I can’t stop smiling, even though I didn’t vote for Barack Obama. Even though I have every reason to expect that a liberal-controlled government will run us farther into economic recession than we are right now, I can’t stop smiling.

I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have smiled as much, had McCain won.

I’m happy for everyone who supported Obama and who has had to suffer under an administration they never believed in for eight years. I’m glad that the other half of America will have to look at themselves today, and consider why they lost their power. Reproof is good for people; in Proverbs it says that “correction is the way of life.” Only beloved folks receive correction, and half the nation was handed a large correction yesterday. This is not a bad thing.

And I’m most happy that this election settled the question of whether we have healed our racial past or not. Yesterday, we showed that we have, and I’m so glad. I knew we had; you knew we had; but now everyone in the world knows we did, and we can move on.

We waited in line for two hours to vote today, knowing that we could have voted early. But there’s something exciting about standing in line with other Americans to vote. My husband and I like to rustle up our adult kids and meet at the polls whenever we can. And so it was that I came to be standing in line with three of my grownup kids, reporting to others who vote at our polling place and hearing from the rest what the lines were like at their polling places.

Old people, babies, toddlers bundled up in their bright-colored hats, women in pant suits, farmers, whole families, people of all different races, all waiting together. You make new friends, standing in line for two hours. You hear interesting things. 

The old man leaning on his cane for two hours, barely able to shuffle along in line, impressed me. The young mothers with nursing babies, trying to juggle a baby, a stroller and diaper bag, and hang onto a rowdy toddler impressed me. The Asian family and the African American family who came with ancient grandparents, middle-aged parents, young adults and college-aged kids and grandbabies impressed me.

Nobody complained. Everyone smiled good-naturedly as the wind mercilessly whipped our hair around our faces. Nobody grew surly or impatient or short-tempered when we got up to the doors and saw only 16 voting booths for hundreds of voters. We were happyto vote and get our “I Voted” stickers.

For the first time in months, nobody wanted to talk about his or her candidate. Nobody wanted to tell others how to vote or what to believe. Everyone was excited about this historic vote. Everyone had something good to say about every candidate.

I even heard people stand up for President Bush, calling to mind the terrible things that happened on his watch and over which he had no control, such as 9/11.

One of my children voted for the first time today. Though he was grumpy about standing in line for two hours, he admitted that he’s waited in line longer for concerts or sporting events. As I watched him feed his ballots into the ballot machine, I grew a little misty-eyed. I saw his first steps and today I saw his first vote. I am so proud of him.

As we walked out the doors, the first hundred or so people we passed clapped or called out to as we exited the polls. “Hope you voted for the right side!” and “A moving line—that’s the change we need!” to much laughter.

But once the laughter died down, a twenty-something man in a ball cap, his pregnant wife standing nearby, said, “People around the world would love to have the opportunity to stand in line and vote in a fair election—think about China. Think about all the places where people don’t have this privilege.”

We stopped in our tracks, and everyone around this young man fell silent. You could see that people were considering what he said, thinking about how blessed we are. As agreement broke out, we walked away, but I swear, I was choked up.

It really is great to be an American, after all.

If you voted today, what was your experience like?

And turning His gaze on His disciples, Jesus began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”

But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.

But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way.

And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same amount.

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. And do not judge and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”

And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit; nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

“And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My words, and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”

“But the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:20-49)

What if we believed these things? What if we acted upon them?

What would life be like in our world, if we were so unattached to our stuff that we freely gave when giving was demanded of us? What if we did not have such a sense of entitlement to every comfort and convenience in the world that we were people who demanded that others caretake us and gave us what was theirs?

What if we were not so stingy that we refused to give out of our amazing abundance? What if we remembered every single day that when we die, we’ll take nothing with us? What if we were generous to the point of giving our undershirts to the person who demanded only an overcoat?

What if we were grateful for what we had, rather than only being envious of others and what they have? What if we stopped inspecting others altogether, and inspected only our own selves?

What if we didn’t only say we loved others, but we acted like it? What if we didn’t only pay God lip-service, but we actually looked like Him? What if love was our only standard?

What if we stopped being such abominable hypocrites, and were humble and lowly of heart?

What if we just sat still under a bodhi tree until enlightenment came?

What if our fruit was good and sweet, and dripping with compassion and love?

What would our world be like, if we were like that?

A regular reader and friend wrote this comment recently, and I loved what he wrote so much that I am posting it for discussion. I did not ask permission to re-print this, but assumed the right to do it. So, David, if you’re bothered by it, just let me know. Otherwise I publish what I believe to be such wonderful intentions.

Renaissance Guy and David Rochester were discussing what to do with unwanted children. RG commented that, outside of Christian ethics (because Christianity, like Judaism, mandates the care of orphans), there’s no real moral mandate, other than human decency, for caretaking orphans and other neglected, unloved children. David replied:

There’s more to this than human decency, though certainly that’s a component. It’s pragmatism, as well. The world will be populated with these emotionally neglected and deprived kids. They will be at higher risk for substance abuse, for self-destructive acts, and for making choices that lead to more unwanted kids. The world is suffering from unconsciousness, and the more we ignore the population never given a chance to attain it, the more we’re all going to pay for that, in my opinion.

I think everyone is capable of making some difference to children who aren’t getting what they need. There’s not one person who couldn’t volunteer with a literacy program, or volunteer as a mentor, or at least contribute financially to support those programs. Not everyone is in a position to adopt or foster a child — I’m not, myself; I’m still a neurotic crazy mess, and completely unsuitable as a full-time guardian. But I do volunteer. And one of my goals, hopefully within the next ten years, is to stabilize my own life sufficiently to allow me to take in at least one foster child. Whether I’ll get there, who knows. But I’d like to.

I loved that David saw love as sensible and pragmatic. He connected the dots and drew the line of responsibility for consciousness (and therefore love, I infer) directly to the individual. We each have a responsibility. And, lest anyone be overwhelmed by the idea of being a foster or adoptive parent, he pointed out practical ways in which each of us can do his or her part.

I agree that not everyone can or should foster or adopt a child. People used to say to me, “You have a calling,” and I hated that because I thought it was hogwash. Yes, I have a calling, I’d think… the same calling you have if you’re a Christian, which St. James called “pure religion, and undefiled—to care for and visit the widow and the orphan in their distress.” The only question is, “in what way will you care?” if you are a Christian.

And not all suffering, neglected children are orphans or in need of foster care. Many have to go home to a hellish existence every day. Being adopted or fostered aren’t options for such children, and the world is full of them. Your local school or church no doubt have their unwanted children, living at home with mom or dad. How do we reach out and love these kids?

David shows us how. Even if we are not Christian, he suggests. Even if you are a world citizen. Yes, you. You have a responsibility you can take. You can contribute something.

I’m perhaps too optimistic when I suggest that each one of us does something to help. I think we do. I’d like to think that there’s not one reader passing by who has not or will not do one thing regularly to relieve the suffering of neglected, unwanted, unloved children. But, just in case there is someone so caught up in his or her own life that you’ve done nothing to relieve such suffering, here’s a question: what are you doing?

I love that David has a vision for himself and others. And I just wanted to repeat what bears repeating and say thanks, David, for making it all so practical.

And loving.