1st Saturday of Seven

The older I get,

the more I develop a deep and abiding love for my country.

It's come from my parents and grandparents

who have spoken with love and reverence for this country

since before I could understand why they did

but I could sense it was important.

It's come from a love for American History nurtured by high school teachers

and especially my university professor who told history as a story.

It's come from reading books about our history

and books about other countries and the horrors of tyranny and dictatorship 

and other examples of lack of freedom.

Sometimes you don't know what you have til someone helps you imagine life without it.

It's come from having my own 9/11 story...."I remember where I was that day..."

It's come from my experience as a delegate where I became more involved in the political process than I ever had up til that point.

It's come from traveling my country...

In the last ten years I have spent time (more than a layover or drive through) in

Washington, California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, and Alaska

and learned why there are songs that talk about 

"amber waves of grain" and "purple mountain majesties"

or "the lakes of Minnesota" and "the hills of Tennessee"

and "the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea"

all in the same verse.

Her landscape is varied and it is beautiful.

And in these beautiful places I have met beautiful people

whose hearts are kind and seen what the American dream

has allowed people to accomplish on small and grand scales.

It's come from the examples of friends and neighbors throughout my life

who have answered the call to serve their country and their families who stay behind

who have a different kind of reverence for this country

than I have yet experienced.

There is an election in 45 days that I believe is more critical

than many that have come before it.

Tonight and every Saturday after until the election,

I am going to post a reason why I have chosen to cast my vote

the way I have.

I do this very humbly.

I am not a political science major, or a history professor or a journalist.

But I'm an American wife and mother

who feels she can't sit silent on this issue.

This is the best way I know to make a difference.

If you don't agree with me, that's okay.

I have friends who are very dear to me 

who don't see politics they way I do.

 However, if you feel like it's the right thing to do,

please share these posts through email 

and on Facebook with friends and family

in your state and out of your state whose vote

is undecided or maybe even decided.

What can you do to make a difference in this election?

Half-Mast

The flag flying half-staff this week has been especially reverent and sacred to me. Thanks to the opportunity I've had this year to become more involved in politics, I have attended several meetings similar to the "Congress on Your Corner" where a gunman senselessly opened fire. In the path of danger were good people who had come to talk to their congresswoman about their concerns and hopes and ideas for state and country. Some were just there to listen and be apart. I identified with sweet little 9-year-old Christina who was on her student council and just there to learn more about government when she was unexpectedly gunned down. To me, these meetings are one of the beautiful parts of our political system. They give we the people direct access to someone who can take what we have said back to Washington. I believe Gabby Giffords would not have been standing on that corner if she didn't care what her constituents had to say and that she was serving them well. I pray for her and am excited when I hear of steps she is making to an expected recovery. I pray for the other injured and all those killed and their loved ones affected so deeply. I am thankful for the American spirit that I have felt come in to play as it does during tragedies like these as Americans express concern and love for the victims and are a little kinder to one another. I feel a little bit of all I've tried to express here swell up inside me every time I see another flag at half mast. I am thankful for how good my country has been to me and I love her.

Passionate

The other day I read an article about how it's important for moms (and anyone, really) to have something they are passionate about that will help them stay well-rounded and help them be better moms. I was trying to figure out if there was anything unique to me that I was truly passionate about as I was driving that day. When I saw a sign for a candidate I truly believe in and my heart started to soar, I figured I'd found it.

I have always believed it was important to vote. Usually when election time rolls around, I try and pull out that voter's information guide that comes in the mail and decide who I will vote for that morning over breakfast. This time I have been involved since April. I mentioned several months ago that I had been given the opportunity to be a county and state delegate and will forever be thankful for what I have learned and experienced in the process. For the rest of this post I am going to insert some pictures I took during my political experience this year. A few things I have learned or strengthened my understanding of are:

- It matters to our Heavenly Father that we are involved in politics.

As Benjamin Franklin was leaving the building where, after four months of hard work, the Constitution had been completed and signed, a lady asked him what kind of government did the convention create. A very old, very tired, and very wise Benjamin Franklin replied;
“A Republic, ma’am if you can keep it.”

I believe that God raised up men like Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, George Washington and others with the minds and hearts ready to produce a document like the Constitution. I believe the principles of the Constitution are so central to our lives that like the air we breathe we sometimes forget to be thankful for them. I believe that God expects us to use our agency to uphold the rights defined for us in the Constitution.

- Politics allows you to take a stand on issues that really matter to you. Issues you are passionate about. It's really satisfying that way.

