Getting Over It?

Behind every good man is his best friend. Right now NYQUIL is mine. It hit Wednesday night, by Thursday morning I was coughing, sneezing and aching. Didn't I just get over a cold like a week ago? This one is worse. Second time around I suppose. Today the fever hit me and the aches increased in severity. Kill me now. On top of feeling like shit I received a phone call yesterday from my brother. We will refer to him as Right Wing Red-Neck or RWR.

Now I haven't heard from him since Mother's Day, which is in May by the way. I try to avoid him as he is constantly trying to induce his way of life as the ONLY way onto me and anyone else around him. I am not against religion. Far from it. I was a minister for the first part of my life. I pastored churches for 16 years. I understand religion. I know what it means to have a relationship with God. But I do have a problem with those that insist that "their" way is the only right way. As far as I'm concerned the only right way is God's way, not other's opinoins or beliefs of what God's way is.

Anyway...after over an hour on the phone he began to apologize for the way he had been for the past few months. (Months? He has been this way his entire life!!) He said that he has come to terms with me being gay and it didn't bother him anymore. He didn't understand it, but he accepted me. Okay, and? I mean I've heard this all from him before so I am a little aprehensive. He said he felt that we all needed to get together and talk about it. Talk about what? And who is we? I don't have a problem. My parents nor my other brother seem to have a problem, so who needs to talk here. He is the one with the problem. While we are talking let's talk about his relationship with his partner...I mean really what is there to talk about. Then I got to the heart of the problem when I asked...

"So RWR, Are you embarrassed or ashamed of the fact that your brother is gay?"
"Well, yeah I suppose I am."
"Why? I'm not. What is there for YOU to be ashamed about?"

He couldn't answer that, but then when he stated that when he sees DJ and I together he becomes enraged. Angry. Seething. Okay, I don't think you've accepted it there little brother, and it sounds like your issues are deeper than what I can help you with. And you know what they say about homophobia...I told him that by the way.

So he says that he wants to get over those feelings. He wants to understand and have a relationship with his brother. I say, okay. Not a problem. I'd love that actually. So we decided to have "Brother's Night" one night each month where he, my younger brother GD and I get together and have dinner and talk. They are baby steps, it's a beginning.

I do think me getting over my cold will happen much sooner than my brother getting over his homophobia. God, I hope so!!