Why do you hate me so much? What have I done so terrible that would cause you to not want to be in my presence? What is it so hard for you to say my name or even acknowledge that I exist?
Recently I watched the movie "Uncle Frank" on Amazon Prime. If you haven't seen the movie or don't have access to Amazon Prime, you should think about investing in it, even if it's just to watch this movie. I was curious about the movie "Uncle Frank", because it spoke of a relationship between an uncle and his niece. Uncle Frank was different than the rest of the family. He was smart, intelligent, quiet spirited, and a professor at a college in New York City. That alone, made him interesting to his niece, Beth.
Uncle Frank encouraged Beth to do good in school which would be an opened door for her to attend any college she liked. And she did just that. So, Beth gets accepted at the New York University where her uncle teaches. But what she didn't know was that her favorite Uncle Frank was living a double life and so was his partner.
You see, it wasn't popular to have an opened gay relationship during this time; which lead Uncle Frank to hide his true identity and his relationship. Not until the death of his father. While reading the will of Frank's father, the attorney read what Frank's father thought of him as a gay man. His father was ashamed of him and his lifestyle. His father caught him having an intimate moment with a boy when he was 16. His father, who was supposed to be a devout Christian. He told him he was to never see that boy again and that he and the boy were going to hell. That moment, was the beginning of Uncle Frank's arrested development. He hid his feeing for the same sex for years until he moved away to New York.
Uncle Frank was devastated and felt no one loved him any more. When Uncle Frank hears his mother call his name, the little boy Frank walks into the room and sits on the chair across from him mom. His mother begins to explain to him how his father was afraid of his lifestyle because he didn't know anything about it. In his father's world, that was not acceptable behavior. Frank goes and lays in his mother's lap, much like a child would whose in pain. Hi mommy told him that she loved him and spoke the most profound word, "Ma'ma's always knows!" That was the moment Uncle Frank was waiting for and needed.
He needed to know he was still loved by his mother regardless. Many of us, like Uncle Frank, are hiding because of our lifestyle and the choices we've made. Many of us are ashamed of the decisions we've made and have created a story in our minds that the world will not accept me as I am. But, have we given the world a chance? Much like ma'am. They will still love you.
My message today is this... even if you are scared of being who you are and standing in your truth...give the world a chance. and if the world rejects you.. that's okay too.. if they accept you, that's okay too. At least you're not lying nor are you hiding anymore.
When the truth is revealed, all fear and shame is gone.
- Remember to always be truthful in your truth
- Don't lie to yourself about how you think other people feel
- And remember, you're not alone. As my granny would say, "You're not the first and you want be the last."
Remember to Find Peace Within
Blessings to you,
Ms. Lisa
