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| Something to be Thankful for - Selecting our Leaders |
By: Rep. David Day
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Posted: Thursday, December 11, 2008 12:07 pm
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Here we are, once again with the Holiday Season on our doorstep. Thanksgiving is upon us bringing the images of food, family, and football. It is also a time to count the many things we have to be grateful for.
Thanksgiving always reminds me of the old hymn chorus that goes something like: “Count your Blessings, Name them one by one, Count your Blessings, See what God has done. The point of the hymn is that we never know how blessed our lives are until we take some time to reflect about the gifts in our lives, especially those gifts we don’t deserve.
Those of us that live in this country have a lot to be thankful for. We wake up every morning in a nation where we are free to live our lives as we choose, worship whom and how we choose and believe whatever we choose to believe in. Each day we have set before us a world of opportunity where, for the most part, we are only limited by ourselves.
Another thing we have to be thankful for is an event that just happened in our nation, the opportunity to elect our leaders for the next few years. I am sure that not every person who is reading this article is totally happy with all of the election outcomes from November 4th, seldom does someone cast all winning votes. As a matter of fact, I am betting that some folks are upset about some of the outcomes…but the outcomes are not what I am writing about.
The process by which we elect our leaders is what I feel we have so much to be thankful for as a nation. We are a nation that settles our differences and selects our leaders not with bullets, but with ballots, something that sets us apart from much of the world. During the election process a great deal of emphasis was on Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, and all of the other titles and talk that goes with an election.
In the coming months we will have a new President of the United States and a new Governor for the State of Missouri. We can all debate if we agree or disagree with their policies, but I feel it is important to remember that because of the process of electing our leaders that we treasure, these men were elected and deserve our support, maybe not in their policies when we disagree with them, but certainly in our support as fellow Americans, they deserve the chance to succeed as our leaders.
Election Day has come and gone, much of the political rhetoric has started to fade away and we are again reminded that, by the Grace of God, we are all Americans. There will always be disagreement among us, which is one of the wonderful freedoms we enjoy, the freedom to have our own opinion. However, we also must work together and continue to make our communities, state, and nation the greatest they can be.
So as you sit down for Thanksgiving Dinner, I hope you will give thanks for this nation God has blessed us with, give thanks for the many men and women who have in the past and currently are fighting to protect our freedoms, and give thanks that we as citizens have a choice in who our leaders are. Many in our world will never know the joy of casting a vote for the leaders of their choice.
Lastly, Leasa, Savanna and I want to wish each of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know we have so much to be thankful for, especially in the many friends we have, and I am betting, if you give it some thought, you have a great deal to be thankful for also.
As always, please feel free to contact me anytime I can be of service to you. My office number is (573) 751-1446, my e-mail address is david.day@house.mo.gov or you can contact me through my website at www.StateRepDay.com. |
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