MI Love and MI Joy: Marriage Equality and I Don't Know How to Feel

I don't have to tell you the news - it's been around the world twice already.

But I will, because I can't stop smiling, like pretty much with a dopey-faced grin (and this from someone whose resting face is a smize).

The Supreme Court ruled that I am a person. That I have rights. That my marriage is legal. That my commitment means something. That the state I love, the one in which I grew up, the one in which I live now, will recognize my commitment.

For those of you wondering exactly what this means, I'm not completely sure yet how it will all shake out, but a few clarifications.

• Rebecca and I already have a legal marriage certificate, so we don't have to get married again - we'll likely just need to present the California certificate to the Michigan Secretary of State.
• Although I do not have to get married again, I will accept gifts of champagne, cake, luxury sheets and towels, cash, check, and chocolate covered strawberries.
• My taxes, both state and federal, can now be filed as "married!" (For 2014, federal was married but state was single.)
• In terms of changing other documentation with the state of Michigan, I will probably have to wait a few weeks while they retrain Secretary of State employees on the policies that now represent equality and inclusion to a much greater degree.

Beautiful readers, things are not perfect yet, but today, I want to bask in how much better they have become. I want to stand in the sunlight and cry happy tears. I want to rejoice that although I don't feel any differently, because in my heart I have been married to my beloved for more than three years, now the government sees me as I feel. I glow with radiance to think of the families who will be able to better protect their biological and adopted children because their marriages are equal.

Today, I choose to focus on love, joy and equality. And I will share with you a verse that is on my heart:

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control. ~ Galatians 5:22