Election Day

So yesterday, after I dropped off Noah at school, I grabbed my coffee and a book and headed to the middle school down the street to cast my vote. I got there at 9:05 and figured it would be a couple of hours. I joined the line at the same time as several other people and we all settled in to wait, armed with our no nonsense "don't bother talking to me" faces.

Pretty soon people started trickling out of the building - the line barely crept forward - and they informed us it had taken them 3 hours to vote! We all looked at each other in shock and that was all it took to get rid of our outward defenses. "Holy crap, 3 hours!" was the general consensus. I quickly called Wes' Mom and asked her if she could pick up Noah from school and then got ready to be really bored.

Except that I wasn't. In these types of situations it seems people are usually very grouchy and get increasingly frustrated the longer they have to wait. I kept waiting for that attitude to come but it just never did. They people around me seemed happy, excited, to be there voting. The longer we stood, the more talkative we all became. We joked about coffee and trips to the bathroom, we danced to ring tones on peoples phones. One women passed out hard candies from her purse, and some of us learned that the people around us were neighbors who we might never have taken the time to meet otherwise. Ironically we did not learn anything about any one's personal politics. Not once did anyone talk about the candidates or the issues. It just didn't seem to matter. We were all doing our part in the democratic process and that was enough. Politics were simply irrelevant.

I left - 4 hours later! - with more than just the phone number of a new friend. I left with a new knowledge of the people that live in my community. People that are not a part of the circles that I run in, but maybe should be. I left glad to have taken part in what is sure to be a historic election. And I left glad that there are times when it is not all about politics.

I think we should all try to remember this now that the election is over and decided. Americans are not as different as our political parties would have us believe. I hope we can all take a moment to make politics irrelevant and enjoy the knowledge that we live in a great country full of diverse, interesting people who are more alike than different. Let's take a moment to appreciate the historical significance of this election and how far our country has come in the past 50 years. Let's also remember that our God is sovereign and is not at all surprised by the outcome of this election. I hope we can trust in that and instead of being fearful, be hopeful for what the next four years can bring.