THANKSGIVING!

Without a doubt, Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays. Unfortunately, because you don't have to buy anything (except food) to celebrate this wonderful day, the business world in general just kind of gives tacit acknowledgment to the fact that something special is happening on the last Thursday of November. This is very sad. As our family gathered around the table this past Thursday I thought about all that I have to be thankful for. There were nine of us representing four generations...all the way from my mother who is 90 to our youngest grandson, Christopher who is 8. What blessings! I thought about the God who gives all good things...especially His very own Son who died and rose again to make eternal joy possible. I thought about our freedom...and those who are trying so hard to take it away. I thought about the uncertainty of the coming days, but thankful knowing that through the grace of God and the will of the American people we will survive...and not only survive, but be stronger for the effort. I do hope that all of you were able to rejoice and give thanks on one of the most wonderful days of the year!

Election Day

What a day! Delinda and I worked at precinct 149 as poll workers on election day. Delinda was one of four ladies who checked everyone who came in to make sure they were registered voters and at the right precinct. I was an Assistant Clerk, which means I had to be trained in all of the disciplines of the day and could assist or relieve anyone. I spent a lot of time handing out ballots and trying to keep things running smoothly when we would get a room full of people all going in different directions. I would heartily urge everyone to work as a vollunteer at a polling place during a presidential election just to see how our system that elects our leaders works. We saw all kinds of people: young people who were voting for the first time and wanted to make sure everything they were doing was correct, people who brought their sample ballot with them to make sure they made the choices they had previously thought through (very smart since this was a long two ballot day), those who came in, voted for President, and left, and one elderly couple who appeared to be from India originally and had probably just become US citizens as he so proudly told me that this was the first time he has been able to vote. He and his wife took quite a while to make sure they fulfilled their new privilege in a proper way. I was amazed that even though the lines were long, the tempers were not short. Everyone was very pleasant even those who had waited an hour or more just to get inside only to find out that their names were not on the rolls and had to wait up to another hour for our computer operator to check with the Elections Supervisor's office to make sure they were eligible. Even after all of this time when I would give them their ballot they were pleasant and just proud to be able to participate in this wonderful opportunity of freedom. It was a long day for us. We arrived a little after 5:30 AM and didn't leave until after 9 PM. We were tired, but glad that we had been there and contributed to the democratic process. Whether or not you agreed with the outcome...the system works. In our precinct John McCain was a clear winner....obviously, there weren't a lot of other precincts where this was the case. God Bless America!