so i've been reading books lately, something i never used to seem to have time for. but thankfully to my vacation with my family and to Chris who recommended some good ones, i've been enjoying the written word, stories about people in depth, and spending time alone reading a novel rather than running around fitting in newspapers all the time

with all that said, i just finished an amazing book, A Home at the End of the World which has just been turned into a movie recently. but regardless of the movie, the book itself is a wonderful read. and there were times when i actually wanted to highlight passages because the language and the tone and the sense perfectfully captured an entire concept in ways hard to explain here. but here's my favorite example with a passage that hit me strongly:

"Are you in love with me?" I asked, though I knew the answer. He wanted desperately to be in love with someone. I fulfilled the fundamental age, height, and weight requirements. But his desire didn't attach directly to me. It was not quite personal.

the other main thing that hit me with the book was the sense of possibility and hope of families being built up from scratch based on being close enough with friends and lovers to accentuate each others strengths in a common goal. the tagline for the movie is "Family can be whatever you want it to be." and i love that statement. it's about finding your space in this world and having those around you who are closest sustain you, strengthen you and each other, and find a life together. as i read these passages i kept having these glimpses of a big house where my closest friends and i lived, not based on sex or children, but based on harmony and trust and love. and it heartened me greatly, as often i don't feel like i fit into the societal model of 2 people plus kids, let alone the heterosexual model. the story spoke to my hope of fitting into my own model of family and coexistence and love.

What binds us is stronger than sex. It is stronger than love. We're related. Each of us is the other born into different flesh.