A Poem Celebrating Pride by Rev. Johanna Hattendorf (STH’84)
Rev. Johanna Hattendorf (STH’84) [formerly Amy Bridgeman] celebrates Pride month with a poem based on a true story.
Remember This: You Must Say Yes
By Johanna Hattendorf
6/7/21
The place to start is the dream,
No, not a dream,
Not even a vision,
Just a voice.
Yes, a voice.
Speaking in the night.
“In 2 weeks you will receive a call
from a church you do not know. . .
Remember this, you must say yes.”
10 days—almost long enough to forget–
A phone call from a stranger
With a strange question:
“Are you still interested in the job?
Preparing to say No,
I remember—“You must say yes.”
“Yes”—I say—
“Yes”, I guess I am.
Then, the Interviews,
Questions,
Concerns.
I am “Out”, you see.
They want me to come—will I?
Yes,
I will come.
Yes,
I will serve you.
Yes,
even when families leave.
Yes,
even when the hate mail begins,
Yes,
even when the police do nothing.
Yes.
I stay with who I am.
I stay trembling with fear.
I stay, waking in the night unable to breathe.
Yes.
I stay.
I sign up for martial arts,
Leaning into my power
Determined to be strong.
And Tai Chi
To manage the stress
Calming my nerves.
And therapy,
With someone who will not judge.
Yes, I stay.
5 years of staying,
5 years living into the yes.
5 years of knowing–something important was happening—
important enough to wake me from sleep,
important enough to insist—You must say yes.
And then, it happened—
A monumental decision—
the legal right to marry.
So we did.
We stood in that church
Surrounded by the people who loved us,
And the people who stayed–
The people who believed—
in me,
In us,
In who we ALL could be.
I said Yes to my love
She said Yes to me.
They said Yes to us,
And in the end
They said Yes to themselves.
We ALL said Yes.
Yes
To This wild crazy journey of believing
Yes
to Believing in the impossible,
Yes,
To Believing in the power of saying yes..
Not just for me,
Not just for us
But for Everyone.
No, it’s not just a dream,
Or a vision,
It’s just a voice.
Remember this—you must say yes.
Johanna Hattendorf
6/7/21