Wednesday, November 5, 2008

It's Over

The church we attended in Colorado had a time during the service for worshipers to share "joys and concerns." You could raise your hand and share any kind of news, and ask the congregation to pray about it. Lots of people shared joys like a new baby on the way or the engagement of a young couple. Others shared concerns like the loss of a job or a serious illness. On the Sunday after the 2004 election, one member raised his hand and made a very opinionated comment about the outcome of the election. Our minister, however, completely changed the tone of the situation by praising God for a safe election and a country in which we all get a say in our leadership. It really made me realize what is truly important about election day in America: aren't we lucky that we live in a nation where we all get to vote? Aren't we lucky that we don't worry about facing violence as we head to the polls? Aren't we lucky that our children are safe, and that our female children will have a voice? As a mom, that's how I am feeling, more than anything, today. I'm proud to be an American.

God bless America and God bless President-elect Barack Obama. It is certainly a daunting task he faces as he takes leadership of this great nation.

4 comments:

Amy said...

I was already thinking last night that during the next presidential election, Hayden will be old enough to understand what's going on! Maybe he can even stay up and color a map as the states come in. And that was pretty cool to realize!

And I'm also amazed that our process is so peaceful. Sure, the campaigns can get ugly at times, but when the winner is announced there are no riots, no overthrows, just acceptance and faith in our process, even if your candidate of choice didn't win. That's pretty cool!

Megan said...

I agree! It's amazing to me to think that just 20 years ago this election would not have been in anyone's mind. It truly was history in the making and more people voted this year than any other year. That is exciting to me. People realizing that they have a say and can do something about it is just what this whole thing is about!

Samantha said...

You both said it better than me - exactly!

erin said...

Amen to all of you!