As I look into the abyss that
has threatened to swallow my peace & faith & spirit over the
last four days ... I would give anything, *anything* to feel that I had
one, a beloved, whose presence, whether in speech or silence, could
provide a safe haven now as I stand in the fire. What I would give to
not feel like I am, once again, traversing these troubled waters alone.
And so, the thing that continues to floor me is that in so much of the
ins and outs of debates and dialogues, the silence & silencing, the
essentialness of that call to love still, STILL, gets questioned. What
could be more intrinsically human than the unexpected, startling pull
when we are compelled to love... This letter is just as beautiful, its
sentiment as piercing and ineffable, when written (in part) as an
outpouring of love from one man to another, as if it were penned and
posted by my very own hand. How wonderfully, inescapably majestic the
daring to love. Radical indeed.
"In rap music, love calls
attention to vulnerability that invalidates old ideas about what it
means to be a man, both in hip-hop and broader society... But perhaps
the greatest legacy of Ocean's letter is that descriptions of his own
same-gender romance are woven into a far more intricate tapestry, one
that's less about romantic love and more about the power of love to
touch every facet of the author's life." M Jeffries
And yet, as Jeffries insightfully notes, what makes this letter of love even more daring, (r)evolutionary if you will, is that it not only calls out the humanity of falling in love, but it acknowledges and insists that the love we share in communion, in our other significant relationships are *equally* essential. It testifies to creating a life guided by "an understanding of love, and the relationships in which we share it, that no longer needs to classify, delimit and categorize the myriad expressions of love of which we're capable," recognizing that all to often "the models we have now, they simply are not enough" ~JJB
And so ... to you who *continue* to share your journey & open up your tender places - at times even in the midst of your own mourning & loss - who prevent me from getting lost in grief & keep me mindful that I don't have a monopoly on pain, once again, I thank you. In moments like these, when my heart continues to crack open, how blessed am I to have a community, if more far than near, to fill those spaces left behind with love so that I can have a hope of healing ... that, that is what they call grace...
And yet, as Jeffries insightfully notes, what makes this letter of love even more daring, (r)evolutionary if you will, is that it not only calls out the humanity of falling in love, but it acknowledges and insists that the love we share in communion, in our other significant relationships are *equally* essential. It testifies to creating a life guided by "an understanding of love, and the relationships in which we share it, that no longer needs to classify, delimit and categorize the myriad expressions of love of which we're capable," recognizing that all to often "the models we have now, they simply are not enough" ~JJB
And so ... to you who *continue* to share your journey & open up your tender places - at times even in the midst of your own mourning & loss - who prevent me from getting lost in grief & keep me mindful that I don't have a monopoly on pain, once again, I thank you. In moments like these, when my heart continues to crack open, how blessed am I to have a community, if more far than near, to fill those spaces left behind with love so that I can have a hope of healing ... that, that is what they call grace...
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