MY RIGHT TO VOTE...

I am so thankful for my right, as a citizen of a free country, to vote. I heard Oprah say once that to be a woman, living in America right now makes you one of the most blessed people in the world. I agree.

When I got home from California, my inbox was FULL of emails from friends. There was a "friendly" discussion going on about important issues and candidates. My, oh, my...there were very strong opinions being shared--representing both sides. I LOVED reading each email. I LOVED that my friends and I could have a discussion about really important things, disagree on some, and still respect each other. It was actually very inspiring. Most of all, I LOVE that we are all educated women, with strong values, who have the freedom to form our own opinions and then share them with whomever we choose.

This is a picture of voting lines in South Africa when Nelson Mandela was running for President in 1994. I am humbled. I read his autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom" for one of my Master's classes last year. It changed my ideas on so many things to do with diversity, racism, human nature, acceptance, and freedom. Millions of South Africans exercised their newly won right to vote that year, and stood in line for hours throughout the country to do so. Accurate voting rolls didn't exist; voters' fingers were inked to prevent fraud. It was not a perfect election (is there such a thing?). But that photo... it is breathtaking to me. Every single time.

I am anxious to see what happens next in this great country...hopefully change is just what we need.

Voting is definitely an ordinary miracle...