So much exciting news related to marriage lately. I am SOOO happy that the Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional on June 26th. That was just absolutely amazing news! And also by ruling that Proposition 8's sponsors did not have standing to appeal the case, they basically set the ball rolling for marriages to begin again in California just in time for the big SF Pride Parade and Festival.
I did not make it to SF Pride. I did go to the Sacramento Pride on June 15th and had some fun seeing friends I hadn't seen in a while. It was a beautiful day. I took a few pics of the parade and walk around the festival for an hour or so.
Prior to the big SCOTUS announcement, I officiated at a wedding in Old Sacramento on Friday, June 21st. I became ordained as a minister in 2008 through an online program and am legal to solemnize weddings, so I've put it to use a few times. This one was for my dear friend, Buffee Gillihan. It was a beautiful wedding and I cried through the ceremony with them. She and her new husband, Darryl Boggs, were so sweet together and the tears of joy flowed from the moment the wedding started.
One perk of doing the wedding was seeing Geneva Houx who drove in from Oregon with her kids for the wedding. Geneva was my voice teacher for a while and also the vocal director for many shows at RSP. I have missed her terribly and even though we only had a couple of hours to visit, it was good to see her. I had intended to spend more time with her the next day at the Flint's home in Elk Grove (and it was good to see Kathleen and Ron at the wedding as well), but James had a very bad few days. He made it to the rehearsal dinner on Thursday, but could not make it to the wedding and was pretty much out of it for the entire weekend.
Last week, we celebrated Independence Day at Chez Brave-Fisher with a few of the usual suspects. Great barbecue, beer, and fireworks that day. We really love our new house in West Sac. It's been a little over a year and it's just so nice to have plenty of space to entertain folks. My god son, Justin, stayed with us for a few days (he moved back to his mom's house when school let out) and we had some wonderful, quality conversations. I can't believe he's all grown up now.
On June 10th, I received a call about 1pm in the afternoon. Quanna called to let me know they had rushed her father, Joseph Brisbane, to the hospital. It turned out that he had a stroke that morning that was very severe. I got there within about 20 minutes and he was gone within the next 15. It was a very sad day, but yet one filled with relief. Joseph was 82 years old and had so many health problems over the past couple of years including dementia and complications from diabetes that required his leg to be amputated. Knowing he is out of pain and at peace now made the transition easier for the family and I was very happy to be there to celebrate his life with them.
I think that's all I have time to share currently. We are looking for a replacement choir director for our church still. I'm sure the right one will come along at the right time. I'll keep you posted!
Many blessings to you all!
Ray
