GAY SOLDIER'S PARENTS FIGHT MARRIAGE BAN

The death of Andrew Wilfahrt in Afghanistan moved his parents, Lori and Jeff, to advocate for marriage equality.

H/T to MadPriest at Of Course, I Could Be Wrong... where I first saw the video.

UPDATE: Thanks to Murdoch Matthew in the comments for the link to an article about Andrew in Stars and Stripes.

Lori and Jeff Wilfahrt, Andrew’s parents, have the milquetoast looks of middle-age Midwesterners: gray hair, rimmed glasses, apple-pie ordinary. Yet make no mistake: These lifelong Minnesotans might be the most powerful force to join the same-sex marriage movement.

In a state that has produced GOP presidential hopefuls Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty -- who have made careers fighting gay marriage -- these parents of an American hero present a major challenge to the establishment.

They'll take their battle to the Supreme Court, if that's what it takes. To the Wilfahrts, denying gays the right to marry is discrimination against a group to which their son belonged.

Lori and Jeff look like giants next to the likes of Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty.

UPDATE 2: From Mike in Texas in the comments comes a link to a moving story about Andrew at CNN:

A lover of literature, Jeff always brings a collection of William Wordsworth. He flips the pages to "Expostulation and Reply." He sits on the marble stone commemorating his son and reads aloud. Lori sits on the ground nearby.

He gets to the last verse and chokes up:

"Then ask not wherefore, here, alone,
Conversing as I may,
I sit upon this old grey stone,
And dream my time away."

Jeff stands quickly, touching the grey stone with his hand, as if reaching out to his beloved son from beyond the grave. He trembles and cries. "I can never get through the last paragraph," he says. "What the hell's wrong with me?"

Lori stands, too. The two stare at the headstone. Tears still streaming down his face, Jeff says, "It's just the shits." He whispers again, "It's just the shits."

They want people to know their son wasn't a "gay soldier." He was a great soldier who happened to be gay. Above all, he was a citizen.

A remarkable man, his epitaph reads.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

Today we celebrate the 235th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the document that signaled our break from England, the document that offered great promise to the citizens of the United States.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Lofty words, indeed. Have the promises of the Founding Fathers been fulfilled? Some yes, but not all. We have a way to go. And there's a game of brinkmanship being played out in Congress which could lead to grave consequences for us, the citizens, and for the future of our country.

What did the Founding Fathers really say in the Declaration of Independence? In the Washington Post, E. J. Dionne explicates the Declaration for us and relates its meaning to the present situation today in the Congress.

Our nation confronts a challenge this Fourth of July that we face but rarely: We are at odds over the meaning of our history and why, to quote our Declaration of Independence, “governments are instituted.”

Only divisions this deep can explain why we are taking risks with our country’s future that we’re usually wise enough to avoid. Arguments over how much government should tax and spend are the very stuff of democracy’s give-and-take. Now, the debate is shadowed by worries that if a willful faction does not get what it wants, it might bring the nation to default.

This is, well, crazy. It makes sense only if politicians believe — or have convinced themselves — that they are fighting over matters of principle so profound that any means to defeat their opponents is defensible.

Read it all.

Have a happy Fourth of July, anyway!

UGH! NOT AGAIN

From the New York Times:

An ExxonMobil pipeline running under the Yellowstone River in south central Montana ruptured late Friday, spilling crude oil into the river and forcing evacuations.

The pipeline burst about 10 miles east of Billings, coating parts of the Yellowstone River that run past Laurel — a town of about 6,500 people downstream from the rupture — with shiny patches of oil. Precisely how much oil leaked into the river was still unclear. But throughout the day Saturday, cleanup crews in Laurel worked to lessen the impact of the spill, laying down absorbent sheets along the banks of the river to mop up some of the escaped oil, and measuring fumes to determine the health threat.

Yes, again ...and again, and again and again.

Clean up the mess, guys.

Thanks to Ann.

FROM DAVID@MONTREAL

beloved Giants

as corny as it may sound,
sitting here, having given heart-felt thanks for the life, ministry, and brave articulate example of our Kirstin

i'm very mindful of what an extraordinary circle of grace and faithful lives we've all been a part of in accompanying our treasured friend

our loose, loving interconnectedness via the internet, which has been a source of grace/love/prayers/strength and support to so many over the years, and the incredible network which grew to surround our Kirstin-

'by their fruits' Scripture tells us- and i can't help but feel that what the Holy Spirit works/worked through this blessed interconnectedness says something of how/where our Church is called to grow.

so this morning, i'm deeply, profoundly grateful for each one of you - remembered by name, with gratitude and love

I am sending out one great Montreal hug- a group hug, in dear Kirstin's honour as we hold the memory of her, her life and example close to our hearts

and strive to live Life even more intentionally, more......... unconditionally present in our slow waltz with Ruach, all to G-d's greater glory.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Group hug))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

thank-you my beloved Giants

love always-always Love

David@Montreal

Thank you, cher David. You made me cry, but that's okay. I've been teary throughout the day anyway.

