I was THERE

This video is a little bit hard to see, um, anything. But the point is what you can HEAR. I was there. Standing way in the back. My arms got a little tired holding up my camera. But it was worth it.

I am a part of history. I was there.

What an incredible feeling.

Freedom from Fear...

Today is Election Day.

In many places, that is a day of fear and trembling.

Many people in many countries have waited for generations to vote. (This photo is of Soweto, South Africa, as the lines to vote snaked around in only the third truly democratic election in that country in 2004.)

In our country, we are free from the fear that bad things will happen to us in polling places, and because we exercise our right to vote as we wish.

I have had the privilege to vote since I was 18. On my 18th birthday, I marched into the Village Hall and registered to vote. I get teary-eyed every time I even think about fulfilling my democratic right. 

On Monday, I joined with 2000 other people at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Risa K. Lambert Author Luncheon here in Chicago.

The speaker was Father Patrick Desbois, a French priest who has devoted his life to finding mass graves of Jews killed during the Holocaust in the Ukraine. The whole program was marvelous. Leo Melamed shared some of his own story as well, in a moving tribute to Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who gave visas to Lithuanian Jews during the Holocaust.

I couldn't help but think about today's events as I sat in that room and listened to the stories of people who were trapped, really trapped, by the events around them. They were not free.

But today. Today I exercise my freedom.

Today I VOTE.

Emotional Blogging....here I go...

Okay, so here I go again, it's November and it's time for NaBloPoMo (which always sounds faintly inappropriate to me when said aloud....but oh well.). So it begins. One month of daily posting. That was what got me into this mess fun in the first place - a challenge to blog daily for one month. In that case, it was August. Since then, I've really blogged almost daily. I did NaBloPoMo last year too, and found it to be quite fun to post every day.

And, it seems that it will make up for my non-blogging for the past month!

But....I blog without guilt.

But why is the title of this post "emotional blogging"? I plan to be very emotional in the next few days.

"As we stand at the crossroads of history..."

I can't seem to read the paper or watch the news or YouTube without a little tear in my eye. I am shaking with anticipation for Tuesday's expression of choice. Anticipation, fear, and a suppressed joy. Suppressed, because I am too scared to fully revel in what I hope will happen. This is not a political blog, I do not tell my readers what to do or think. I am an individual with individual beliefs and opinions.

But my emotional cup runneth over.

Today, we celebrated the Adult B'nai Mitzvah of 11 people (10 women, 1 man). Together, they stood on the bima of our congregation and read from the Torah. For each of them, it was a mountain, a hurdle, a milestone. Each of them shared it with family and friends. And I was there with them.

As they wept, I wept. (I told you, I'm awfully emotional these days!)

We are constantly at a crossroads in our lives. Constantly making choices that send us in one direction or another. Each moment we choose the path we will take.

This month in my household is the month of birthdays. Three of us have November celebrations, and each one is cause for such joy. Another year older, another year wiser. The beginning of a new year of discovery, growth and life. We celebrate each other and our delight in the simple pleasures of living.

I plan to cry a lot.

So join me on my November journey. I'll be here often, regularly, I promise....daily, I do believe.

May blessings runneth over.

And the winner is...

Jon Stewart.

The piece on tonight's Daily Show about the Giants' ticker-tape parade by John Oliver (the British guy) was hilarious. When the video is available, go see it! He did a whole piece on how everyone in New York was celebrating their right to vote...it was awesome.

And Jon's response at the end was great.

Okay, I'm still up watching results and I still have no idea what really happened. I'll have to wait for tomorrow's paper. Until then, I'll continue to listen to what Jon has to tell me. Most useful news on TV!

A Super Day...

Did you vote?

Decisions, decisions....