In the next hour or so, I'm going to bundle up my flu-riddled 6 year old, covering her face with her favorite soft and cozy scarf, and I'm heading down to the community center in our tiny township.
My polling place.
I'm going to cast my vote in our city council election. A race so predetermined that it isn't even worth getting out of bed for.
But, when I fill in those tiny dots for Tanya and Bill, what I will really be doing is sending my voting energy up into the cosmos and hoping it lands smack-dab in the middle of Maine.
I will be hoping that, through the power of good thoughts, I can persuade some of those Maine fence-sitters to vote NO on Prop 1 which is trying to repeal the right for marriage equality.
Do you ever wonder what it feels like to have something so important be left up to the good will of others?
If your answer is yes, read this post by my friend, Vicki Boyd.
She lives in Maine. She and her wife have been together for 20 years. They are raising two high spirited, beautiful children. In her first ever OS post, she will help you to understand why this vote is so critical.
If you want to understand why this issue means so much to me, the answer is here.
So, today when I cast a vote that holds little weight in determining the future of our country, I will symbolically be casting one that does.
On behalf of Vicki and Anna. Catie and Liz. Mary Beth and Pat. Safe_Bet and Amy. Rob, and Owl, and Robin, and Knightwriter, and all of the rest of you who just want to love in peace.
As Vicki said so passionately the other day, "Tuesday the voters of Maine get to decide whether or not our marriage counts and our children can enjoy the same status and legal protections most of their friends do, whose parents' marriages are government-approved. I want to know when we get to vote on everyone else's marriage.
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Philip Rodgers
ronnierayjenkins
Ken Honeywell
Theodora L'Engle Knight
Just Me
Donna Sandstrom
Salon.com
Comments
"This isn't politics. This is personal."
P.S. When our kids heard us talking about the elections, last week, our Christina said, "There are STILL people who would vote no to two PEOPLE getting married? How silly is that!"
From the mouths of babes to God's ear!
Thanks for shining a light on this. Because above all---this is PERSONAL. It is not about churches or governments or any other instituition. And a million PERSONAL responses like the one you are making is exactly what we need to right a very painful wrong.
Lois - Exactly!
OE- I hope you're right. It's a state full of independant thinkers, that's for sure.
Eva - Our local election looks like pre-school compared to NYC politics. Good luck with that! And thanks for adding your voice to the cause.
I like the sound of Maine - must add it to my list of places to visit.
Linda- Well said. Maine is a beautiful state, you should stop by next time you're on our side of the oceaan.
Blue - I almost wasn't going to vote today because our election seemed rather pointless, but then somehow it felt wrong to take anything for granted when people are at risk of having a basic human right denied.
Frank -Thank you, too.
Owl - My friends are out on the streets of Maine right now, knocking on doors and trying to get out the vote. I can't even begin to imagine what it must feel like to think that the outcome of this day could change the way your family is perceived. Anything I can do to help is more than worth the effort.
I like that line, 'I hope someday we get to vote on everybody else's marriage." Yep, that about says it.
Come on Maine, join the new world. Equality starts at home.