Campaign Closure

Finding out that a hope is not going to materialize can be really painful.

Wednesday was difficult. I woke up with the kinds of feelings I've only had on mornings after a painful break-up. It was one of those mornings when just making the bed is going to be a monumental task.

I really thought he had it.

I had rolled over and gone to bed the moment it was declared that our current president had been re-elected. Images from Mitt Romney's campaign videos had played through my head the whole night long. 

My stomach clenched every time my mind replayed my favorite sound bites, "I don't think I've seen a time in our nation's history where the man and the moment have met so perfectly." More than a sound bite. I believed it.

I tried to shut my mind off so I wouldn't review the many reasons why I trusted Mitt Romney to put the groundwork in place that would put America on track to a better economy and brighter American future for my children.

Yeah, it hurt really bad.

I count on God to send me tender mercies on days like Wednesday. A "tender mercy" is a term used in our faith that could also be described as grace. It's an experience packaged and presented in a way that only you and God would recognize that gives you the strength to keep moving, lets you know He's mindful of you, and assures you that it's going to be okay.

While that's not exactly how I recognized it at first, I was so thankful to see that my church had made a statement about the election. You see, I believe that our prophet is God's mouthpiece on the Earth, and so I considered what they had to say as being what He wanted me to know. 

We congratulate President Obama on winning a second term as President of the United States.

After a long campaign, this is now a time for Americans to come together. It is a long tradition among Latter-day Saints to pray for our national leaders in our personal prayers and in our congregations. We invite Americans everywhere, whatever their political persuasion, to pray for the President, for his administration and the new Congress as they lead us through difficult and turbulent times. May our national leaders reflect the best in wisdom and judgment as they fulfill the great trust afforded to them by the American people.

We also commend Governor Romney for engaging at the highest level of our democratic process, which, by its nature, demands so much of those who offer themselves for public service. We wish him and his family every success in their future endeavors.

 Pray for the President, huh? That was a hard pill for me to swallow. The honest truth is that I am fearful of the effects the current and now continuing administration's policies will have on the future. I also felt like the less-deserving campaign had won in terms of message and agenda. We had lost, and at what cost? 

The statement didn't say, embrace the President's policies. It invited me to pray for him. So I did. And I have been. Just once a day. :) But I must tell you about the effect it has had on me. It's hard to direct feelings of bitterness at someone when you are praying for them. I think God knew I needed that. Instead I have been able to pull myself up by the bootstraps and start prayerfully considering the kind of role I want to play in furthering the American cause in my home and in my community. Nothing that happened this week changes the fact that I care deeply for America.

Am I sorry I threw my mind and heart into the Presidential campaign of 2012? No. I would do it all over again. Just because the cause didn't pan out the way I hoped doesn't mean it wasn't worthy. It mattered. I especially wanted to thank you for sharing my Seven Saturdays posts. I know you did because my posts went from 20-30 views a week to 200-300 views a week. My hope was to influence more than just my vote, and it was one which with your help materialized. 

Thank you so much.