Birmingham Blues

…to Kate, beloved wife of Pam. Sorry I’m a day late, and I hope it was a lovely day, with a wonderful year to follow!

…to Deborah and Songbird! Wishing you a year full of blessings.

…to the good folks at Left in Alabama. I’m one day late, but so are they.

Congratulations!

Danny at Doc’s Political Parlor has been getting some great press lately, statewide and national. Go check out this post and give him snaps. Great work, Danny. Congrats!

Bruce Hilton, father of Tom and Steve Hilton of If I Ran the Zoo, passed away on Thursday. Their mother Virginia died in October 2007. Both of the Reverends Hilton worked on the front lines of the civil rights movement and continued to advocate for social and economic justice throughout their lives. They were strong supporters of LGBT equality and founded the Parents Reconciling Network. Bruce was the author of Can Homophobia Be Cured?, which graced my bookshelf for many years before I “met” Tom and Steve online and became part of the IIRTZ family.

There is a nice article from the University of Indianapolis alumni magazine detailing Bruce’s life and career here. The San Francisco Chronicle did a feature on Virginia after her death. Go read them and be inspired by what two ordinary people can do when their lives reflect their passion for justice.

Tom and Steve, I’m so sorry for your loss. Your father and mother left a wonderful legacy — for you and for us.

Co-blogger Del made a trek to Birmingham today, and we finally met for real. We spent a couple of hours chatting over margaritas and chips, and she’s just as delightful and funny in person as she is on the blog and in our frequent email exchanges.

One of the coolest things about the Intertubes is meeting — online and f2f — people I never would have known otherwise. It’s a small world, and I’m glad I get to share it with so many talented, intelligent, and downright fun people.

Tom Hilton’s mother died on Sunday.  It is so hard to lose a parent, no matter if we are children or adults when it happens.  My sympathies to Tom and his family.  Please send prayers and good thoughts their way.

…to Melissa McEwan and all the contributors at Shakesville! Wonderful writing, intelligent commentary, and great people — what more could we want?

Happy second blogiversary (two days late) to Tom Hilton and the rest of the team over at If I Ran the Zoo. It’s my blog-away-from-blog, and the folks there are great. Funny, too, and big Whedon fans. I just tread water most of the time, but I’m glad they let me hang around.

Go say hi.