Mr. Wonderful at his wonderful-est

I remember as a kid, heading to McClellan Elementary School on Election Day with my parents.  The polling precinct was alive with a mix of excitement and nerves, palpable to a little kid who new little about the candidates or the issues.  As I walked past the dozens of red, white, and blue signs, collecting leaflets from pollsters like Halloween candy, I knew in my tiny gut, voting was a big deal.

My parents, the Captain and Mr. Wonderful, always took us behind the curtain of the voting booth; it made me think of the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz.  Now I know it’s far bigger than that.

We pulled the levers for our parents’ candidates: my brother, the favorite, got to pull the lever for president; I chose the unopposed candidate for Auditor General or the local librarian; Mindy was left at home with the family of wolves that raised her.

The Captain and Mr. Wonderful respected Election Day as a national holiday, today I did the same for my son.  We dressed in red, white, and blue and bid a heartfelt good morning to all who exercised this tremendous freedom we hold as Americans.  I spoke to him about how important this day was to all of us, and how his grandfathers, his father, and so many other brave Americans served and sacrificed so that we could cast our vote today.

I know on his two-year-old  level, he understood.

Jeffrey pushed the buttons today.  I hope you all do the same.

Thank you, God, for allowing us to live in this amazing country.  I’ll take America on a bad day over any other place in the world.

In honor of all of the brave men and women who have served, and continue to serve our great nation, please, please vote.