This morning, I went running on a Birmingham mountain (really just an oversized hill), and I was overwhelmed by all the magnificent trees that surrounded me. I was sad that I was running such a narrow, rocky path, because I would have liked to spend the whole run looking up at those trees instead of down at my feet. It made me think about God (as nature often does) and about how well He does things. He could have said, “Ok, trees need to have life and death cycles once a year for everything to work like I need it to in the universe. So, when the weather starts to get crisp WHAM all the leaves will die, turn brown/black, and fall to the ground.” Instead He gives us a profusion of color in their death that makes fall a magnificent time of year to be alive.
Apparently, God was loving another kind of color change this fall as well 🙂 While I will admit that at 10:30 last night when the “OBAMA ELECTED!” signs started flashing all over our television screens, my initial reaction was a pit in my stomach, followed by some ranting about Democrats. My main issue is that, while this whole tax cut for people making less than $200,000/year is going to do wonders for us down here in the “just above food stamps” bracket, I think it is heinously wrong. I think our country was founded on the ideal of capitalism–the idea that if you work hard you should be able to get ahead–and KEEP your own stinkin‘ money as an incentive to continue to work hard and fuel the economy. I understand that there are people who physically cannot support themselves and I would be a heartless person to say I don’t think they should be helped. However, I think that our welfare system is SO corrupt that that money is not getting to the people it is intended to reach. At this point, I am getting politically over my head, but I will end my rant by saying that I think we are slowly turning into a Socialistic country–so slowly that people will hardly notice the differences–and this will turn our already flailing economy into a pit.
(A picture from July 4th, but the only red, white, and blue I could find) I just did my civic duty. I dropped Pace off at MMO and took Mapple Dapple with me to the polls. I was assigned a fire station in Woodlawn, and as I walked into the open enclosure filled with tables and voting American citizens, I was amazed by the sense of Patriotism I felt. We were so diverse, and yet all there–Americans. I saw an old man with his hair perfectly combed, his collared shirt tucked into his belted khaki slacks, and his back held rigidly straight. I just know he fought a war so that I could be there casting my little vote, and I felt the urge to run hug his neck (don’t worry, I didn’t). Then there was the petite Mom, wearing a crisp black and white print dress with little black flats, her baby nestled closely to her body in a sling. The middle-aged black man, with worn blue coveralls. The tall, slender physician, in her scrubs and Dansko shoes, with her hair pulled back in a blonde pony-tail. The flamboyantly gay man with his spikey hair, small stylish glasses, and man-purse. The conservative business-man in his charcoal suit, red tie and briefcase. There were several middle-aged black women working the polls, offering guidance with a smile and cooing at my baby. Then there was me, sweaty and wearing my running clothes with a baby propped on my hip. It was America at work and it was beautiful to me this morning! I am proud to live in a country where we can all gather together and vote, each with our own passionate beliefs and love for our country–angst for the state of where we are, and still respect each other as humans and more than that, as Americans. And while I filled in the little bubble for a total “Republican” ballot, making sure that I marked McCain/Palin as well (just to be safe), no matter who our next President is I will be happy, because we’re America and this is how it works. Besides, I know who’s ultimately in charge of our leaders, and I trust Him completely.