Yesterday is was Election Day in the good ol’ US of A. It’s the day where Americans have the right to cast their opinions at the polls. It’s an incredible right and gift we have as American citizens. To choose. To be free to choose.
Today, we know who will be our next President of the United States. Donald Trump.
And I know people want to know who I voted for. Not because I think I’m special. But because I know people want to know who everyone voted for.
When I grew up, my parents never said who they were voting for. They told me they didn’t even discuss it together. Because it was a personal choice. We never had signs in our yard. I knew what political parties they were affiliated with because my dad holds an office, but never did we really discuss politics. It was like money, religion, and politics — don’t discuss in mixed company.
Those were the times.
Now. Now everyone feels passion and ownership in the Political process. My children wanted to watch debates and outcomes. They wanted to know what different issues meant. What that meant for them. For all the people.
They are growing up as citizens. They are growing up in an historical time in our nation. A time when a woman was first on the ballot. A time where we have a black president. A time where a business man has been elected as President. A time when there has been an uprising in America and people. are. voting. They are voting because it MATTERS to them. Singularly. They are voting because it MATTERS to people around them. They are voting. And they are surprising, even people who have analyzed elections for decades. THAT is pretty cool, actually, to me.
It is a time in America, not of indifference. And that, THAT is a beautiful thing. People. care. I believe that that’s what this election will be remembered for… that people voted. Voted like they haven’t in years.
I told my boys this morning that we have our next President. That the woman who ran against him called to congratulate and concede last night because that is what people do when they lose. I told them that today, there would be people, even at their ages, who might say something one way or the other and that in our we have one rule: Love One Another. And at their ages, I think that out of all this, it is what I still know.
It was a really horrible election cycle. And the truth from me is, I had a very difficult time weighing the candidates. I know that some might think, How could you not be for Trump, you’re a small-town Christian? or How could you not easily be for Hillary? You have reproductive organs. And Trump has said the worst things. Some might think, “You’re crazy. It was clearly…” But here’s the thing… as I watched each convention, each debate, I was one of those Independent Undecided Americans. I did vote yesterday. But I didn’t cast a vote for one person. I cast a vote against another. I just wasn’t convinced that either one was really all that they said they were. I was split on issues. I was split on their character. I was split on their efficacy. And while the one thing I will say is that I DID NOT and DO NOT like the way that our now, next President spoke about women and minorities and people of color, I also do not know that his opponent was Honest Abe either. I call to question both of their character in different ways. Some ways just meant more to me when it came to down to brass tacks. And some issues.
I watched it all unfold last night. As I am guessing you did, too. I watched the media be just completely baffled. I watched people post balloons or smileys on their social media feeds or tears and fears and prayers. I know I’m not alone in that. That I have friends from all sides of the coin. I have friends who were vehemently anti-Trump and friends who are “deplorables” {their words, not mine}. I have friends who were voting solely on Abortion. And friends who were voting solely on character. I have friends who are gay, Lesbian, transgender, and all backgrounds and socioeconomic levels. And, I have friends who are in that 1%. I have friends who are Christian, Hindu, Atheist, Catholic. My friends, like America, are a “tossed salad” {to borrow a term from my 8th grade Social Studies teacher}… all different folks who have kept their backgrounds and beliefs. Because of freedom. Because of their right to be who they are. Because that is what America truly should be.
So what do I think today? I think what I think every. single. morning.
Geez. I am lucky to be alive. I am lucky to have woken up today without a baby in the NICU, under the covers in a comfy bed. I am lucky to not have to go to chemo today. I am lucky that my children will go to their safe public school. I am lucky that I have the right to post on Facebook. Or this blog. I am lucky that I live in the land where the population gets to decide who does or doesn’t control our nation… even if that means that some people don’t end up getting the outcome they desired. And I know what I knew yesterday, one person won. And no matter who that was, America will be okay. I believe that.
