On election night, we loaded up the car with lawn chairs and a picnic dinner and headed to a friend’s house to watch the results roll in. The news broadcast was projected onto the side of the house and several computers were set up in the yard to track the results. At one point there were more than one hundred friends, neighbors, and passers by squeezed into the small front yard. The conversations were primarily of the political nature, from the smallest local propositions and bond initiatives to the house/senate races to the presidential election. This election-watching party was a family event to be sure. There were so many young children that night running around without a care in the world…children of loving straight couples, children of loving gay couples, children of loving single parents, children of loving affluent parents, children of loving parents struggling to get by. You hear a lot about voting as a civic duty, and I love and appreciate that our children are learning that the act of voting is truly an individual’s chance to voice how they want their world to be. All the worry, all the hand wringing, all the emotional investment that bound us together that night represented the world we want for our children—a better, kinder world. A world that embraces the diversity around us and affirms that differences can deepen our understanding of one another instead of driving us apart.
Show us a better, kinder world today through your lens.
Images and words courtesy of Jote of Bless Her Heart.
Cherish says
Oh wow – I love all of this!! Great stuff Jote. What an amazing evening!
meredith winn says
a beautiful collection of images, jote!
xanthe says
Lovely to see you here Jote xxx
kristin says
LOVE this post jote
it feels far more hopeful than i felt when i was in it. i love how your little community turned it into almost a block party atmosphere. captured so beautifully through your lens.
Carol hart says
Love the post and the images too! Looks like it was an incredible evening for all.
Bonnie says
Great post and wonderful photos!
Caryn says
Great post and evocative photos. Thanks for sharing!
Vickie says
Enjoyed the post and the wonderful pictures!
jote says
thanks for all of your kind comments…it was indeed a magical night.