A New President has been elected

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Where I vote, its a bit old fashioned. Nothing electronic, not even a cubical to vote in. Just round tables, the kind used for eating at. The kind that seats 6 or 8 people. Melanie and I sat next to each other as we voted and chatted about who we were voting for. There were a few stand up, science fair variety, tri-fold things for people that wanted privacy. I am a pretty open person, nothing to hide view of life. The mostly taboo subjects of religion and politics are not something I hide. I believe what I believe, I don't mind sharing my questionings about God. I don't hide my political views either, despite the fact that they are not very conservative and I know that most of my blog readers are. What I believe is part of the definition of who I am. Why on earth would I want to hide that unless I was afraid, afraid of having someone disagree with me and then what ? I like to think that as adults in this modern age, we can disagree and yet get beyond that to see there is great merit in not all being the same.

I don't expect everyone to share my thoughts. And that's fine.
I was stirred to tears last night watching the people in the crowds shown on T.V. as they heard the news that Obama was to be our new president. I saw something I had not seen in years, HOPE. Hope for something better than war and apathy.
We have changed from who we are as a people in the last 30 years which means that many of us want a leader that reflects who we have become in that time. There is crime I know and there is violence in so many areas of life, but we often don't take the time to see the other side of the scale, how good we have become as a people. We give so much. We care deeply for the plight of the suffering and we are even learning to move past blame and condemnation for how people ended up in less than desirable circumstances. I think many of us now see, we are often just one single choice away from difficult circumstances. A bad choice can change your life. Marrying the wrong person, taking one too many drinks and getting behind the wheel. Saying cruel, hard words. Choosing self when you should have chosen others. Not chilling out when you should have. Taking a hit of an addictive drug just one time and that one time changed your direction. We understand now that so many times, we could be just where that down and out person was if we had their parents, their life. Knowing that, takes away the condemnation and allows us to see the need without judgement.
I am glad we elected Obama. I feel hopeful. The house next to us is for sale, the reason, the husband was in an accident, no health insurance, (they simply could not afford it) they have to sell their house to pay for medical bills. 3 children uprooted. Three doors down, another house for sale, this one with a shop in the back where the man repaired cars for a living. He was in an accident and since he is self employed, there was no way for him to be able to pay his own health insurance. To pay the medical bills of his accident, he is selling his house too which is also his business.
We need change in so many areas of this country, but tender to my heart is the medical insurance mess we are in.
Even within the plain people life is changing in this area too. Medical bills used to be paid easily by the community. You got sick, sent to the hospital and the church and community paid the bill. Not so easy now when hospital bills reach the million dollar mark. The churches are struggling to know what to do. What if two people get sick in the church at the same time ? Who can afford to pay that kind of money ? Hard to ask another church to help out when they are experiencing the same struggles within their own community.
We all need change and personally I will gladly be taxed higher to get something in return. I would rather pay $400 a month in taxes for a system that can't drop me, refuse me because of a pre-existing condition, or charge huge deductibles than to pay $600 a month to an insurance company that can do all that and more.


Last night sort of felt like all the things I fought for in my teens and early 20's are now reality.
Makes me want to stand up and sing that Crosby Stills Nash and Young song.... "Long Time Gone"
This old hippy woman loves the idea of change and these words from Obama's speech last night give me such a good feeling. The cobwebs of apathy that stole the hope for a better world have been blown away !


"This is our time to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope," he said. "And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."
~Barack Obama~
to that I add "Amen"