So here I am on Valentine Day, playing with my girls and their friends. The husband starts to apologize for not having bought me flowers, and I realize, with all honestly, that I don't need any of that. I have everything I need in front of me and that in itself is a celebration of love. My happy kids, my amazing husband, and a life I am so thankful for.
So the day goes on, I start noticing a headline that catches my attention. It is about Ellen Page coming out. When I finally got to watch her speech, which had me teary, I found myself conflicted. Part of me is so frustrated that this is considered "news" because I want to believe we have reached a place in humanity where the act of love and loving someone is a way of life and not something shocking. But on the other hand, since that sadly is not the case, I want everyone to witness this beautiful woman's open acceptance of herself and celebrate it. As a mom, I want to hug her, and apologize for the pain she has endured hiding herself from the world out of fear. I want to make sure that my girls, whatever path they are led down, feel confident and proud of who they are and not be afraid to follow their hearts. I want so desperately for them to live a life filled with love and to give that out to the world around them. While I have always felt that everyone has a right to follow their own path, and my heart hurts when I see that we still have a portion of our country (and the world) that is fearful of what they consider different (regardless of the lack of impact it has on their own lives) watching her speech was a reminder to me of the immense job I have as a parent. It is up to each of us to teach our kids how so very important the act of love is. It isn't enough to "tolerate" but rather to wake up each morning, being so thankful you have another opportunity to experience this amazing world, and to experience love and share it with others. Love is not easy, and can sometimes be painful, but it is so very worth it.
So that is my goal for this year, to work harder at showing my girls the importance of love and kindness, and hope that they can see the potential of where that can take you in life. I believe it can take us all some place beautiful.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ellen-page-comes-as-gay-680563
