Nevels story has a familiar tone
Joan Garrett’s thoughtful article “Tempest in my soul” (June 24) brought back many personal memories. Having lost a brother to AIDS-related causes 17 years ago, our family, too, faced scrutiny from the church. In our case the Presbyterian Church in the North.
I remember well my late mother telling me about participating on a church panel and being questioned by her church friends about how she could forgive her son for being gay and with AIDS. Shaking her head at the ignorance of the question, my mother simply stated she was his mother and she loved him — unconditionally.
We all gathered at my brother’s funeral just like the Nevels family — our family and my brother’s partner. It was one of the most meaningful and powerful experiences of my life. It could have been divisive, but I look back to that event as one of the most blessed days because we came together as a family.
My sincerest sympathies go to the Nevels family. I greatly appreciate how they’ve chosen to honor their son through their charitable work just as we honor my brother each year by walking in Chattanooga Cares’ Strides of March. My 15-year-old son, named for my brother, hasn’t missed one in his life.