Sunday, December 10, 2006

THE MAYOR OF BERNAL HEIGHTS

WHAT MAKES A FAMILY

Today, I was reminded as I was reading the obituaries which is a sure sign of getting old, what relationships mean. The lead story in the obits was an individual who had died in one of the neighborhoods of the City. The obituary was glowing about who he was: the unofficial mayor of Bernal Heights. From comments of fellow merchants, his family, friends and especially his two daughters, you got the impression that here is a pretty remarkable individual and his absence from the earth is truly a loss. As the unofficial mayor of this incredibly eclectic neighborhood of San Fran, he will be missed.

The obit talked about his daughters and then said he had lived with his long time partner for the last several years. The partner had been ill for some time and the "mayor" had been a loving caretaker. Yes, gay. The obit listed his survivors and included his former wife. Since I don't know much of the story, I have to add my own lack of enlightenment but think this: regardless of how relationships turn, to allow them to change in beneficial ways surely seems to have happened here. Way to go. God bless all who will miss him. Thanks to him for the lesson left.

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