Oh Happy Day!

Theresa and me, back in the day.

    Yesterday, Friday, June 26, 2014, the news broke that the Supreme Court of the United States ruled 5-4 in favor of gay marriage. 
    When I learned the news I felt like I wanted to always remember where I was and what I was doing at this historic moment.
    Alas I was doing something trivially mundane when I learned the news - checking my Facebook page, from which I in fact learned the news.
      At that moment I felt jubilant, proud to be an American, happy for my gay brothers and sisters, my fellow citizens who are finally being granted this certain unalienable - and wonderful - right.
    I was wishing I were  out somewhere, celebrating with someone, maybe  in front of the the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, or even just walking around downtown Columbus looking for a crowd of celebrants.
    But I was at home alone.  I called Tom, who's in Cleveland taking care of his father.  Then I called my sister.  Then my daughter.  Everyone was  working.
    So I celebrated in spirit with my Facebook friends, liking their posts and pictures, commenting, posting my own thoughts, sharing, as it's it's done in the internet age, a historic moment:

My son-in-law Miguel posted this video of the rainbow flag being raised next to the city flag in Chicago.

    People began posting over and over a section of the majority opinion written by Justice M. Kennedy:

  No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.
    The judgement of the Court Of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed.
                                                                                                   It is so ordered.

    I can see the beautiful words of this passage becoming iconic, finding a place on plaques and posters, being quoted in part in Sunday sermons and during wedding celebrations, right up there with "Love is patient and kind".
    By this morning Facebook was offering the option to show support by have a rainbow filter transposed over one's Facebook photo:

    And then one of my friends posted the video of rainbow lights illuminating The White House:

    This does one's heart good.  Because for those of us who believe in "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you",  the good things in life become better when nobody's left out.
    And I believe that's what yesterday's decision was all about.
    And why we should all be celebrating.

A photo of our front yard this morning.  This is actually a "Peace" ("pace" is Italian for "peace") flag that my daughter Theresa picked up when she was in Italy years ago.  But I figured it was appropriate for the occasion.