- elizobrien
Hope on the Horizon
Hope on the Horizon
By Elizabeth O’Brien, LPC-S
Last Monday evening, June 15th, restored my faith in our country. No sooner did the Supreme Court rule against discrimination of LGBTQ individuals in the workplace than we were regaled, near sunset, with the most spectacular rainbow fanning across the big Texas sky. From my back deck, I suddenly noticed that the light outside seemed odd, softer, and when I looked up, there it was: the rainbow of rainbows. next-door.com exploded with neighbors urging neighbors to rush outside and witness it. I listened happily to the exuberant voices of the families in our cul-de-sac wafting from their decks and porches.
It was almost as if God was celebrating this monumental victory with us. The rainbow, after all, is traditionally the symbol for hope, dreams, fulfillment and happiness. And in 1978, it also became the symbol of LGBTQ pride when gay activist Gilbert Baker created the rainbow flag. Each color stands for something: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity and purple for spirit. Later that same week, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of DACA, allowing the Dreamers yet another breather.
That rainbow was a gift, not only in relation to the Supreme Court LGBTQ ruling (and a harbinger of the DACA ruling later that week) but also as a symbol of hope in terms of the pandemic, the battered economy and the Black Lives Matter movement.
In an instant, our spirits were buoyed and we were all in awe. Too often, we ignore the spiritual dimension in our world. That rainbow made me realize that we humans are not really in charge here.