MICHELLE & NEIL | SUDBURY, ONMichelle was raised in Sudbury by her mother. She was baptized as a

MICHELLE & NEIL | SUDBURY, ONMichelle was raised in Sudbury by her mother. She was baptized as a Roman Catholic and, as a child, attended Sunday School and church regularly.  Her mother forced this on neither her nor her sister. At the age of nine Michelle started questioning her religion, became defiant, and switched from Catholic to public school. At the age of 15 Michelle became friends with a girl who was Wicca. Over a two year period she started to learn more about that belief, and it seemed to be a good fit for her. Today she identifies as a Wiccan.“I believe in honoring and respecting life in all it’s many manifestations both seen and unseen. Wicca promotes responsibility for our actions and choices - and the consequences that follow. I practice my religion with rituals, spells and chants that allow for personal and spiritual growth, to honor the god and goddess that exist in all things and to celebrate the changing of the seasons.”Neil was born and raised in Sudbury. His family attended church on holidays and special occasions. He was baptized into the Roman Catholic religion at a very young age, and attended catholic school up until grade 5 when he switched to public school. As he entered his teenage years he started questioning his religion and stopped going to church. He found many of the bible stories to be nonsensical and “knew there had to be more out there”. At 15 he came across some information on atheism and found it extremely interesting.“I could really relate and found comfort in knowing that there were others out there who did not believe in any gods.”Today Neil identifies as an atheist and believes that everyone has the right to believe what they want to, including the freedom to not believe in anything supernatural.THEIR STORY:Michelle and Neil met in early 1999 while studying together. They clicked right away and developed a friendship that would last for four years before they started dating.Twelve years later they finally got married.  It was an event that they describe as “way overdue ” and “the greatest day of our lives”.  The wedding, at a hall close to home and in front of friends and family, was non-denominational and had a personalized ceremony where they reaffirmed, and made official, their love for eachother. There was one big challenge. Neil’s mother never approved of his relationship with Michelle. She chose not to attend their wedding, and this issue has been a constant strain as he refuses to visit her if she cannot accept his wife. Michelle’s family has always been accepting of Neil, and her mother treats him like a son.They have faced some challenges regarding their differing religious beliefs. The fact that Neil does not believe in any type of God is difficult for Michelle to comprehend.  Neil knows this and enjoys getting her going. Neil jokes: “She has a sassy side that will tell me where to go and how to get there.”The biggest struggle however has been regarding Michelle’s sexuality and her adversity to monogamy - an issue that they have battled with for many years.“I started to realize when I was a teenager that I was different than most people I knew. I never wanted to be held down by one person and I did not want to live by rules that were viewed as normal in relationships. In my mind it seemed normal to date and love more than one person at a time and I thought for the longest time that there was something wrong with me. I dated both females and males even though many would tell me that was wrong, but I didn’t think so. I found it hard to fit in, but once I reached adulthood I realized that there are others out there just like me. I introduced my husband into the polyamorous and swinging lifestyles with hopes that he could see how amazing and fulfilling it was.”Michelle and Neil have had two serious partners over the years. The first woman created some serious rifts when she started wanting Neil all to herself. This could have broken up their marriage, but they explain how their bond was too strong to permit that to happen.“We made a pact that day to not let anyone come in between of our primary relationship. Today we both believe that opening our relationship up to others has been the greatest thing to happen to us. It has taught us patience, respect and the ability to love on a deeper level. It has brought us closer together.”Today they run the facebook group for Polyamory & Swinging in Sudbury. In their apartment they often host potlucks and get togethers with their like-minded friends. Their bedroom of course is an important venue considering their lifestyle. Michelle emphasizes how, with BDSM, they are now actively learning about the kink community.“In the end we believe in the freedom to love and be who you are and love yourself for it. Regardless of our struggles we have always come out on top and we refuse to give up on each other.”You can follow the INTERLOVE Project on Facebook, Twitter and apply to participate.©  2015 Colin Boyd Shafer, All Rights Reserved. -- source link

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