Thursday, February 7, 2008

"sufferin' til sufferage" - schoolhouse rock



i've started this post several times already. it seems i've got alot to say on this subject. i've deleted and started over... then deleted it all again. i'm afraid to offend. yet i keep coming back to the fact that i write these words weekly for my own benefit. to purge my own thoughts and hopefully you {the people that read me here} will somehow in some way find peace in them the same way that i do.
i realize that this is being plastered everywhere already. that i'm sure you've heard it all before. but i must say my piece before it eats me alive. this topic has been big discussion in my family as of lately. and let me remind you that we are a family of free spirits. i've been on a bit of a news fast {i'll tell you more of this some other day} for the past few months and i now seem to find myself back in the throws of debate and discussion after deciding to let some of this stuff back in.

a*love has a habit of patting my cheeks. when we first started dating i thought this was the sweetest thing ever. driving in the car. watching a movie. the first thing he does when he sees me. the sweetest thing ever until i realized that he would pat anyone's cheek that would let him. ask my sisters. he's well wore his cheek patting privledges. he says that he's done this since he was a baby. patted his mommas cheek to fall asleep at night.

i've never met her. we only have one picture of her. and no pictures of andrey as a wee boy. i imagine him as a baby snuggled up in bed with her patting her cheeks with chubby baby hands that look just like lukey's as she sings him a sweet ukranian lullabye. i imagine that she was some woman, as my husband has a heart of gold. he is bursting with a compassion that i'm sure she instilled in him. i also imagine her... armfuls of babies and blankets and all that she could carry, arriving in the united states with great excitement and a heart full of hopeful that this would be a safe place to rear her children in freedom and peace and love and god. and here andrey is now. asleep on my couch with a babe of his own and we are allowed to teach luc whatever we wish and however we'd like. and that lucas can grow up to be whomever he wishes because she was brave enough to leave everything she knew...everything... for someday babies that she'd never meet.

i can't help but feel the excitement at the upcoming change this election will bring to this country. what it means for us as a nation that we actually have a woman, a woman! running for president. what would susan b. anthony think???! and martin luther king? did he know 40 years ago when he boldly shared his dream that someday we'd see a black man on our ballots? it's so disappointing to me to see that this exciting change is still divinding us. that we're still pulling apart from eachother. don't we all want the same things? a safe place to raise our babes? a place of freedom and peace and love and even god, if we choose?

we get to choose.
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come on. do the work, folks. study up. make up your own minds. go out and vote for heaven's sake. do something. there is a bigger picture. bigger than us even. {gasp!}

last night lucas was squirming around in his sleep. mumbling funny words that i didn't understand. trying to find me without opening his eyes. when his chubby hand finally found my face and sweetly patted my cheeks he quickly went back to sleep. i thought of andrey's momma and the gift of him that she gave me by being brave and how lucky i am that i get a voice in this.

14 comments:

  1. What do you get when you cross a Catholic civil engineer and a Mormon alternative health practitioner? Jeff, Lindsay, Natalie, Christine and Jade! "Search diligently, Pray always and Be believing" is the mantra you were all raised up on. It has been a joyful experience to watch as the child wings unfurl and the depth of your souls and consciousness are revealed. I can trust my son for information on Middle East policies. He has lived in Amman, Jordan! The head of the Stoyan family was carried through Ukranian corn fields by his mama to secret Christian worship services. My 3 at-home daughters are still bringing their discoveries to our table. Jade recently did her own research on presidential candidates. Her final choice did not match mine and I was DELIGHTED. Yesterday Nat asked for some guidance in registering to vote. She has realized the blessing of having a voice. Steen frequently makes a passionate exclamation as a news story fills the air here. All I can say is "Chuck, we done good! We gave them roots and we gave them wings." Carry on my babies and make a difference.

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  2. Lindsay, this is the thing I love MOST about America. That we all can have our own opinions and that nobody is right or wrong for having them.

    I agree that it is an exciting time for America to have a black man and a woman running for president. I just personally don't believe that either of them are the person I want leading this country, based on their beliefs, not on gender or race.

    Being a small business owner, I definitely lean more to the right, more to the republican side, and am very conservative on the ethical issues.

    I am grateful that we can all have our own beliefs and talk about them freely.

    I love love love the way you write.

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  3. Your an amazing writer and I can tell where that comes from after reading your moms words. This race has provided alot of firsts. It is a very historical time for us all. I think that it is very important to take the time and go over what is important to you and cast that vote. A vote is never wasted. It is only wasted when not cast. I love this country where we can all make our own decisions on what matters to us.

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  4. I'm sooooooo glad you wrote about this! It always concerns me when people simply vote by party without knowing any of the candidates beliefs. It is an amazing time in our country and we are so excited at what could come our way. Researching these people and following our hearts is the only way we can make this country better. Be an informed voter, not just a voter.

    Thanks for this!

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  5. givin' you a sound you can shake your soul to!

    thanks for this.
    thats all i have to say.
    andrey can pat my face because i really miss him!

    presley keeps singing fiya yo yo yo yo yo!

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  6. good thing you got a blog Lin so we could start knowing what's in your head! Just a even more fascinating fact: Barack Obama had a black dad and a white mom=he's both! He's all of us, no other candidate can say that.

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  7. this political race has left me mentally exhausted and torn. and i'm not a political person in the least... honestly, i prefer to keep my opinions on the subject to myself. i dont really know what to say about any candidate because i feel like i dont know enough about them as politicians. i guarantee we know more about hilary's favorite color and mccain's suit size than we do about what they truly represent. i'm quietly and extensively doing my research before i reserve any judgments or make any decision on who i want to lead my country. and whether the person i vote for wins or not, at least i will know that i chose the person I felt could truly take care of my country.

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  8. I am impressed with your words! I was touched with the "chubby hand patting" All little boys and girls learn love and safety from one of thier parents! You teach your sweet chilren about thier grandmother! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. You have a way with words. Thank-you for sharing and being who you are!

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  10. Just the simple fact that we have a right to voice our opinion in this race is wonderful, and divine. And I really mean divine. We are all given the gift of agency, and what a gift that is.

    You truly have a way with words Lindsay.

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  11. I did it. I voted. Feels good. Pat pat pat.

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