Rose just reminded me why I LOVE MY FAMILY -- ALL OF THEM -- my mom, my dad, my step-mom, my siblings, my nieces:):):):):):)...everyone:):):):):):)...

If you haven't had a chance yet, definitely check out...

JustRose's Anonymous Rowhouse:):):):):):)...

Rose TOTALLY reminds me WHY I LOVE MY PARENTS AND TEACHERS -- all of them...elementary, junior high, high school, Sunday school (thanks, Dennis:):):):):):):), college, grad school, and all of the folks in my life (thanks, Brandi:):):):):):) who taught me so much about life:):):):):):)...

Why I love them SO GODDAMN MUCH:):):):):):):)...and why I want to give MAD PROPS and BIG SHOUT OUTS to them:):):):):):):)...

Because they nurtured me in SO MUCH OPENNESS to life:):):):):):)...probably FAR MORE OPENNESS than they experienced or were nurtured in for their own lives:):):):):):)...

And I love them TERRIBLY for it:):):):):):)...

Rose posts yesterday both on her dad:):):):):):) (another really AMAZING AND LOVELY post by Rose:):):):):):)...and on a rune set that she just bought and her very first rune reading:):):):):):)...

For those of you NOT familiar:):):):):):)...I am only vaguely familiar with them:):):)...though I know I've seen them probably many times before, since I grew up in pretty liberal, new-Agree, metaphysical, open-minded, open-hearted, loving church and family circles:):):):):):):):)...

What Rose's post reminded me of, though, was not the runes, per se:):):):):):)...but the really WONDERFUL open-minded, open-hearted circles that I grew up in LARGELY because of the searching and openness and questioning and unashamed and unneedful to be so uncertainty of my wonderful, exploring, wisdom-seeking parents:):):):):):):):):)...

My mom and dad left the Catholic Church when I was around 5 or 6:):):)...I was baptized Catholic, as my grandparents and my parents, at the time, I'm sure, would have wanted it:):):):):):)...

But, from about that time on:):):):):):)...I was raised and nurtured in the most WONDERFUL, SWEET, INCREDIBLE liberal church and political circles in Unity Church in Wichita, Kansas:):):):):):):)...

I was definitely raised in the also wonderfully open, more libertarian conservative Republican circles of the extended Sutherland family:):):):):):)...my grandma and grandpa Sutherland:):):):):)...my Aunt Kathleen:):):) (who, for many years, was like ANOTHER MOM to me:):):):):)...so I guess I've had at least THREE moms in my life:):):):):)...and several more if you count my dad's girlfriends and his second wife, Jan, and his lovely women-friends when we were growing up:):):):):):):):)...my Uncle Paul and Uncle Tommy:):):):)...and their wives:):):):):):)...my Aunt Kristy:):):):):)...and my Aunt Johnna:):):):):)...my Uncle Timmy:):):):):):)...and his wife, Diane:):):):):):)...and her family:):):):):):):)...my Uncle Danny:):):):):):):):):):):):)...my Aunt Bernadette:):):):):):):)...and my Uncle Mike:):):):):)...and, of course, my Aunt Linda and my Uncle Tom:):):):):)...and my cousins Carla, Roseanne, Valerie and the rest of the Ward girls who I ABSOLUTELY ADORE:):):):):):):)...

And the less libertarian, more conservative circles of my grandma Miller (and more liberal:):):)...the three oldest daughters in the Miller family -- my mom, Marcy, my Aunt Bonnie, and my Aunt Connie, were/are and their families were/are all VERY LIBERAL:):):):):):):):):):):)...my more hippy-when-he-was-younger-conservative-Catholic-when-he-was-older:):):):):) (my, oh my, are we gonna have some COLORFUL conversations about the new Pope this Thanksgiving/Christmas:):):):):):):)...my more conservative though-chilling-out-considerably Aunt Sharon:):):):):):)...and Uncle Jim:):):):):):):)...and their really WONDERFUL little family:):):):):)...

But I have to say...

With all the SHIT my family has gone through:):):):):)...

With all of the PITY that many of my extended family have probably RIGHTLY felt for my sad, drama-filled little family:):):):):):):):)...

I would HONESTLY -- not just SENTIMENTALLY, since they are my only family, after all:):):):):):):):):) -- I would HONESTLY not trade my little liberal, new-agey, crazy, drama-filled, open-conflict, loving, stick-together-through-it-all, wonderful, terrific, bright, open-minded, open-hearted, creative, forgiving, sweet, fun, openly hypocritical, openly searching and striving, openly WONDERFUL family and church-family circles that I grew up in...

EVER...EVER...EVER...EVER...EVER...EVER...EVER...EVER...EVER...EVER...EVER...

If you paid me a FUCKING MILLION DOLLARS and promised to fulfill all of my sexual, emotional, intenstinal, thrill-seeking, travel-hungry, and even book-and-theater-and-movie-and-music-and-art-oriented needs for the REST OF MY FUCKING LIFE:):):):):):):)...

I would NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER give them or my life with them -- crazy and imperfect and drama-filled and topsy-turvy -- I would trade my life with them EVER...EVER...EVER...

I love them...

And Rose helped me remember WHY I love them SO MUCH:):):):):):):)...

Because they raised me and were raised with me in such LOVING, OPEN-HEARTED, OPEN-MINDED, OPENLY-LIVED circles together:):):):):):):)...

And I love them all for it so much my heart could burst:):):):):):):):):):):):)...

Thanks, Rose:):):):):):)...

You remind me why I love the people close to me SO MUCH, Rose:):):):):):):)...

Have a great day, everyone:):):):):)...

Love,
Ben

P.S. Please check out the Dixie Chicks' I Believe in Love when you get a chance:):):):):)...and They Might Be Giants' Backyardigans and I, palindrome, I:):):):):):):):)...and the Decemberists' Grace Cathedral Hill:):):):):):):):):):):)...