Lots has happened in the past couple of weeks, reminding us that the best laid plans don't always happen as we envision.  All to say that we have been delayed from leaving for California for a couple of days.  The best part is that it allows us to practice "how" we are committed to taking this journey.  We have said that we are embarking on this journey without attachment to a specific outcome, knowing this will allow us to proceed without becoming embroiled in fear when plans go awry.   So, we received some good lessons!

Our Scotty Trailer...A Blessing in more ways than one, while also being a part of why we are delayed a couple of days in leaving for California. The blessings are the authentic connections that happen right in front of us in our families!  Click here to read more 
 

Rylee Joy...We had to take her for a blood test today...another reason for our delay.  She has lost weight (6 pounds), and is eating like a horse and drinking water constantly.  Obviously, these symptoms sound like diabetes, but she has lots of energy, so the doctor is puzzled.  Send positive thoughts for Rylee Joy. Check out her going away poodle party at the bottom of this page!

Speaking Engagements: We were in Oregon and spoke on October 22 to the coalition for Welcoming Congregations. What a wonderful group of committed people led by Tara Wilkens.  Click here for more details and pictures.  The Omni Center for Peace, Justice, and Ecology in Fayetteville, Arkansas contacted us, and we are making final arrangements to speak there in December.  Two more PFLAG Chapters, from New Jersey and Houston, also contacted us about speaking.  We continue to have amazing interactions with ordinary, everyday people.

Filming of our Documentary...Nan Macy went with us to Oregon, and filmed interviews with several people, one of which was Rev. Bernie Turner, the Baptist minister who married us in Portland, and one of our spiritual advisors for our journey.  She also interviewed, Simone, our transgender friend whose journey is nothing short of amazing. The transgender community is so important to equality and justice for all of us.   Simone and her partner, Barb, (who has been on the road driving her 18 wheeler), have been great in welcoming us to stay in their home while in Portland.

Lunch with Pastor Jay of First Baptist in Bellingham, WA...

The passing of Rosa Parks:  Dotti: The passing of Rosa Parks, my hero, struck me at my core.  I cut out a picture of her from the USA today, bearing the words "Rosa Parks: The power of one" and placed it on top of a notebook bearing our logo and the words, "Gay Into Straight America...Two Women & a Poodle...10% os us affect 100% of society."  I hope you have noticed the quote by Helen Keller carried on the header of our website.  Look up and see it as you read this.  Indeed, the power of one.  That is what our journey is about as we engage minds, create authentic connections, and dissolve differences that separate us. What I find interesting is that she first "sat down to stand up" in 1943, twelve years before her heroic gesture caused her to be arrested.  She was shouted down by other black passengers on the bus.   Does that sound familiar in any way?  People ask us if we encounter fearful people.  Yes, and they sometimes are in our own community of GLBT people.  It isn't just "them" out there who are "wrestling." It is all of us, and we create discrimination by remaining silent.  Click here to discover how to become a Stand UP Speak OUT Wind Changer.  Hey, Sheryl Swoopes did last week...so can you!

If you decide you want to Stand UP & Speak OUT, check out this link we added to our website:  Talk About It: HRC's Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender issues

Speaking of Rosa Parks...we attended Tara Wilkens' church while in Portland. 

Ainsworth United Church of Christ is one of the most welcoming and affirming places for humans we have ever attended or witnessed. If you can recall the movie Sister Act, then you can imagine the treat we had with the woman who led the choir of this combined church, formed from a white church and a black church.  An elderly African-American woman gave her testimony, sharing what the church had meant to her and her husband, and what everyone had gained from this union of these two churches.  The diversity in this church, with some of the service in Spanish, just ooozed out of its pores, as children danced in the front as the choir sang, and GLBT people were from the pulpit welcomed and included.  Rosa would have been able to freely sit, because she would have had a welcome seat in this church.  Remember the days when it wasn't that way??  And people, without guilt or remorse, used scripture and the "word of God" to deny them.  Sound familiar?

PFLAG National is going to start carrying weekly updates about our journey.  They will be providing a link on their website.  Keep checking their website, as this feature will be coming soon.  We will share about our meetings with the various PFLAG local chapters.

Until next time, the light in us honors the light in each of you,

Dotti, Roby & Rylee Joy