LOVE LIVES IN US...
The Winstons Winston and the Mrs. (E. L. and Roni)
Love lives in us…the Winstons and we want to share a little of it with you. In our life together, we have been blessed to meet a number of icons…grandmothers, mothers, aunties, teachers, and yes, even couples. Women deserving of our admiration and veneration. They survived experiences, raised families, and loved in times when most would have folded under the pressure. The Winstons have realized that it is the love these iconic women of the LGBTQ+ community poured into us which allows us to live our own love story out loud.
The Mrs. Before I came out to the world, I came out to two women I see as iconic. Their love encouraged me to be my most authentic self and believe that the kind of love I wanted was possible. I was in my 20s, but I had already had relationship after relationship. Nothing stuck. I didn’t have the patience or the understanding of what love looked like, but watching these two as they loved, fought, and made life work was a blessing to my spirit. Sheila and Shanda McLean fed me. They loved me. They encouraged me. They were real friends to me in the midst of my chaos. This is my opportunity for me to say thank you to two women who helped me find my way. The strength of their relationship showed me that loving isn’t perfect, but a perfect love can sustain us. You may not have known Sheila and Shanda before now but believe me, they are icons!
