Acceptance, Love, Growth by Katia Kiefaber
Lounging in a cushioned lawn chair amongst a large pool and a colorful garden, the sun warming my body, I listen to a middle-aged woman talk about love and acceptance. Her blond hair and tan skin glow in the sun. While talking to me, a smile never leaves her face. When she feels particularly passionate about a topic, her eyes squeeze shut tightly, as if she’s trying to fully experience every ounce of happiness. The rhythm of the rise and fall of her voice as her sentences flow together soothes me. Right as I feel I’m fallen into her trance, a tall teenage boy comes up from behind her. He toes slightly towards her with a sneaky smile on his face and
his pointer finger to his lips, mouthing “Shh”. As she starts explaining acceptance in church, the boy delicately puts his hand over her eyes, waiting for her to guess who. Her first instinct is to hug him from behind and feel what he’s wearing. “They’re wearing a baseball cap!” she deduces excitedly, “That means it’s either C.J. or Cam.” She pauses a moment, thinking, then decides, “I think it’s Cam!” Of course, she’s right. He smiles and comes around to pull her into a tight hug, as is the custom when anyone comes to greet her. She is Carol Damonte, youth and choir director at Los Altos United Methodist Church, and as anyone would be able to tell upon meeting
her, she’s a hug addict. She hugs her church kids, she hugs the parents of the church kids, she hugs friends of the church kids, she hugs essentially everyone, regardless if she knows them or not. Hugging is just her natural way of expressing her love for people. And boy does she have overflowing amounts of love for people. LAUMC is a reconciling church, meaning they accept everyone, regardless of sexual identity or gender identity, in addition to economic status, gender identity, age, disabilities, and whatever other problems churches might find with people. Point is: they accept all. A church as unique as this calls for equally unique church directors.