Valentine's Day. An early third century saint sends, while in prison for marrying people illegally in love, a note to his love, the daughter of his jailer and signs it, Your Valentine. He was murdered on this day for doing so.
In the New York Times today were two articles. One comment section of the New York Times I follow is Modern Love and the editor of Modern Love wrote today's story.
In the headlines was a story about two men in Africa, one a transsexual and the other, very much in love with her. He said, "I have never been happier in my life." They had a traditional wedding, and it was that wedding that sent them to prison. There was a picture of the two of them handcuffed in the back of a pickup truck. There was a crowd around the truck taunting them. The husband said he didn't know what he was doing after being sent to prison and the transexual said he knows he is a woman and doesn't understand why others can't see that.
Did they hurt anyone? did they steal or kill or were child molesters? Did they cause the world to go flat or the heavens to fall? Nope, they just loved each other and in their way, gave comfort and companionship to each other. They were a family. Husband and wife in their own special way.
Modern Love's editor ended his article with a heart warming story that was placed in the New York Times on Mother's Day. A couple wanted to adopt a girl from China with only a picture of her to cherish while they waited for the adoption. When they finally were able to unite with the child. They discovered she had a botched spinal operation and would live a life of torment. But it didn't quite turn out that way. When asked if they wanted another child instead they said, no, our child is the one in that crib. That is our child. After years of heart-rending care, that child grew up to be healthy and normal.
The Beatles had it right. What if there was no religion?
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