It is Women’s History Month, a time to acknowledge, respect and love women of all types.
When Beth was a first-year college student, she moved from her small hometown to a big city to live with a cousin in her apartment.
Beth’s family could not afford the cost of dormitory housing. Her cousin became another mother for Beth. Her cousin fed her, introduced her to museums, professionals, theater, music et al and advised her about potentially dangerous situations.
One afternoon during the summer, Beth returned to the apartment and walked in on her cousin and another woman locked in an embrace.
Beth’s stomach dropped. She was shocked and scared. She had never thought of people of the same sex being involved romantically, and certainly not physically.
Beth went into the kitchen and tried to compose herself. She went home to her mother that weekend. She dropped out of college for the fall semester and worked in a mental institution. There she decided that she was not insane. She returned to college for the spring semester.
Years later, when Beth was married and a parent, her mother told her that her cousin said she knew why Beth had moved out.
Beth regretted the pain her cousin must have felt. Beth knew that she loved her cousin and cherished all her cousin had done for her. Beth had grown. She no longer felt that she should dislike or be afraid of someone’s homosexuality.
All God’s children.