old her baby was. Her whole entire face lit up as she responded: "My wife is 36.5 weeks pregnant right now, and we're doing what we can to get ready." I congratulated her, we chatted some more, and I made her laugh when I commented that having a baby isn't like the movies portray it ... a sudden pain, water breaking, some screaming, and a baby 5 minutes later! (There are usually warning signs that the little one is on the move.) But so that she can be sure to get home in time for the birth okay, she is only doing routes that are two hours or less from home. Smart lady.
Anyway, what impressed me about our interaction was the sheer joy that flight attendant showed in her face as she talked about her family. They're untraditional, sure. Depending on our personal opinions, they may or may not be in an ideal situation, sure. But they're family all the same. I just love meeting gays and lesbians who are simply "normal" people (vs. the parade-marching, flamboyant activist types) and getting little peeks into their lives. Person by person, family by family, they are changing my stereotype, and that's a good thing.
Every time I have one of these positive interactions, I remember back to an experience five years ago when two people approached me outside a polling station in Florida about a proposed marriage amendment. What struck me was their personal testimonies into activism. "Believe me, I am not the type to be standing out here and approaching people! I never thought I'd be an activist or feel so strongly about something that it would actually move me to action," the woman told me. The man nodded his head vigorously in agreement and said, "This affects me personally, so it's important to me personally." Because of those two, I was shaken out of my FOX News mentality about the issue and stopped thinking in "us vs. them" terms. I think of those two often. I wish there was a way to go back in time and thank them for being there at the very start of me thinking differently about gay people. Thank them for being vulnerable, and thank them for being so "human" to me. Thank them for opening me up to now having beloved gay friends, and to whole-heartedly congratulating a flight attendant on the coming arrival of her first child!
Gerry and I had a good discussion about this after he picked me up from the airport, and about how the church is going to have to change its response to gay and lesbian families in the future. How we need to welcome them, invite them in, serve them humbly, and help to strengthen their families ... regardless of opinion, and no matter how uncomfortable it might be at first. Because Jesus loves these couples, and Jesus loves their children.