Living Transgender In American Society Today: Re-Union Is a Blessing After All

Friday, May 4, 2012

Re-Union Is a Blessing After All

Greetings - tonight from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am a little behind with this news but with all the travelling there just isn't much time. Again as time permits I will be adding more pictures to this post.

We arrived in Cleveland on schedule and we were able to meet my older son James right away. After a tense, tearful moment of being somewhat overwhelmed James was accepting and we were able to connect and spend some good quality time together. We went into Downtown Cleveland for a great Dinner at the Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse. The service was impeccable, the food - especially the dry aged beef - was too good for words and the ambiance of the place was peaceful, comfortable and had a secluded feel to it - perfect for getting to know my son again. James came with us to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the next day

David was unable to come along because he had to study for his college classes and it turns out that he was hesitant to meet me the new me. This was a very difficult time for me as it came down to our last day in Cleveland and he had been unwilling to meet me. I had to steel myself emotionally for being rejected and only re-uniting with James, but at the last minute he came with us for dinner that last evening at the Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland. They have awesome Pot Roast and amazing Stilton and Cheddar Cheese Soup. And, lest I forget, their beers are really good too so if you see any Great Lakes stuff at Trader Joe's you should pick some up, especially the Porter, the Irish Ale or the Cleveland Brown Ale.

I really need to thank many friends and members of my Church in Riverside for praying for things to go well.

Thank You all - your prayers were answered! Praise God!

(Left to Right: Ken, James, Me, David)

While in the area I met with the founder of the TransFamily of Cleveland support group, Karen and her husband Bob over a nice lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. It was nice to learn some of the history of this support group which was so much help to me when I was first explaining to my boys about my transition and wanting to provide some local resources for them should they be interested in learning what I was doing from others on the same path. I wish I had more time to meet with others across the country but we don't really know where we will be until we make plans at night for our next stop. At some point we will be in Sedona, AZ for a couple of days but that's all I know for now.

Now I'm off to bed and an early start on the road again. When I get home I'll get the last installment up so until then may God bless you all richly.

Hugs,
Eva-Genevieve!

2 comments:

AnonymousMay 5, 2012 at 9:46 AM
Praise God! Indeed!
Rev. Renee Painter
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Rev HBMay 5, 2012 at 8:38 PM
Fantastic! I love seeing you look so happy with your family!
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Any Body, Everybody, Christ’s Body…

…was the theme at this years National Gathering of the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns this year in San Diego (July 14 –17). There were about 125 attendees from all across the US and we even had folks from other countries. Several topics were discussed including ways to make Church accessible to all – many physical and mental challenges were included in this discussion as well as LGBT concerns, Mentoring Queer youth – the emphasis being the need for all of us to be mentors as we are able and that we all have something to teach others, Advocacy & Empowerment, OnA Next Steps: Telling Our Stories, and also a panel discussion on including “transgender” and gender expression more specifically in OnA statements, and immigration issues too – far more issues and information than one person could take in or even list here.

Starting Wednesday afternoon we jumped right in with a very lively worship service with wonderful music and through the course of the gathering we heard many inspiring speakers and participated in several “breakout” workshop sessions. We broke into small discussion groups daily, heard many points of view on important topics, and made many friends in the process. On our last evening the General Minister and President of the UCC, the Revered Geoffrey Black was the keynote speaker at the banquet. My favorite speaker at the conference was Felix Carrion who often contributes to the UCC’s “Stillspeaking” on-line daily Devotional. We ended the conference Saturday morning with another lively worship service and dismissed just in time for several of us to rush over and march in San Diego’s Pride parade with the Mission Hills UCC Church and Bloom in the Desert Ministries (also UCC affiliated). I brought back lots of things to discuss in upcoming Mission Board meetings, but more than anything else it is the personal connections that made the conference very worthwhile. I feel a part of something much larger now – there was so much positive, hopeful energy shared there. I felt so very warmly welcomed by everyone and I believe that my input there was greatly valued as well. And, of course, I made an impression with my array of colorful dresses and hats too! (Would you expect anything less)? I was so blessed for being allowed to represent First Congregational Church in Riverside at this Gathering.

Follow this link to pictures from the event -the photos are in no particular order and a few shots of the fire that broke out behind the motel where I was staying.

Hugs and Blessings,

Eva-Genevieve!