Ellington

I'm thinking a lot about love these days. As of Feb. 9, in my hometown of Birmingham, Ala., same-sex couples can go to the same courthouse office that my husband and I went to in 2008 to fill out some paperwork, pay a fee and get legally recognized as a married couple. There has been a great deal of pushback to this ruling, as one would expect from the state that gave us the unforgettable image of George Wallace blocking the schoolhouse door to defend segregation.

People are understandably riled up on both sides. But with every article I see about Judge Roy Moore or protesters with hateful signs, I just keep thinking about my 4-year-old son's definition of God.

If you ask him (and you should, because it's pretty sweet to hear him talk about it), he will tell you that when you have love in your heart, you have God with you, because love comes from God. And when you're angry, or feeling mean or afraid, it's only because you forgot that the love is there. All you have to do is remember it, because it never really goes away. All love comes from God. This is his understanding.

Simple though it may be, I can't help but agree with him. In the absence of knowledge, there is fear. In the absence of love, there is anger and hatred. In the end, I want to believe that love wins, mostly because I want my children to live in a world where that is true.

I remember the day I went into labor with our daughter. As I was waiting for the in-laws to come get our son so we could go to the hospital, I read that the U.S. Supreme Court had struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which made same-sex marriage illegal.

My first thought was, what a wonderful day to be born. I can tell her one day that she came into the world on a day when people across this nation were finally able to celebrate official acknowledgement of their love for and commitment to 
each other.

And for those who can't yet understand, for those whom fear and anger have squelched the love that still exists within their hearts, I can only feel compassion and think of the words read at my own wedding: "And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these 
is love."

Love wins.

Julia Weems is a social worker, musician, Episcopalian and stubborn optimist who tries very hard to see the good in everyone. She lives in Jackson with her husband and two children.