Libby Got Married

Libby B. got married on Saturday.  (There is a Victorian charm to her name and a kind of Lizzy Borden menace.)  She and her lover Laura, both in their late twenties, held their wedding in Manzanita, Oregon, a tiny, and, as yet, unpretentious village west of Portland.  (Libby, who has read my writing, hates the overuse of commas…sorry Sister.)  I admire this young woman in countless ways, from her comfort in cat-eye glasses, the curves of her body, and the Betty Boop bow of her lips, her challenging hair which she undauntedly styles into a colorful statement.  (She is a hair care professional.)

There is something spirited and sexy and unafraid about women who grow up Texas, big man/land/steak country.  Ann Richards, my Mother.  (Yes, my Mother was sexy…like Barbara Stanwyck.)  And, Libby.  She faces off life with a calm and stillness which allows her to take in more than most of us.  And, she practices the kind of loyalty which can help you know friendship.

Coincidentally, see the movie The Kids Are All Right, directed by Lisa Cholodenko.  (Sounds like she may be of Mexican/Russian ancestry?)  A well-tempered movie.  Extraordinary in that regard…not genius…but all elements are working with no let down or third act “what?”  How refreshing.  It features four (or more) amazing performances.  Watch Annette Bening sing a Joni Mitchell song.  (Watch Annette do anything, is my advice.)  She gives the kind of performance that can be uncomfortable to watch, it is so raw with truth.  A standing ovation for Ruffalo, Moore, and, in particular, Mia Wosikowska.  (Watch her in In Treatment.)  These are brave, subtle, reverberating, powerful performances…and likely to go unsung because of the courage it takes to deliver with such restraint.  And, this is a comedy, but take a handkerchief.  The director is a wonder.  (She is not from Texas.)

The parents are lesbian.  They are a normal, conflicted, loving, troubled couple.  Everyone has some trouble in the movie which is what is so interesting, edifying, and satisfying.  (Look up Catharsis in a Thesaurus.)  But, the trouble has nothing to do with anyone’s sexuality.  The trouble comes from being human.    This is a movie about a family.  What’s the fuss?  Let it be.

Libby got married on Saturday.  I don’t know what the same sex marriage laws are in Oregon, a soulful state with legalized euthanasia…but they are hitched, now.  Mozel Tav, girls.

Anon, jas.