Freedom

As we celebrate Pride Month, the word that came to the team, the truth we want to honor as we recognize our friends within the LGBTQ+ community is freedom. The freedom to be you. To do what you feel is right for you. To stand in your truth and to be unapologetic about it. Let go of societal burdens that weigh heavy on your heart, mind, and soul.

When I was in college, I had a dear friend who I knew in my heart was gay, but he never said anything, and I never asked. I loved him for who he was, and it didn't matter to me who he decided to give his love to. One day he came to me with a book entitled "What Best Friends are For." Inside the book were a series of cartoon illustrations and statements about friendship. He handed me the book, and I noticed a bookmark in between two pages. I opened it, and the illustration showed two friends looking at each other, and the statement read, "Best friends are for telling your mother that you're gay." I looked up at him and said, "so ... are you asking me to tell your mother?” He looked at me with tears in his eyes and gave me the biggest hug. It was as if telling me opened a new door to freedom within our friendship that he (and in all honesty, I too) had longed for. We remained friends until he left this world due to complications associated with HIV-AIDS, but he will always carry a special place in my heart because he lived unapologetically free during his short 27 years on this earth.

We define our own freedoms. I encourage us all to take this time to identify who and what makes you feel free. The choice has and will always be yours.