A Journey of Politics

My dream is of a place and a time
where America will once again be seen
as the last best hope of earth.
~ Abraham Lincoln

The political primaries have started.
For us, it's touched off a new experience.

We both hold township government positions –
Ed as a supervisor and I as an auditor –
but we've not been very involved
in the whole political election process.

This year, we've decided to
dip our toes in the water, so to speak,
and help a state representative get re-elected.

Why now?

Perhaps it was our trip to the state capitol last spring.
Standing in the massive rotunda …
absorbing the history …
knowing that important decisions and commitments
have been made there to steer the course
of our state and nation.

Perhaps it was our tour of Washington DC …

The Lincoln Memorial …
the most inspiring monument in DC -
(the words of President Lincoln etched on those walls
still speak to our national well-being).

The Vietnam Memorial …
all those brave soldiers who have earned immortality
with the carvings on that Wall
(and who should be my age by now).

The Constitution … The Declaration of Independence …
The Capitol Building and the White House.

Perhaps, as I suspect, the older we get,
the more we realize what a great nation we are.
And how dearly we should value and support
the institutions that keep us great.

We need to honor the Office,
regardless of our political view.
We need to pray for every elected official –
for wisdom, integrity and restraint.

And we need to make time
to visit the monuments of our history –
To remind ourselves of the high price
so many have paid for us to be
One Nation Under God, Indivisible …
with Liberty and Justice for ALL.