The Dignity of Marriage
Lori and I are now a happily married couple.
We were married at Smith College (her alma mater) on Friday, August 15th in the morning by The Honorable J. Mary (JM) Sorrell, a Justice of the Peace in Northampton, Massachusetts. “JM” was a wonderfully kind and caring, and made the ceremony joyful and relaxed.
Before she married us, JM read selected text from the Goodridge decision, a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court which found the state may not “deny the protections, benefits and obligations conferred by civil marriage to two individuals of the same sex who wish to marry.”
“…as matter of constitutional law, neither the mantra of tradition, nor individual conviction, can justify the perpetuation of a hierarchy in which couples of the same sex and their families are deemed less worthy of social and legal recognition than couples of the opposite sex and their families.”
“…(These couples) are members of our community, our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends…We share a common humanity and participate together in the social contract that is the foundation of our Commonwealth. Simple principles of decency dictate that we extend to the plaintiffs, and to their new status, full acceptance, tolerance and respect. We should do so because it is the right thing to do. The union of two people contemplated by the laws of Massachusetts “is a coming together for better or for worse, hopefully enduring, and intimate to the degree of being sacred. It is an association that promotes a way of life, not causes; a harmony in living, not political faiths; a bilateral loyalty, not commercial or social projects. (These couples) should no longer be excluded from that association.”
JM also married that day two young men that couldn’t have been older than 21 or 22. They looked so young! As we waited to receive our marriage licenses at the town hall the four of us exchanged congratulations and good wishes.
Lori and I were happy and excited and nervous, even though we have been together for over 20 years.
I am happy for those young men, that they have the opportunity to start life together as a young married couple; and for Lori and I to finish it the same way.
Our red bouquets were inspired by the huge bouquet of flowers Lori bought for me the first night she stayed over. On her way from Brooklyn to my apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan, Lori stopped off at the 72nd Street or 79th Street (we couldn’t remember which one!) subway station and bought every red flower she could find.
When I opened the door she presented me with a gorgeous red bouquet. Our wedding bouquets were in remembrance of that first romantic and passionate gesture. 
