You should not judge what others do.

You should tolerate the opinion of others.

You should not push your values onto others.

You say I should do this because I’m a "better" person?

Well what exactly is "better," if I’m the one compromising my beliefs for the sake of others? Doesn’t that make me a "lesser" person?

This year my husband and I will celebrate the 21st anniversary of our marriage, and as he likes to joke, "I’ve been happily married for 5!"

I understand when two people are in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together. Been there...am doing that. I found a man, fell in love, and got married because that is what marriage is, a man and a woman committed to spending the rest of their lives together.

Today’s more liberal society wants us to interpret the definition of marriage as any two people who are committed to spending their lives together regardless of gender.

I hate to break it to America, but that’s not marriage.

Grab a dictionary not copyrighted in recent years. The definition is there. It’s in black and white. Marriage is the state of being united to someone of the opposite sex as husband or wife.

It doesn’t mean a man and a woman are going to be any better to each other than those in a same gender relationship. It doesn’t mean that they will be together longer or happier. But marriage is what marriage is. Just as I can get my doctorate in American History, I still could not be called a surgeon, even though I would be a "doctor" and received as many years of schooling. I can’t earn a high school diploma if I don’t graduate from high school — I can get my GED but I can’t get a high school diploma. If I implant antlers on my pet bunny, he still isn’t a jackalope.

Now, I don’t think I am going to be able to change anyone’s opinion regarding this issue. Either you agree with me or you don’t. I’m not influential or eloquent enough to stir a nation. At times I may even wish that more people shared my conservative beliefs. But, I realize it is probably best if everyone decides for themselves what they want their values to be, because just as I don’t want others to shove their morals down my throat, I am sure no one wants me shoving my morals down theirs.

Do I think we should prevent committed same gender couples from having the same legal rights as married couples? At this point, I don’t know if it really matters what I think. I believe America has already decided that the rights of survivorship, medical insurance eligibility and taxes should be applied equally. And I don’t think America is going to change its mind.

That being said, why does the commitment between same-gender couples have to be called marriage? Can’t it be called union or consolidation or alliance or partnership or amalgamation? Anything aside from marriage? Or, make up a new word, maybe amaconiance or partaige. New words are developed all the time as society evolves; try finding gigabyte or cell phone in a 1960s dictionary. Let’s really give the kids a surprise at the next spelling bee.

This isn’t just about what’s right or wrong, left or right, up or down. It is about preserving something many of us hold sacred. Why should those of us who still believe in the sacrament of Marriage have to watch as it is morphed into something unacceptable to our beliefs? Where is the tolerance for us?