Everyday Heroes: Bernadette Keenan

Now and again an unexpected angel comes into your life. Angels are way sneakier than demons. They don't spit up on you. They don't have green skin, and they most definitely do not use crucifixes as sex toys. In general, they walk around looking like everyone else. Sometimes they are a bus driver that happens to say just the right thing at just the right time. Other times it's an old friend that calls you just say that they love you. And other angels read every single blog I write and lets me know exactly how it connects with her life. That angel is Bernadette Keenan...a Canuklander, Mother, environmental warrior, and all around beautiful spirit.

I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Bernadette in person. We connected through Facebook through a mutual friend. But for months, she has faithfully read and responded to each of the crazy rantings I post here. We have had funny and serious conversations. I learned that she has a tremendous daughter that she loves more than just about anything. I know that she works for peace and justice in Canada, that she is engaged in environmental struggles and that, according to her daughter, she dresses like a hobo.

Bernadette has gone through some things and seen some things in her life, but she has kept her head high, met life's obstacles and continued to push forward, raising her beautiful daughter and doing good in the world. This world is better for her. And I am honored that she takes time from her life to read the ramblings of some goofy dude south of the border that believes that Canadia isn't a real country and should basically be annexed to Minnesota.

Thank you for reading, Bernadette. Thanks for being an example of good Mom, and thanks for caring for the world in which we live and trying to leave it better than you found it. You are an Everyday Hero.

God Bless Pop Culture

So, tonight, I was a fool and I drank two large iced coffees before heading to gongyo. Let me tell you, after being juiced up on an extra huge dose of caffeine my chanting at this evening's prayer service sounded like the Chipmunks Christmas Album played at warp speed. I was rocking back and forth as if I had been struck with Sudden Onset Autism, and I was afraid that I might spontaneously combust.

As you can probably imagine, since I am writing this at 1:15am, that going to bed at my regular bedtime was not an option.

So, I decided to indulge a little addiction I have called Scrabble on Facebook. David and I have been locked in a non-stop loop of games for almost a year. This evening, I decided to post a Scrabble ad for a random game. I always include in the posting that gay guys are a plus. Otherwise you get middle aged soccer moms posing as 20 something former sorority girls that want you to type dirty to them while you play suggestive words. I ain't having it.

So, along comes Tung, a recent high school graduate from somewhere in the hinterlands of Canada (he could be from Toronto for all I remember but anywhere north of Minnesota is one big giant nowhere).

As we are playing, our little Tung initiates a chat that goes like this:

Tung: "So you are gay."

Me: "Sho nuff."

Tung: "That's so COOL."

Me: "Yep. I am gay. I am pretty happy I turned out this way."

Tung: "I wish I knew gay people"

Me: "You probably do."

Tung: "Not to be like rude or what not. But I always wanted to know how gays act in a relationship compared to a man and a woman."

Me: "Not rude at all. It doesn't really work like that. I am a man. My partner is a man. Neither of us is the 'woman.'

Tung: "Really. Ha ha. I am expanding my vocabulary playing Scrabble and I am learning something about gays."


I could not make this stuff up if I tried. God bless pop culture. Ten or even five years ago, I highly doubt the reaction of a 18 or 19 year old person who had never met a gay person (that they knew about) in real life would think that being gay is cool and wish that they knew gay people. Perhaps little Tung is gay and wants to come out. Or perhaps he is just a product of his time. Either way...it was strangely refreshing and definitely made me giggle out loud.