THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, June 18, 1996 TAG: 9606180009
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 36 lines
I am grateful for the well-written, sensitive article by staff writer Elizabeth Simpson, who captured the sense of community celebration that I felt very fortunate to have witnessed (``Love is the major theme in a same-sex marriage,'' Metro-News, June 2). I was moved by the awesome number of family and friends who came from across the country to affirm the marriage of Lisa Pires and Maj-Britt Johnson. For my husband and me, it brought back joyful memories of our wedding almost 30 years ago, and it led us to recommit to each other.
The marriage of Lisa and Maj-Britt brought something else into focus for me. I was raised by two women who lived together for 44 years - til death parted them.
They weren't married, not legally anyway; only by heart and love and hard work. They modeled for me the meaning of commitment even in tough times - including job transfers, leaks in the roof, a rebellious teenager, providing care for both sets of parents during long illnesses - even a sink hole under the house and finally a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
The first public acknowledgment of the depth of their relationship was when the funeral director asked, ``For her service to our country, Frances will have a veterans' flag which should be presented to her next of kin. To whom should it be presented?'' My Mother surprised me with her assertiveness. ``That goes to me!'' she said. How very sad that they couldn't have had a public acknowledgment sooner.
Never should we as individuals or as a society miss the opportunity to affirm commitment by two people who love each other. We are lifted up by their joy and strengthened for the hard work ahead.
MARTHA SHORE
Norfolk, June 2, 1996 by CNB