LOVE Your PERSON, Not A PIECE of PAPER!

Tuesday was a very big day for the people of North Carolina, as well as gays all across the US. I was recently asked what my stand was on same-sex marriage. I have been hesitant on answering because so many of the people I hold near and dear to my heart are gay, and I love them. This topic is sensitive. I am going to stand up only for what I personally believe. I cannot speak for anyone but myself. What I say could very well be taken out of context, and I apologize in advance for that. But please read and understand completely what I say before you pass any sort of judgement on me.

I will stop here and say that I have been researching for 3 days about what Amendment 1 is all about, and what I saw was this:

"Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts."


I was raised in a very close minded, tunnel vision environment. My family, my town, acquaintances, etc. I wasn't around a lot of gay people, therefore I never had a relationship with a gay person. I was raised to believe that homosexuality was wrong. And, yes, if you read the bible, and you believe everything the bible says, like I do, it teaches us that homosexuality IS wrong. However, it also teaches us (and I've said this before) to JUDGE and BE JUDGED and to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. So, what that means to me, is that homosexuality is wrong for ME. If my friend Steve is in love with Mike, and wants to spend the rest of his life with him, who am I to stop him? What business do I have to stop someone from loving someone else?

I came to this conclusion when I first started hanging out in Asheville, which was back in 2006. Asheville, NC is very large in the gay population (for those of you reading who did not know that). But I will tell you this, some of the BEST people in my lives are gay. Some of the most loyal, most fun, most loving, most creative and talented people you will ever meet, I am proud to call my friends. I'm not saying that only gay people are like that, by any means, I'm saying that I love my friends all the same. I don't see "gay". I see "person". I don't see Steve's BOYfriend, Mike...I see his LOVE. Then I moved to Orlando, FL in 2008, and worked at Disneyworld. I met and saw MANY MANY MANY MANY other gay people there as well. Some of my very favorite celebrities are gay. Ellen Degeneres? Love her. Some of my family members are gay, as well as close family friends. And I love them SO much. They are some of my very favorite people.

So the bottom line? Homosexuality, by my faith, is wrong. Yes. I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. Therefore, if I was voting by my faith, I would have had to vote FOR Amendment One. Because it's what I believe in my heart to be right. It doesn't mean I am going to tell everyone else around me to vote for it. I WILL NOT try to influence other people to vote one way. When a person votes, they should vote only for what THEY BELIEVE IN, and not because someone influenced them to vote for something that person believes in. If NC had voted for something like, I don't know, should they put a Chik fil A or a Zaxby's in somewhere, I would personally vote for Zaxby's (though I like both very much) because I like Zaxby's chicken a little bit better. If my friend Sally came up to me and said 'Vote for Chik fil A because they have better chicken", that would be wrong of her to do that. Because I don't think they have better chicken. I like Zaxby's better. It's nothing against her, I love Sally. But my preference is Zaxby's. Just like today, folks. If I were in NC, I would be voting FOR Amendment One because I believe that is what is right for ME. Not YOU, not YOU, and not YOU. People have opinions and beliefs for a reason; its what makes this world so interesting.

 AND furthermore, what I find absolutely HYSTERICAL, is why all the sudden we are merging church and state, when the past some odd years, we seem to have been fighting for separation of the two. Just find it very interesting.

But, for all of you who voted FOR Amendment One, let me be the first to tell you that just because you don't believe in same-sex marriage, doesn't give you any right whatsoever to judge. Period. Especially we so-called Christians. Read Luke 6:37, Matthew 7:1-2. I dare you.

So I'm glad I was not in NC Tuesday, but then again, I don't think I would have voted anyway. I wouldn't have wanted to have a part in taking away peoples right as human beings to love whom they choose. And I'm afraid that if I did vote, that would be exactly what I was doing. But please always know how much I love each and every one of you. Love whom you choose. Marry whom you choose. But please, never let a piece of paper define your life.

(Please don't hate me.)

Like My MAMA Does...

In honor of the upcoming holiday, Mother's Day, I'd like to pay an early tribute to my Mama. Through the years, Mama and I have had our differences. I have disagreed with her, I have fought with her, I have disappointed her. But through it all, Mama has shown me THE most unconditional love I have ever known. She truly is an amazing person. Like any other mom, she gets on my LAST NERVE, and yea, be it known my sisters and I vent about her to each other from time to time (as most siblings do, I'm sure). Though Mama drives me crazy sometimes, I couldn't do without her. She is the person I go to for guidance. She is the person I go to for comfort. She is the person I go to when our world has turned completely upside down. No matter how strong I may feel I am, and how much I may feel I don't need my Mama, those are usually the times I need her the most.

When my mom and dad got seperated back in 2003, my mom and I were on our own. We struggled all through my high school years. But those were the years that I learned how to be STRONG. I watched my mom, and I learned so much about how to survive and those experiences have helped me out so much now that I'm on my own. She taught me how to look to God when I was on my knees and to have faith that it would all be okay. Now that I have a daughter of my own, I see myself the way Mama sees me. I understand why she did the things that she did and said the things that she said. I get it. And when I look around and I see many other girls and the relationships they have with their mothers, I think about how LUCKY I am that God allowed me to call Pamela Grant, Mama.

I had heard this song before, but I was flipping through Youtube today and I found it again. I played it and I couldn't get through the whole thing before I started bawling. For those of you who do know Mama, I bet you can all agree that I'm the spitting image of her. From our eyes to our gap to our hands, we are almost exactly alike! So this song is dedicated to you, Mama.

"People always say I have a laugh like my mother does
I guess that makes sense, she taught me how to smile
When things get rough
I've got her spirit and she's always got my back
When I look at her I think, I wanna be just like that

When I love, I give it all I've got like my mother does
When I'm scared, I bow my head and pray like my mother does
When I feel weak and unpretty, I know I'm beautiful and strong
Because I see myself like my mother does

I've never met a stranger, I can talk to anyone like my mother does
I let my temper fly, but she can walk away when she's had enough
She sees everybody for who they really are
I'm so thankful for her guidance, she helped me get this far

When I love, I give it all I've got like my mother does
When I'm scared, I bow my head and pray like my mother does
When I feel weak and unpretty, I know I'm beautiful and strong
Because I see myself like my mother does

She's a rock, she is grace, she's an angel
She's my heart and soul
She does it all

When I love, I give it all I've got like my mother does
When I'm scared, I bow my head and pray like my mother does
When I'm weak and unpretty, no, I'm beautiful and strong
Because I see myself like my mother does

Like my mother does
I hear people say I'm starting to look like my mother does..."


Mama,

I love you so much for everything you do and have done for me. Thank you so much for your unconditional love and for giving me LIFE! And I'm proud to be like you!

I will always be your baby =)



Love,
Lia