- Some aspects of politics are REALLY ugly. People can be very mean and say very hurtful things. Sometimes candidates choose to focus on destroying the reputation of their opponent rather than maintaining ground on the people and positions and values they have been sent to represent. People write really nasty things about individuals or collective groups or parties in the newspaper and especially on the internet. The language can get as bad as a junior high hallway. While God expects us to get involved in politics, I believe He expects us to do so in a civil manner by treating others with dignity. In doing so we can be true to ourselves.

- Some aspects of politics are really wonderful. I have had the opportunity to expand my mind, meet people I strongly agree and strongly disagree with and been influenced for the better by both.

- Being informed can become discouraging when you begin to recognize all the daunting problems that are facing our country, but I believe Heavenly Father is 100% aware of what is going on. Quotes like this fill my heart with hope and confidence in my country:

"Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail."

President Harold B. Lee, Ye Are the Light of the World, 350

So if I've piqued your interest enough and you're wondering how can you become involved, I've made a little list of the things that made this past election season so meaningful to me:

Read the Constitution. It's like scripture. I will seriously send you a copy if you want me to.

Read The 5,000 Year Leap. It helps you understand the moral foundation of our country which allowed us to go from plowing fields the same way we had for thousands of years to sending man to the moon in less than two centuries.

Be prayerful. I pray for the ability to recognize truth when I hear it and to not be deceived.

Follow political organizations you believe in online locally and nationally that interest you and ring true to your heart. Subscribe to their emails. When they have events, go and listen. That includes going to hear candidates speak. On the senate level, they often try to make it to each of the counties a couple of times during their campaign.

Read the editorial section in the newspaper and determine how you feel about the issues discussed there.

Listen to talk radio. Change the station when you're disgusted and keep listening when you're inspired. My heart starts beating faster when something I really believe in is being defended or discussed. (Gracie likes to dance and knows there is a stereo in the car. I don't get to listen to talk radio as much as I would like anymore. :)

When election day comes, vote with confidence for the people and issues you believe in. Live with the peace of knowing that you are doing your duty to be informed and involved. Your example may be making a powerful difference.

mail

Sometimes I don't post for awhile because I am grasping at something interesting enough to blog about. That hasn't been the case. There has been so much going on the last month or two that I've been grasping at a way to blog about all of it. And then the mail came yesterday, and it almost sums up the whole story.

I am a state delegate. Quick explanation on what that means: I've been searching for ways to become more politically educated because I love my country and don't want to be ignorant of what's going on. I've tried talk radio, I've tried different news channels, the newspaper, and the internet and still felt like I wasn't on board. So we attended our caucus meeting in March where a total of seven people showed up (I know I've heard of much heavier attendance at caucus meetings this year than in years past, and our chairwoman said ours was no different, in fact, the numbers had doubled. I've heard other caucuses filled high school auditoriums. We partially filled a living room :). The purpose of a caucus is to elect county and state delegates that will represent your precinct, or part of your neighborhood, at the county and state conventions where officials are elected from the party. This is where and how it really is about we the people. Sitting there at the caucus I thought, maybe this is my chance to get involved. When nominations went up for a county delegate, I raised my hand, a motion was made and seconded. When nominations went up for state delegates, I raised my hand, a motion was made and seconded.

Governor Herbert at the county convention

Since then my phone, email, mailbox, and doorstep have been flooded with efforts from candidates at the county and state level to secure my vote. We've met quite a few of the candidates at the county and state level (or at least stood a few feet away to hear them speak) and whenever I bring Grace with me, she usually catches their eye :). The county convention was held last month and was SO COOL! And now I've got a few more days to ponder which candidates will get my vote for senator and governor at the state convention. I have since learned that it is generally more difficult to be selected as a delegate, especially if there are more than ten people in the room :), and that it's even more rare to be selected for county and state, so I have been very thankful for this opportunity. An education in politics was what I was looking for and boy have I ever received one!!!!

We are building a home!! We've hopped in and out of the housing market a few times the last few months with the plan of probably buying an existing home, until we stopped into an Ivory Homes model home. Their incentives are as great as their homes are beautiful. The papers have been signed.

for sale

We start building towards the end of the summer and our townhome is up for sale. Let us know if you're interested!!

We are leaving the state (just for a few days)! I haven't made it farther than Park City since Grace was born, and I don't think Danilo's been anywhere but Salt Lake. We're taking advantage of our hard earned sky miles to spend a few days in Florida. Grace is staying with each set of grandparents, and after all the research I've done on babycenter.com and phone calls I've made to discuss leaving my baby for a few days I have come to the conclusion that this is going to hurt me more than it hurts her and it will be good for Grace for her mom and dad to go have some fun together!

The only thing going on that the mail failed to mention is that Danilo graduated as a radiology technologist (the same day my sister Hailey graduated in elementary education). He will begin specializing in MRI in the fall. We can see the end from here!!
Grace is looking forward to being able to spend more time at home with her dad (so am I)!