A Sister (the fabulous Pheonix Rising, Postulant Guard for the Music City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence) recently asked, “What called each of you to the Sisters and what you hope to create in the community, world, and/or yourself by your being a part of The Music City Sisters and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence?

Other folks are asking questions too. Just today, my mom told me some of her friends recently had asked her,

“What’s going on with Doug?”

“Yeah, I keep seeing some interesting some interesting pictures of him on Facebook.”

With a smile and a laugh, Mom—my Saint Ann—proceeded to explain the best she could.

I’m going to do my best to answer the question and to provide clarification as to why I, a forty-seven year old man, would want to put on white clown makeup, false eyelashes, a dress, and a veil, and leave my house with a bunch of other people doing the same thing. I also want to be brief, as I believe I’ll keep coming back to the question as I progress in becoming a Fully Professed Sister.

Look at that picture above. See the person on the left? That’s Freudianshlip, my newly assigned Big Sister. Now, look at Freudian’s face. His mouth and his lips cannot contain that smile. It spreads to his cheeks, and to his eyes, and it reaches out through his upraised arm like a blessing, until most everyone who sees him has to smile themselves.

Look once more at the picture. Even now, distanced by time and space, it’s happening. Can you look at that picture, at that smile, at that blessing, without smiling?

I believe a heart-felt smile is an expression of joy. I believe joy is an expression of love. I want to be a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence because I want to smile a joyous smile, rooted in love, that extends from my lips to my cheeks and to my eyes and through my hands and becomes an infections blessing to all people, but especially to awkward people, searching people, self-conscious people, self-destructive people, hurting people, people like you, and people like me.

I believe we need more smiles, more joy, and more love in our lives.

That’s why, after considering a lot of puny names, upon my elevation to Postulant Sister of the Music City Sisters, I took the name Ann Wenita Morelove—because we do.