Disappointed

I really hoped I would be writing that Maine kept our same-sex marriage law in place, but no.  It was repealed, 53% to 47%, I think. Of course I am baffled because I think 'my' side had the much more cogent arguments.

The repeal group was backed by the Catholic Church and many people stated that marriage should be limited to one man, one woman, because how can you have a real family unless that couple can produce children? Hmm, does that mean that childless couples, whether by choice or not, are not really married?  News flash- gay couples can have children, using the same methods 'normal' couples do, in vitro fertilization, surrogates or adoption.

The now-repealed law allowed same sex couples to be married, not civilly unionized, and some people really didn't want their word to be used by gay people, saying it demeaned their marriage. The law also stated that any religious group could refuse a marriage ceremony, so it was strictly a legal issue. The condition of my marriage does not depend on that of my neighbors.  We were married in a Catholic ceremony only because it was very important to J's mother, and made no difference to me. I never asked her if she thought my daughter's marriage was not valid because they went to a justice of the peace.

The other tack taken was that homosexual marriage would be taught in our schools, starting at kindergarten level. Doubtful. Although wouldn't it be nice for the children of same-sex couples to have their families validated and accepted? They are not going to disappear because their parents can't be married.

Enough of that.

Moving on to sad news closer to us, through Shoeshine. He called yesterday to tell us one of his coworkers had died, after catching the flu. Shoeshine works for a small company that makes seeded paper by hand, and Norm had worked there for years. He was around 40 and had Down's Syndrome and once he was ill went very quickly. Norm loved Shoeshine, and his bosses, who were very involved in the Special Olympics. Many of the workers would go every year to cheer Norm on, and they always threw him a birthday party at work. He will leave a big hole in their lives.

Last, and certainly least, we found out that our shed will not be delivered at 8 on Friday, but between 2 and 3. J took the day off to be here, and I have to go in for two hours of training that afternoon. Pooh. Oh well, that's a small bump in the road at this point.