I voted! Hope you did too.

I know I'm not alone when I say that this has been one of the most exciting presidential races I've ever seen. I found myself more interested in, and more passionate about, political issues than ever before. Sure, part of it may be because I'm in my mid-30's now; suddenly it all starts to seem more and more important as we age and realize just how deeply issues affect us. But aside from that, knowing that the country is going to make history no matter which way the election turns out is pretty exciting (though potentially frightening).

Getting up in the morning is not one of my favorite things. Most days I end up running late to work or school, and it doesn't seem to matter what time I have to get up, or what time the alarm clock is set for. Today, however, I was up bright and early to get to my polling place by 7:00 and cast my vote for Barack Obama. OK, I admit I got there about 7:10, but I still consider that impressive for someone who curses the alarm each and every time she hits the snooze button.

I know a lot of people voting today for Obama. I also know a lot who disagree with me and are voting for McCain. I have my reasons for supporting Obama, and I know the main reason why some of my friends don't support him. Part of me has wanted to do a blog entry on all of my reasons, but the truth is that I've gotten tired of arguing. I understand what those who disagree with me are saying, and I've looked at (some of) the YouTube videos posted on Facebook, but I have stood firm with my decision and I feel good about it.

While we may not agree on the candidates or the issues, it's important that we all make our voices heard and make sure our votes count. And maybe it's just as important that we learn to respectfully disagree. I've read articles on so many web sites, and the public comments on those sites (and on YouTube) are really out of hand. People can't seem to disagree without being vulgur and hateful, and that's not going to help anyone in the end.

Finally, I also know I'm not alone when I say I'll be happy when the day is over. Won't it be great to watch television or listen to the radio again without the constant barrage of campaign ads?

My Faith is Not Blind

Someone very dear to me recently brought up the subject of "blind faith" in her blog, mentioning how some who are "trained" to live this way by certain organized religions carry that practice over into matters such as politics.

I often comment on her blog posts, as she is a very intelligent, insightful, unique individual whom I love to death. The end part of this particular post, however, stirred me up a bit and it took me several days to formulate a reply that didn't come off entirely snarky. I hope I was successful. What I finally came up with was that faith in God isn't blind, but that human beings are flawed and applying that same degree of faith to people can be unwise, to say the least.

She and I have very different views, spiritually, and that's okay; I used to have a very different view myself. Thinking about how that recent post made me feel, it occurred to me that maybe I need to share my story. It might shed some light on why I have the faith in God that I do.