Thursday, November 06, 2008

day-after-election-itis; Yay for cousins!

Just tonight when I logged onto my e-mail, I found the latest installment of James Howell's eReligion & politics series: the morning after. I have been thinking a lot about those who are devastated by McCain/Palin losing out to Obama/Biden, and wishing I could give them some comfort and encouragement. I don't think they would accept it from me (and indeed, none have yet actively sought out my shoulder to cry on, figuratively speaking) but I think this short essay could be quite helpful.

The "Yay for cousins!" refers to my cousin Philip and his wife Silvia and their two young children who visited here from yesterday afternoon until early this afternoon. I hadn't seen Philip since he was a pre-schooler, so it was exciting to reconnect and to meet his family. The children were especially sweet and funny, and it lifted my spirits so much to spend some time with them on a couple of walks today. Meanwhile Mom shared her memories with P & S, through photo albums and stories, and they were so appreciative to learn more about their extended family. All-in-all a wonderful day for everybody!

2 comments:

Ariavark said...

Hi, Susan. I saw this post and decided I do want to respond to it. I agree that now that the election is over, we need to accept that we have a new president. As a Christian, I need to pray for President-elect Obama, and I definitely need to not direct hateful thoughts or comments toward him. I also need to trust God and not worry about the future. That does not mean that I need to "throw [my] support and hopes behind the democratically elected officials who will lead." I do NOT support the things that could happen under Obama's leadership, and I should not support them if I feel that it is wrong. If I feel that his decisions will take away freedoms and/or promote immorality (things like the Fairness Doctrine and Freedom of Choice Act), then I should not support that.

Lidarose said...

Alexa,
Thanks for your response. Your point is well taken -- of course if the government (president or other officials) is trying to implement something we don't agree with, we are not bound to support those measures. As citizens in a democratic society is our right to protest, write letters, make calls, etc.