After the week we have all survived, and the totally unpredictable damage from community to community, I didn't want to tell any of the funnier stories about living this out in God's Waiting Room.  We'll save that for another day.

Two things struck me as Hurricane Irene ravaged New Jersey.  One was a very caring letter to all our readers from our own  Bonnie Kantor.  The second was Steve Goldstein of Garden State Equality giving out his personal cell phone number so he could help storm victims find help from other members.

Long ago, I became aware that society in general thinks of the Gay Community in terms of sexual proclivity/activity....whatever.  What many of us see in our various GLBT organizations is the type of community we need to witness.  We need to look after each other at every level,  centering on coming out, breast cancer, HIV, our religious groups, emergency preparedness such as Hurricane Irene.... the list is long.  I doubt that anyone who lived through the AIDS Crisis years can ever forget the spirit of volunteerism and love which stricken gay men received from their lesbian sisters. These women nursed, cooked for, provided companionship to, and enriched the last days of these men's lives.  I have met some extremely antagonistic people in our Gay Community.  For whatever reasons they see the opposite gender as the enemy, and tensions flare.  At the times I have been able to explain the cohesion brought about by AIDS, people have looked at me in amazement.  Either they were too young to have experienced this sense of community, OR they had just forgotten. 

P.S.  If anyone would like a heads up on a GLBT faith sharing and community group, approved by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen, hit me back and I'll prepare a blog about it.  I know that the concept seems to be an oxymoron to many, but the group is unique in our area.

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