To be an American

This morning, I woke up earlier than usual and stood in line at 7 am to vote. My daughter, who is a first time voter, voted early almost two weeks ago. She continuously reminded me for two weeks that I should vote early. Now, this morning, I find myself in line when I had the opportunity to vote early.

I'm not complaining. I think of it an honor, a privilege, and a duty as a christian to vote. No matter who I vote for, the thing is to VOTE. I strongly believe that you should exercise your right to voice your opinions by voting. You cannot do so otherwise.

Everyone in line was friendly, and almost jovial. They didn't think it was a chore to come out at the crack of dawn to go and vote. Some brought their kids. Some were obviously on their way to work. I even saw Girl Scout leaders there. There were people from all walks of life. I looked around and it almost made me cry to think that this is America. People all over America were doing the same thing, and there was not one single person that was the same. It was great.

As I drove to work almost 30 minutes later (not bad), I thanked God for letting me live in a country where we are free to vote the way we want, without coercion. I don't have to worry about someone coming to my house and telling me that I didn't vote the way I "should" be voting. I thanked God for letting me live in a country where the votes are counted as honestly and fairly as possible. And I thank God that I can physically go to the voting poll and vote.

The rest of the day I wore my "I voted" sticker proudly on my shirt. I wanted everyone to know that I voted.