Love and Sinatra

My parents and I took a little road trip with Owen this weekend while Derek finishes up some work at home. We drove out to the desert cities east of Los Angeles on Saturday morning and spent the afternoon exploring local consignment and thrift shops. We've decided that the Palm Desert/Palm Springs area reminds us of Naples, FL in many ways so we've dubbed it the Naples of Calfornia. Albeit with more cacti and metal sculptures. I really enjoyed the desert architecture and purple twilight skies. The heat of the day had some atypical humidity so it really felt like South Florida while we were here. Saturday night mom and I went down to the heated pool and hot tub while dad stayed in the room with Owen. On Sunday we went to a neat furniture consignment shop full of home items from estate sales. I fell in love with some wooden giraffes and funky chairs but lucky for Derek they were both already sold. ha! Then Sunday afternoon came the impetus for the whole journey; the wedding of my former colleague to his partner of 14 years. This was the most amazing wedding, centered on love and family and was an absolutely beautiful ceremony. It was held at Frank Sinatra's home in an area called The Movie Colony. The home can be rented out. Some elements of the wedding that were especially amazing;

*Steven's four nieces singing Enya at the beginning
*one of his seven (!) sisters and her daughter Ines burning sage through the space to clear it with graceful spiraling movements
*both fathers and both mothers speaking beautiful words about courage, love, heroes, and forgiveness
*all seven sisters singing together to the couple
*all nine siblings stood as attendants (8 sisters/1 brother) and presented a spoken (in unison) blessing to the couple
*at the end of the ceremony family and then friends were invited to come forward and all touch the couple (or touch someone who was touching the couple) to present a community vow of support and love to the couple

This wedding was my first same-sex wedding and I have to say, one of the most sincere and beautiful experiences I have ever had. The couple was so moved by everyone's presence with them and their families had spent the whole weekend together. Love and light surrounded this couple, and this excerpt from David's vows to Steven sums up Steven to me.

"It is your hardwiring; you take the smallest bit of wind and set sail with it." I just loved that.

I was so happy to know that they had actually married a year ago when it was still legal in California. I wish them a lifetime of love. As David's father said, "They have always chosen happiness when they could have chosen bitterness." He expressed how much he and his wife had grown and learned as a result of his son's challenges as a gay man. Steven's mother said "Be swift to love, make haste to forgive" His father who lives in Cambodia with his wife said, "Forgive your enemies and those that you percieve to be your enemies." He spoke of the lovingkindness and compassion present in the people of his chosen home Cambodia and expressed hope that people in other parts of the world might shift to that state of consciousness. It was amazing.