30 Days and Counting Down

The Presidential election is in 30 days, and I don't know who I will vote for on November 4. As I put it to one friend last week, "I've upgraded from a tent to a cabin with running water in the camp of the undecided voter." At some points in time I've been nearly sure of where to place my vote, only to return to undecided upon further consideration.

The issues at stake this year, and every election year really, are mind-boggling. There is little, if any unbiased press coverage, and I frequently find myself yelling at the TV news. Don't even get me started on the inflammatory e-mails that have arrived in my inbox lately. The more I think I know enough about the issues to make an intelligent choice, the more I realize that I know very little.

Economics? I don't think those two Econ classes I took 12 years ago are going to cut it. Foreign Policy? Well, I do own a passport and proudly claim a few stamps in it, but I know very little about the countries in the headlines these days. Social policy, Wall Street bailouts, tax cuts, tax increases, party politics, health care, education.... the list goes on.

One of my strongest convictions is that citizens of a democratic government should participate by casting their vote. But I admit that there have been times this year that I've been tempted not to vote this year, because it's just too hard to wade through the issues to discover which candidates values and policies most closely match my own priorities. But I take the responsibility to vote seriously, so I will figure it out and I will cast a vote on November 4.

I remember casting my first presidential "vote" in 1984. The students of my elementary school voted, like the nation, to re-elect Reagan. That year was also the first time I watched election returns on the news, the map of the states lighting up in a patchwork of red and blue. My teacher had sent us home with a blank U.S. map and instructions to copy the TV map with red and blue crayons. After I vote this year, I will do the same thing minus the crayons: watch the news until I fall asleep, waiting to see whether more states turn red or blue, indicating who will be the next President.

It was predicted to be an interesting election year, and I have not been disappointed.

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Footnote
(and it's wordy, sorry)

After finishing this post, I read an article in Reader's Digest (October 2008) called "The Super Voters," which profiles a number of swing voters, and notes that it is the undecided voters in swing states who will have the most significant impact on this year's election. For one thing, although I've been thinking that it is WAY past time to make a decision about my vote already, I learned that there are probably a lot more undecided voters out there than I thought. Apparently I just know very few of them personally.

Second, the article profiled a Christian swing voter who, like myself, believes that it no longer makes sense to vote on a single issue, specifically, a candidate's stand on abortion. While my views on this subject have not changed, and I remain personally opposed to abortion, I feel that because our president deals with so many complex issues in many areas, this issue cannot be the only issue I consider.

Lastly, the profiles in the article highlight which states will be the ones to watch as the returns come in on November 4. Any of the states mentioned (among others not profiled, perhaps) could be the state that selects our next president. Wondering which ones? Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, Missouri, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. (Michigan was also profiled, but this was published before McCain gave up on the Great Lakes State last week.)

Thankful Thursday: School Update

I've survived two midterms this week, and feel that with passing those milestones I've finally begun to settle into a school routine. My commute is feeling quite manageable, primarily because it's not the nightmare I anticipated. There are enough hours in the day to study. I think I did OK on this week's tests, and will now focus on the next one.

People keep asking me if I'm enjoying school, and I'm not quite sure how to answer that. Two of my professors admitted up front that their subject matter is boring, and I have to say I'm not inclined to argue with them! One can only memorize so much tax law minutia before realizing how maddeningly complicated it is, and wondering if there is any bit of tax code that is not plagued by exceptions and calculations. Now I know why people outsource their taxes.

My favorite class is the introductory class in financial planning, and I truthfully wish I had more time to digest the huge volume of information we are covering. This, after all, is why I went back to school. The other classes cover key information that is also necessary for this work, but it's those classes that are the majority of my time right now, and therefore determine my answer to the enjoyment question: "This is a means to an end, and I am enjoying this opportunity because it is going to get me where I want to go."

It is a privilege to be back in school, to be able to focus on it full-time for the next few semesters so I can earn my degree and at the same learn the skills to start a new career. That's exciting AND enjoyable.

Sing Me a Memory: You Are My All in All

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all....

Jesus, Lamb of God,
Worthy is your Name!

We sang this song in church today, and like so many songs, I have a strong memory connected to when I first learned it. It amazes me how memory works, that a few bars of a melody can bring back to mind everything about a time and place.

It was 1994, and I was a freshman in college. Three friends and I determined to drive from Grand Rapids, MI to my home in California for spring break. Straight through. Bathroom and fueling breaks only. Yes, we were probably certifiable. Sure! We can sleep sitting up. Sure! We can subsist and soda and pop tarts for two days straight. Sure! We can make it to Reno on the gas we have right now. (We did, by the way, no getting stranded in the Nevada desert.)

This was before the days when every car was equipped with a CD player, let alone a DVD player and 1.8 cupholders per passenger. So along the way, we kept ourselves entertained - and awake - by singing a lot, and one of the girls taught us this song. The chorus and verses can be sung in a round, so we divided into pairs and sang it over and over again until all of us had learned every word. And then we sang it again and again and again just because we could. Because on that little sleep, the acoustics inside the car rivaled that of any dorm room shower.

I can't help but think of that trip and those girlfriends when I sing this song. It's part of my history now, a piece of the puzzle that defines my life and my faith and who I am today. I sing it with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. I'm thankful for those friends still, and thankful for the great God who led us to a share a path for a bit of life's journey.

Missing Joan

Last week, I wrote about the "cheerleaders" in my life, all of you who have blessed me with your prayers and encouraging words these last few months. Also last week, I was reminded of one of the cheerleaders who is missing from my life, my Aunt Joan, who died two years ago. Something I read for one of my classes reminded me of her, and I found myself experiencing an intense sadness that she is now absent from my life.

Aunt Joan was a pretty special person to me. She was younger than my parents and married later than they did, so when I was a kid, she was always spoiling me and her other nieces and nephews. Among my relatives, it was she who had attended the same far-away college I did, and sent me fun care packages. She would have had some great stories to tell about me in the "most embarassing moments" category. "Fun" should have been her middle name. She loved life. Hers came to an end far too young, only 49, of dreaded breast cancer.

But last week, as I was reminded of her and thinking about all the great people in my life who've encouraged me this year, I knew without a doubt that she would have been among the most loyal and enthusiastic members of my cheering section. She probably would have had some really sarcastic comments about the stupid outfit, but she would have forgotten that when it came time to stand up and cheer.

I know, in some ways, she will never be absent from my life because of all the great memories I have of her. Just knowing that she would have cheered me on, whatever I do, is a great memory of who she was. But it sure would be nice to meet her for a latte and long talk. I would tell her how much I appreciate the love and encouragement she gave me, and thank her with a big hug.

Thanks, Auntie Joan. I miss you.

How Many of Me?

I got an e-mail with a link to this site today. Basically, upon entering your first and last name, it calculates an estimate of how many others have your same name. Entering the common first and last name "Mary Smith" returns an estimate of over 40,000 people with that name.

Seeing as I know my last name to be relatively uncommon, I couldn't resist trying it out. I thought the odds were good that I would be unique. Here's my result:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I wasn't quite prepared to find that there are "1 or fewer people with my name." Logically, since I've entered my name, wouldn't that indicate that there is a minimum of 1? What would fewer than 1 of me would be like? Would I start disappearing like Marty McFly in Back to the Future when he interfered with the meeting of his parents in the past? Or maybe fewer than 1 of me could just involve losing a few pounds I don't really need hanging around. That would be OK.

You can click on the words How many have your name? in the box to find your results.