A Time for Sanity

Hello friends,

You won't see it, but I'm writing in a very large font. I will fix this, so that those with 20/20 vision won't have to read it from across the room. I've been watching MSNBC's coverage of the Pennsylvania democratic primary. I was raised in politics, on a very low scale, but I have helped the unknown become the known, and I have seen them crash and fail.

I've seen so many people who get to Washington, or to their State House, and I've seen them forget why the heck they are there. I've voted Republican, and I've voted Democratic. I have agreed on principle, and I have disagreed on opinions that I found not in the best interest of our country.

I love my country, and I love its laws. I've seen the laws celebrated, and I've seen them disregarded. As a government employee many years back, I have had pressure put on me to let things slide past honesty and integrity. I have never surrendered, and I was pretty mouthy about things that I felt were wrong.

So what does a Primary in Pennsylvania mean to a middle-aged woman in Virginia? I will tell you. In an age of capitulation, where women are still marginalized, I've been watching a woman who simply won't give up.

This is a virtue that I have taught my daughters. It's a code that I choose to live by, myself. I believe in fighting for what one believes, until the last primary vote is counted. Were I in Hillary Clinton's place, I would step up to the plate and swing the bat at each and every pitch. And when the last pitch is thrown, I would go down swinging.

Whether one is a Republican or a Democrat, surely we can admire Hillary Clinton's perseverance in the face of adversity. She has had men shout, "Go back to the kitchen!" Or, worse yet, "Iron my shirts!" And there have been worse things on the web.

I do wonder, however, do those men really think that? Are they talking about their mother? Their sisters? Or their own daughters? And, what about their wives? Do they really think so low of the mother of their children? Have we gone insane in this country? Or are we just stupid? Have we come so far? Or are we sliding back into the nineteenth century?

I have raised my daughters to be strong women. As a result of this, they are graduating at the top of their class. Both of them are graduating from college with honors. And I and my husband, could not be more proud. My daughters have been taught to be outspoken, not only by me, but also by their father. They have been taught to seek excellence, and to never give up in the face of adversity.

I've heard one commentator, who hates Hillary Clinton, claim, "I don't want MY daughters to grow up to be Hillary Clinton!" Well, of course you don't. You want your daughters to grow up to be themselves!!!

What nonsense all this is! Are we not a thinking people? Are we not all able to make up our own minds, without losing our heads?! I had a friend, once, who told me that she goes to Church to be told how to think, how to vote, and how to feel. Can you believe that? How can anyone live that way? I'm a fighter, who can be annoying, but I will go down swinging. No one, but God tells me what to do.

My guide, through all of this, is still the Bible. God does not demand our allegiance or love at the point of a sword. It is He who says, in the Book of Isaiah, "Come, let us reason together..." So, let us reason.

God our Father, grant us the humility to seek your Word in all things, especially in this election year. May we never forget that we live in a country where all men and women can vote in a free society. May we think and vote, by Your grace. And please, Father, may we never forget your Son who died for us all.

Let us remember the words of the Lord of the universe, when he proclaimed, "My Kingdom is not of this world." And may we live by His grace, as we go about selecting the next President. Let us not forget that You control the lot. And when we are disappointed in the outcome, as many of us will be, help us to remember that this, too, is Your will.

Lord, forgive our country for the sins we have committed, and may you grant us the President we need, rather than the one we deserve.

With love,
Jaye Lewis
www.entertainingangels.org