Time is right

Today I want to publish something I wrote several months ago:
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In recent days, a number of major life events have visited our household. Incredibly, in spite of everything, this is the place the children want to be. It's like a beating heart here, with an infinite number of inputs and outflows and influences; still, this is the place our children congregate with their friends -- and I am grateful to the ends of my being.

Our house is built on a strange foundation: a web of interconnectedness that began with my children's relationships to Jon's children, overlaid with my love for Jon (and later our marriage, and therefore, the strongest cables in the web), strengthened by additional community threads (friends and families that love us, thank God), shot through with all the love of our parents, siblings and Ave.

It's an intricate pattern of friendships/families that love us.

Into this, we gather any storm, any crisis, any conflict, any disruption -- and we have done so successfully, as many come to our home as a place of solace and security.

We bring love, acceptance and connection to each soul that comes into this house -- just show us what you've got.

As the parents of 4 teenage girls, we put all visitors to the test (young men, stand up for your test of respectability and accountability; ladies, please know that we'll call parents at the drop of a hat, and we don't mind being "those annoying tattletale parents" at all).

Our message: we welcome you all -- just be straight. The door's always open (and much to my sublime happiness, this is the place kids gather in safety).

la Mer's binding premise: absolute, ironpants control doesn't work. Welcoming as part of a community does work.

Come on over.