Oprah & Gayle - Gay or Nay?

With all due respect to alternative lifestyles, I feel compelled to address the murmurs of what many find as Oprah & Gayle's disconcertingly close relationship. For the record, I get it....I get them...I love them...I am JUST like them. Stacy Campbell Marshall is the apple of my eye. There is no one that understands my layers like she does. If I have $1.00 Stacy has $1.00. If we go on a trip and there's a twin bed to share, we'll figure it out. Stacy is my greatest confidant, cheerleader, advisor, blackhead wrangler and, wait for it - SOULMATE. Yep, I said it...soulmate. I've said this about her numerous times and every time I speak these words, tears come to my eyes. The amazing thing about Stacy is that her personality and radiance are so immense that despite the fact that countless people draw from her light, she still manages to light my life with joy, support, laughter and love! Stacy and I have discussed this preoccupation with Oprah and Gayle's sexual orientation. We both feel sad for any woman who has not experienced the warmth and the cradle of a friendship where you can be your vulnerable self, your ugly self, your confused self, where you can be you.

I am sad to say that I have let Stacy down, but she's forgiven and loved me in spite of my shortcomings. Stacy has forgiven me for things I've found hard to forgive myself for. Who wouldn't want that type of love and acceptance? Why must we label something unseemingly for that which we can't understand? Now, don't misinterpret what I'm saying - if Oprah and Gayle were/are gay that's their business. I'm not labeling alternative lifestyles as unseemingly, I'm saying how twisted are WE as a society that the beauty of an incredibly close friendship is looked at with skepticism? Why MUST it be sexual?

Stacy got married August of 2008 - it was a happy and sad day for me. Happy because I had the honor of standing as her Maid of Honor (if you knew the number of friends Stacy has you'd be impressed too), and happy that she'd found her Boaz. Sad, because my place in her life would understandably shift with priority given to her other soulmate - Dr. Dwight Marshall. Amazingly, not much changed - Dwight welcomed me into their circle, not threatened, but appreciative of our friendship. In August of 2010 Dane Alexander Marshall was born. Again, I braced for the change and again, amazingly not much has changed. I am now a proud Aunt to a brown sugar cake little boy. What a gift, what a blessing, what a treasure - i've got a soulmate and her name is Stacy Campbell Marshall!