"love wins"

On my little walk to the local record store (ohh, do I love it and rue it that it's just so dangerously like 2 blocks away!), I saw this bumper sticker: "love wins". I really like the simple but direct sentiment (although it is apparently a Christian thing, and I'm not too into organized religion personally), and it got me thinking all along my walk. Regardless of any political or religious motivation behind the bumper sticker's origin, the statement itself is a really beautiful, positive statement all by itself. When getting frustrated by differences, anger, ignorance, and not being able to understand others, this is a nice little reminder for compassion and love in the face of all things, and it brightened up my day.

Love wins!

It seems particularly relevant to the same sex marriage issue going on right now. I know that not everyone agrees with this new state ruling, and that everything could change again in November with the popular vote. But I am still hopeful, because the media is full of images of beautiful yet everyday people who love and are committed to each other; and I can't help but think that that will help the country start to see that gay and lesbian couples are just people in loving, family relationships like us straight folks are.

Just remember that not many decades ago at all, it was taboo (and in some states, illegal!) for interracial relationships and marriages to exist, and today things are much more progressive and advanced nationwide. My wish is that the more that folks who haven't known gay people in their own lives see it as a regular way of being, the more it will become a non-issue. And in the meantime, for those of us who support human love and relationship in all of its forms, it is a joyous, beautiful thing.

Okay, I'm not usually such a sap. I must confess that (despite horrible fires all over Napa that are making the entire North Bay seem a little like the end of the world outside, covered in smoke!) I am feeling the love today, and here are some of my favorite things:

-no surprise here - gay marriage! I co-shoot my very first male-male wedding (hooray!) on Wednesday evening; and I am starting to get entries and press for my City Hall Same Sex Wedding Celebration Photography Giveaway quite a mouthful - any succinct naming ideas?), which are totally making me cry and so happy that I'm doing this!

-Martha Wainwright's new album - she's Rufus' brother but so lovely in her own right. And, oh, the mouth on her beautiful singing voice! Sassy :)

-listening to streaming episodes of This American Life while I edit photos - oh, what a crush I have on that Ira Glass! Swoon. When I rode the subway around NYC, I saw lots of photos of him in the ads for the TV show, and thought about how he said (on Conan O'Brian) that it was weird for him to be famous enough to be in the ads... but not so famous that he himself can't continue riding the subway. What a charming nerdy fox!

-getting a friend-crush on Jennifer Garner aka Sidney Bristow in Alias. I'm on Season 2, disc 2, and trying to savor it because I am so into it.

-organic,peanut butter chocolate Newman-O's... sweet, salty, p.b.,chocolate. Need I say more?

I have some great photo shoots to share with you this week, starting with the cafe shoot of Jude and Paige (hopefully tomorrow); photos of Jude's daughter Dixie; shots from my trip to NYC; young Emma; a friend's concert/ party from a few weeks ago; and, very soon, the aforementioned first gay wedding!

Thanks for bearing with this wordy post, and for letting me feel that I can express some of my personal (and therefore political) beliefs without repercussion. I adore my clients, friends and family, and the freedom that you all give me to just be true to myself!

Back to work :)