Election Day and Parenting

I have a pit in my stomach. I hate Election Day. I love to go to the voting booth and get my "I voted today sticker", exercising my civic duty . I will proudly tell anyone who I voted for and why, but I can't stand the tension of the day. ( John McCain)


Working on campaigns in the past, Election Day is kind of a let down day. It's all over, your work is done and now you have rely on that work to pay off.


Sure you can go to polling booths and hold signs, you can stand on cold street corners and pray for drivers to honk approval at your yard sign and you can even make a few last minute phone calls to supporters to see if they need rides to the poll. But you can't go cast their ballots ( at least it use to be that way!) and you can't personally vote more than once ( that vote early vote often phrase use to be a joke-not so much anymore).


You have to wait until 8 p.m. for the first votes to come in to judge how well your candidate has done. To see how far ahead or behind they are in the race to the finish.


Just wait. Trust your gut and have faith.


It's a lot like parenting.


Election Day is kinda like College Drop Off Day. It's like First Day of Kindergarten. It's the first day of Junion High. You've put in the hard work, you've given it your all. Your candidate is the best you've ever seen, you have full faith and confidence in them, now it's all up to them. Will they perform the way you know they can, will others have the same faith and confidence in them? Will they be the golden boy or girl you know they can be?


Trusting the electorate, trusting your gut, trusting your God to fill in the gap. It's tough.


I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights. I'm worried about the future of our country.


I know the sun will rise again tomorrow. I know God is still on the throne. My flesh is nervous but my soul is content.


As I journey through new stages of parenting I struggle just the same. I have sleepless nights, I over think and analyze. I have to trust God to be there, to with my "candidate-child" to help them make it to the finish line.


I have to trust they have all the ability, knowledge and inner core values to make the right decisions, take the right paths and make the right choices.


My candidate might not win the election today. My country might take a direction I didn't choose tomorrow. But you know what, I'll still be proud of my country. I'll still defend, protect and serve my country whenever I'm called.


For now I'm called to my homefront; to my family, community and church.


If my children take a wrong turn somewhere along the way, I'll still be here for them to love them, serve them and protect them. If it doesn't all go according to plan for them I'll still be standing beside them. That's my duty.