Sunday, October 26, 2008

Political Rally



I took my children to see Senator Mitch McConnell yesterday. He is doing a campaign bus tour through the state and stopped in Lexington bright and early in the morning. We talk about government and politics a lot in our home, especially around the dinner table. We truly hope to raise active, informed citizens who love their country and are willing to do their part to keep it strong and godly. To enforce that idea, I decided I would take the children to meet and listen to candidates when we have the chance.

During the gubernatorial election last year, I took them to see Governor Ernie Fletcher. We did not necessarily agree with everything he stood for or had done (though I do think he was not as bad a guy as the media wanted us to think, but that's for another entry). I just wanted the kids to see him, to see that he was a real person, not just a faceless authority they heard about on the news. We heard his speech and got to shake hands with him. It was short and did not take a lot of time, but Abel was particularly impressed. For days and weeks afterwards, he kept saying, "I shook the Governor's hand." You better believe he listened a little more each time he heard that name, or news of the election, as well. It gave us an opportunity to talk (and listen!) to him regarding the important issues. Yippee!

So, I decided to try again. I got my crew out at 8:30 on a cold Saturday morning. (Mark had to go into work.) That in and of itself is noteworthy. When we got there, many people were standing outside the Republican headquarters, a small office in a strip mall. After a few moments, Senator McConnell emerged from the bus, greeted some folks, and proceeded inside, where he would give his speech. The problem was that there were more people present than would fit inside. I had five children with me, two in strollers, and I was not the only one there with little ones. Many of us could not fit inside. The boys wormed their way in (I suspect they were looking for the donuts they kept seeing people come out with), but Hannah and I stood outside the door... with the strollers...in the cold...with babies... It was interesting, but you would not believe how well-behaved they all were, especially given the circumstances.

When the speech was over, my dear son waded through the crowd until he got to the front. He was bound and determined to shake another politician's hand, and he got his wish. I was so proud of him, and he was grinning ear to ear. When he came out, he said, "Mom, you know that tobacco issue Dad was talking about last night? Mr. McConnell mentioned it, too." Did you catch that? He was listening! He listened to the speech. This just might work! Just as I started to get a little lump in my throat, he added, "Now, can Robert and I go get a donut?"

I'll have recipes to share later. It's getting late and I have a busy week ahead. I need to get to bed.

Blessings,
Bev

1 comment:

Suburban Correspondent said...

It is fun to get the kids involved, isn't it? We've had 2 huge rallies near us (both sides) that I would have loved to take the teens to, but the logistics were a tad overwhelming.