All is fair in love and war...

... That saying really, REALLY bothers me.

Firstly, if war were fair... It wouldn't be war - whatever scale it's on. Be it an argument between two people, or two nations. It's not fair. Not even close.

Secondly, all is not fair in love, either...

During a walk in a nearby park today trying to clear my head and heart following a physically and emotionally painful and exhausting three weeks, I saw something that was at first very sweet, then heartbreaking at the same time. Two final year students from the local Catholic boys' high school, sitting by the pond, in an embrace of love. Nothing naughty. Holding hands, fingers interlocked, and faces touching. I thought, "good on them". But they saw me attempting to photograph the lone duck, and instantly moved away from each other, as though they had been busted doing something incredibly wrong. I smiled at them, and told them not to worry about me. But they did. They've seen me before with my son. I'm a mum. And the mums in my area are judgmental, superficial, and largely unsupportive of same sex relationships, regardless of their religious beliefs, or lack thereof.

The boys hid away in a slightly more secluded spot near the pond... I left them be.
But not without getting this photo as I left to collect my son from school. Again, back in the comfort of each other, away from (most) spying eyes.

I do not wish to spark a religious debate, as I am not religious, but do hold values from several religions very close to my heart.
One of them is love.
Love is important, be it the family love, the love of friends, or the love of a significant other.

There is something VERY wrong when two normally very confident young men feel so ashamed of a very real and strong emotion, because it is still vilified by much of society. Love is love. It doesn't matter what the genitalia is - the feeling is the same, and should be supported and celebrated.