Disappointed

Yesterday I didn't get a chance to write on this blog, and I had so much to say. Yesterday I was elated because the election was over and the person I was hoping for won. It was a very unique day for me.
As I watched the election coverage on Tuesday night, I became increasingly more excited as the night went on. The history that was being made brought tears to my eyes. I watched as all of these people lined up and were excited to do their civic duty and vote and then many went to places just to hear their candidate speak. I have never in my life to my recollection been involved in something like this. Thoughts started going through my head about what it might have been like for my predecessors that were my age during a time when this type of thing didn't seem possible. About what they may have been thinking and feeling during times like this. It has brought such strong emotion to me to think that only 50 years ago there were people who were not allowed to do such simple things as walk down the street or take a drink of water from the same fountain as others. As I watched in real time the happenings of this day, having elected an African American man as the President of the United States, I was so proud of our country and of how far we had come. My children have asked me why this has affected me in this way, and I told them, that it gave me hope that this country will once again reunite and be the country it can, has been, and hopefully will be again.
As in everything it seems, this feeling of pride has been quickly pushed away. Every one of my children came home yesterday telling tale of their friends who said they were moving to another country or that we have a baby killing president now. Real disappointment followed as I was listening, because 7 year old children aren't coming up with this on their own, it seems that this is what they are being taught. It is very disappointing and scary to think that this country has come so far, yet there are those that are still holding prejudice in their hearts and passing it down to the next generation. These things that are scaring our young people are in most cases unfounded and simply just incorrect. While I understand that everyone has their own opinions, as obviously I do, I just think we should be teaching our children to study and understand issues and then make their own opinions for themselves. We in this country should be able to give EVERYONE their God given individual rights. My opinion is that passing on only our opinion to our children and not letting them see both sides is only going to fuel the continuation of the prejudice that this country has fought so hard to abolish.
In one of my previous posts, I expressed my disappointment in the divide of politics in this country. The question of "Why do we have to be either a Republican or a Democrat?" My husband and I, and our children have all taken some pretty serious tongue lashings simply for not choosing the popular side. WHY CAN'T PEOPLE JUST BE WHO THEY ARE? Why do we have to explain ourselves? My husband is a very good person who is loving, kind, understanding, and would give the shirt of his back or break it to help someone. Do people see that in him? Not lately, all they seem to have seen is the Obama08 sticker on his car. I just think that people are going down a bad road and that it has to stop.

My hope and prayer is that all will come around and be united in making this country a BETTER place to live. I still have faith in the greater good of it's people.

-Christy