A father's poem to his gay son (from Circling the Wagons Mormon LGBT Conference)

On the weekend of August 11, 2012, we held the third "Circling the Wagons" Mormon LGBT conference here in San Francisco. There, I had the great honor to meet the Montgomerys--a solid, kind, Mormon family from California with a young gay son.

At the conference, Tom Montgomery, the father, shared this poem he'd written about his son. I share it here with his permission.

What a great Dad--thank you, my Savior. Please send more like Tom. Fathers like him make the world a better place for all of us.

Enjoy.

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I See The Image Of Christ In My Gay Son, Lord

I held him in my hand when he was newly born;

Perfect and innocent, filling me with joy.

I held his hand at his first steps,

I watched him play and smile and talk.

This boy that I have been given,

Has been a gift and my joy,

With a voice that touches the heavens,

And hands that bring music.

He is unique and he is gifted,

And his smile lights up a room.

But the greatest gift I see in him, Lord,

Is that he reminds me of You.

I see love in his eyes and hear trust in his voice,

He cares more readily for others.

I have taught him all Thou hast given me, Lord,

And he has become a better man than I.

I see the Image of Christ in my gay son, Lord,

He is chaste and young and pure.

But we need a new way to live today,

To fill with joy and hope and love.

He is Yours, Lord, and he is mine,

So let us set his feet

On a path that leads him back to You,

As Thou hast made him - perfect and complete.

By Tom Montgomery

With Jordan Montgomery’s permission