Love to you.

GOOD NIGHT, SWEET KIRSTIN

From Andee:

Kirstin died a few minutes before 8 p.m. After a day of many of us singing to her, she is now singing with the angels. Rest in peace, my little one.

And the angels sang thee to thy rest, dear Kirstin.

From Kirstin at Barefoot and Laughing:

And this will be the psalm at my memorial:

The Rev. Virginia Going, “Today”

Let me live today.
Let me be open to the miracle of this day.
Let me breathe the best of today.
Let me not miss the heart of today.
Let me find the gift of today,
hidden like a jewel in rubble of care, duty, and detail.

Let me pause to hear
the steady beat of the heart of God—
hoping, aching, sorrowing, expectant, patient,
despairing heart of God.

Listen, listen.
Do you hear it?
Ever so faint but steady, steady,
rhythmic organ, strong muscle,
thumping, beating, pumping, sustaining, encompassing,
wildly dancing heart of God.

Let me live this day, aware, open, listening, breathing, alive.

Also from Kirstin's blog: The Indigo Girls - "The Wood Song"



I send prayers, love and blessings to all who cared for Kirstin, especially to an angel named Andee.

May God give comfort, consolation and the peace that passes understanding to keep the minds and hearts of all who love Kirstin.

HAPPY CANADA DAY! - BONNE FÊTE CANADA!

May God bless all my dear Canadian friends. Have a lovely day, and enjoy William and Kate during their visit.

A WORD FROM GÖRAN...

...from a friend's Facebook page:

Not quite back on FB, Password doesn't work... Wish to thank you all from my heart for your prayers and good wishes!

God bless you, Göran. It's good to hear from you. I send love, blessings and prayers your way.

FROM DAVID@MONTREAL

dearest Giants of prayer and practice

before anything else, I'd beg your prayers/practice/love for our cherished Kirstin Paisley as she continues on her sacred path. prayers also for Andee, Kirstin's primary caregiver. our cherished sister magaret has the latest from Andee at http://leaveitlay.blogspot.com/

i'd encourage your ongoing prayer for Ann Bally in California. an began 18 week of chemo therapy today: six courses of treatment every three weeks. i'd commend Ann's primary caregivers her sister Jane, husband Dave, and Jane and Ann's parents Isabel and Bob here in Montreal.

Bob continues to experience serious reduced mobility and vision issues.

Margerie also stands in need of your prayerful support and she continues to live with treatments for aggressive cancer and livelihood challenges.

finally i'd ask traveling mercies for Prince William and Kate who arrived in Canada to huge crowds. unfortunately the indépenditistes in Quebec have threatened to disrupt their visits to Montréal and Québec on July 2 and 3, so prayers for personal safety please. tomorrow is not only Canada Day, but would have been the 50th anniversary of Prince William`s mother, Princess Dianna. William and Diana will join the nation on Parliament Hill for national celebrations tomorrow (and yes there will be pictures in an e-mail for a certain beloved sister who got up in the middle of the night for their wedding.)

thank-you beloved Giants and Blessed Canada Day, Blessed July Fourth

Lord, hear our prayers.

"TURNING POINT": DEAR ANDEE ON OUR DEAR FRIEND KIRSTIN

Read Andee's post at Barefoot and Laughing.

The time is very soon.

Read the beautiful fairy tale which Kirstin's friend Carol Bower Foote wrote for her. Kirstin reached so many of us, many who had never met her face to face, with her loving touch, her godly touch. Kirstin, we love you.

BISHOP KATHARINE, WE'RE STILL WAITING

John Chilton at The Lead posts on a statement from Bishop Dan Edwards of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada on Bede Parry:

A lawsuit was filed last week against a monastery in Missouri where Fr. Bede Parry, who has served All Saints for 11 years as organist and assisting priest, was a monk in another denomination in the 1980s. The suit alleges that Fr. Bede engaged in inappropriate relationships with youth in their late teens. In response to these allegations, Fr. Bede has resigned from his duties at All Saints and tendered to me his resignation as a priest.

Please read Bishop Edwards' entire statement. In my humble opinion the response by the bishop is weak tea, indeed, but at least he responded. However, according to Chilton, the Presiding Bishop refers all inquiries to her office about Parry to the Diocese of Nevada, which seems somewhat craven and unfair, since she, as the then bishop of the Diocese of Nevada, made the decision to receive Parry into the Episcopal Church as a priest, despite his history of sexual abuse, and presided over his reception. Surely, Bishop Katharine cannot remove herself from responsibility and place the whole burden of addressing the situation on Bishop Edwards.

Further from the post at The Lead:

Questions that need answers:

What process is in place to hear from those who may have been abused since Parry became an Episcopal priest?

How did they monitor him 24/7? How did the rest of community receive protection? Did the church know there was an admitted child abuser in their midst? Did the community around the church know? How did the diocese protect the vulnerable?

We're still waiting.