Who Am I?

Isn’t that both the easiest question and the hardest question all at once? It is easy to say that I am a woman in my early sixties who feels much younger. Happily married for 25 years with two young adult sons,...

...I live in Silicon Valley, California. I am a life long educator, first of adult sales representatives of medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Later, after my sons were born, I moved into the education of elementary aged children. I am optimistic. I love people and cats. I love my neighborhood and the diversity of the Bay Area. I enjoy the children and my co-workers at school. I like to meet friends for coffee or tea but prefer to walk while I talk. I try to stay healthy after enduring years of illness earlier in my life. I hit 10,000 steps on my Fit Bit most every day.

The easy part.

The hard part is that I am a Christian who no longer fits into her church. In fact, they wrote a policy statement that prevents me from serving. I wasn’t technically “kicked out” but who would attend a church where they are not welcome to serve? I was an active member for over 30 years at this church, where I met my husband, was married, raised my sons and taught 2nd grade Sunday School every week for 22 years. In addition to children’s ministries I worked on outreach into the Latino community, the welcoming of Asian Americans via an Asian American Moms group. I hosted Easter and Christmas and Summer Bible clubs in my neighborhood. I was not an innocent bystander.

Over the past four years I walked a path of loving my gay son and other LGBTQ individuals and worked to reconcile my faith with God’s truth and love for absolutely everyone. I had to challenge much of what I had been taught. Some people call that deconstruction of your faith. The good news for me is that I have replaced it with a faith in Jesus and love of scripture that I can live with.

This is my story and my continuing journey.

Some of you may recognize my path.