Maybe that’s a micro level view. Maybe it seems selfish this morning to just be happy to have woken up still living in the land of the free. To feel like the outcome of the election — either way, wasn’t going to scare me… maybe that’s ignorant… maybe that’s uneducated. But I truly believe what I believed yesterday morning — one candidate was going to win. And neither of them were really the ones I would have chosen. The reality to me… after this election cycle… yesterday was not “shocking” to me. The entire campaign has been “shocking”… this was just icing on the Political cake. It was just how this cycle would end up. And I don’t mean that Donald Trump would get elected. I mean, why is it surprising that the media could not “predict” the winner. Why is it so “shocking” that this election came down to such a tight race. As something that had no statistical explanation going in. Because the power of the people was put to work yesterday. And people, when moved enough, don’t just impact things. They make things happen.
I told my children this morning, we have a new next president. And that is the democratic process at work.
Maybe you don’t like what the outcome of the election says about your friends and neighbors, if that is the case, I urge you to “fight back” with passion, and faith, and hope. And know that many don’t believe a vote for Trump is a vote against you. It is a vote for what they value most — which may be abortion laws, gun laws or taxes. Maybe you are thrilled… I urge you to move forward with love and understanding and compassion for those who aren’t. And know that those who voted against our current president were rooting for acceptance, and equal rights for all, and that they are feeling battered today. It is our right to free. It is also our time to realize that America, is in fact hurting and aching for change. Whether you are or not.
We have come so far as a nation. I truly believe that. And that progress, I believe, will continue. I would love to see a time in my life when we have candidates who the media doesn’t villainize from day one. I would love to see a time when the media knows to back off and let the campaigns happen. And I hope upon hopes that somehow, instead of becoming the Divided States of America, we can all find a way to get along and respect the people we are voting next to.
I wasn’t “with him or her.” Say what you want… think what you want about me. I went through a lifechanging illness last year that showed me that life is bigger than words. That actions matter. That people matter. That love is all we need. And that we are so lucky to live in a country with healthcare, freedom of religion, and freedom to vote. That experience impacted my ability to believe in either candidate. To really believe that they have our nation’s best interest at heart. That’s my reality. I watched everything. I researched. I talked. I met people who MET the candidates. I know what each of them said about all the things. And I struggled to figure out which person had any semblance of character or even a modicum of love for a higher being. I struggled to figure out if either of them were being honest or if either of them could actually put into action what they were proposing to do. I struggled to see how either of them would UNITE the masses. But I did cast a vote.
…
We voted yesterday. I walked out my back door, the sun shining, two kids in tow and walked into my polling place. I got to have a say. Everyone who posted that picture or updated your status, we had a say. We participated in the political process… and for that, I do think our forefathers would be proud.
…
It’s a brand new day. And I am not scared. We have our next President. And after being through hell and back this last year, I know this: no matter what happened last night, life goes on. It may not be the day you were hoping for. But it’s your day to affect. It’s your day to decide if you are going to grumble or have grace. It’s your day to live with compassion and understanding. It’s your day to love your neighbor. And it’s your day to be proud to be an American.
My children will know that this election was different. My children will know that this election was historical. My children will know that if they want to be President, then gosh darn it, they can get their name on that ballot if they try hard enough. And they will know what it is to grow in the land of the free with people who believe different things than they do. And they will learn to live amongst those people with respect and empathy. And, above all, act with kindness. They will learn to explore why different people from different places and backgrounds have different views. And be proud that those get to be expressed. And for that, I am thankful.
I pray that we can move forward as a nation. I pray that our leaders will be vigilant, and just. I pray that people who are scared today know that people have been afraid of the outcomes of the political process for years. I pray that people who are happy feel a heart full of pride for a country that exercised their rights. I pray that parents will show their children what it is to be involved in America. And I pray that those who are indifferent can understand why people aren’t.
So, God Bless America. Land that I love. And I will keep on loving… for four years… and for life.
