I worked as a scrutineer yesterday in our provincial election. As I sat there and watched, I marvelled at how amazing our system is. I know we have flaws, but it was amazing to watch. As I watched young children play freely on the gymnasium floor with painted animals from the local school children on the walls around us, I thought of children on the other side of the world. I watched young women giggling as they learned how to vote for the first time and I saw old men supporting their wives as they slowly walked into the polling station. I saw men rushing in with their Blackberries and Blue Tooths, and young moms with strollers who stopped in during their morning walk. There were women all dolled up in their fancy clothes, and men of all shapes, sizes and ages in uniforms, and work boots coming in on their lunch break. I saw people of all races, religions, cultures, and stages of life. I saw a young pregnant woman helping an older woman who could not read her ballot. I saw another young mother sitting in the corner breastfeeding her diabetic baby who had low blood sugar and she was panicking about it. I heard poll workers griping about their dinner and not being allowed to use the microwave and an old man who brought fast food lunches for his daughter and wife. I saw toddlers learning to walk, preschoolers doing `snow angelsÂ’ in the middle of the floor and peering up over the edge of a table to see what their mother was doing, or peering down from DadÂ’s shoulders as he marked his ballot. As I sat and watched the cacophony of humanity in all its glory taking this election for granted and wondering if theyÂ’ll get back to work on time or if their child had the patience to wait in line, I thought about people on the other side of the world who stand in line for 10 hours under the threat of a suicide bomber as they vote for the first time at the age of 70. I thought about the children who donÂ’t grow up with the easy acceptance of democracy as a way of life. I thought about the young people I saw yesterday and their eagerness to finally be old enough to vote and then thought about the young people in another land who are currently striving for that same right. We live in the same world, and yet it is so different.
Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 GMT Views: 563
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Registered: April 5, 2005 Location: Simi Valley, CA Posts: 3949
Tue, Mar 04, 2008 @ 8:55 PM
Great page, fabulous journaling! Brought tears to my eyes!
------------------------------ Yapha I help people who are sick and tired regain their energy and improve their gut health so they can stop feeling exhausted every day and get back to feeling their best.
Registered: March 10, 2007 Location: Lexington, Ky. Posts: 812
Tue, Mar 04, 2008 @ 10:00 PM
Awesome journaling.
------------------------------ Scrappinmominky-Heather
Mom to Elizabeth (29), Sabrina(23), Nick(16), Toti(14), Sarah(12), Cathy(9) & Patrick( and grandkids, Maddie (3) Gwen (3), DJ (10 mos). Give a child a forever home, adopt. There are so many children needing a family of their own.