I have refrained from writing anything political over the past few months. In fact, I have done my best to refrain from discussing anything political with anyone over the past few months. Even Jon and I, who can openly talk about any and everything, have pretty much ignored that particular topic. We don’t agree on all the issues and there are some that one or the other feels much more strongly about than the other. But we’ve watched the debates and some interviews together. We’ve enjoyed all the political satire and we’ll go to the polls together tonight. I’ve known for awhile now who was getting my vote. I’ve done my due diligence and almost everything I’ve read, seen & heard from the candidates has simply strengthened that position. I do not think my candidate of choice is the solution to the world’s problems and I don’t think the other guy would destroy us. I respect both candidates. I don’t agree 100% with either one. But I do feel strongly about my choice. I will be voting after work and I hope that if you haven’t, that you take advantage of this privilege. I hope you appreciate that if you don’t agree with the current administration, you can express those views without fear of being thrown in jail or killed. We can have heated discussions around the water cooler, dinner table or in the grocery store line without fear of retribution beyond cold shoulders, glares and maybe a few choice words.

Tomorrow we will (hopefully) wake up and know who our next president will be. We will celebrate or mourn over our cups of coffee. There will be a few days of decompression. This campaign season has gotten many people involved in the future of our country that have never paid attention before. My hope is that when the ballots are counted and the lawn signs have come down, we will all maintain a bit of that spark. I hope we will all remember that we can impact our country every year, year round. There are Americans living in our backyard that need shelter and food. There are people who just need a hand up to get back on their feet. There are elderly who need someone to care for them…to check in, to help out, to appreciate the lives they’ve lived. There are young people who need guidance, who need to be shown that there is hope and options.

The election today is important. But even more so is how we handle our country after it is all said and done. Do we go back to our relatively comfortable lives or do we continue to try and make a difference in our world? McCain isn’t going to encourage the child in THAT neighborhood to do well in school and break the cycle of un-education and poverty. Obama isn’t going to feed the elderly lady down the street who can’t get to the grocery store on her own. That’s up to us.