GOAV (Get Out and Vote)

It sure does!

For a while now, we’ve been hearing “GOTV” (Get Out the Vote), encouragement to get involved in the political process, to reach out to possible voters, to stress the importance of casting a ballot. The pace has quickened as Election Day has approached, with huge numbers of volunteers fanning out, making phone calls, knocking on doors. Steve and I did some door-to-door canvassing last weekend, and were really heartened by people’s awareness of, and enthusiasm about, turning out at their polling places and voting. This is a central tenet of our country: every voter, no matter their gender, no matter the color of their skin, has a voice. We the people have power, power that is denied the citizens of many other countries. It is a truly wonderful day to be an American.

I have voted in every major election since 1976. My first vote was for Jimmy Carter. I was then a resident of Georgia, and very proud of my governor. However history rates him as President, I remain incredibly proud of the person Carter is—his intelligence, compassion, strong faith, the stellar way he has lived his post-White House life.

The races for President are the biggies, of course. The less “sexy” elections involve candidates for state representatives, for local officials, and I must confess to skipping a few of those here and there. But the older I get, and the less time I have remaining here on earth, the more determined I am not to squander my opportunities to let my voice be heard.

Evan has been working hard since January as the finance director for Gil Cisnero’s campaign in California. The race is a toss-up at this point, and I know there is a lot of nail-biting going on out there today. Gil seems to be a really terrific guy (former Naval officer, and current philanthropist who took a big lottery win in 2010 and used it for good, including starting an educational foundation), and a strong candidate. Win or lose, Gil has run a campaign of integrity, and I’m so happy people of that caliber still seek offices in our government.

In a matter of hours, it will all be over: the negative TV ads, the name-calling, the appeals to the worst in our nature. And that will be a great relief. But, whatever the outcomes, we will emerge with our nation intact. Then it will be time to get down to business, the day-to-day business of running the country. For every hot-button issue, there will be countless small ones—but these are the issues, and the people, that will most directly affect each of us personally…our governors, mayors, school boards. Let’s keep our eyes on the whole picture, not just the sharp focus snapshots that are taken once every four years.

And so this morning, I will do my civic duty as a United States citizen. I will vote. Please take a few minutes at some point today, and join me.

Evan at work

Kazoos in Jericho

Chapel Time with my sidekick Peter!

Question: “Who is somebody who lives in your house with you?”

Four Year Old’s Answer: “Jesus!!”

Well, yeah, kinda. But I was actually going for mommy or baby brother. As the giver of the weekly children’s sermon, and as leader of our monthly preschool chapel time, I have learned to be verrrrryyy careful when I solicit responses from my young audiences. Kids, as we know, do say the darnedest things, and some of those darned things can totally derail a message. I know some folks in my position who approach things differently. They get up there and basically just let the children chatter on about whatever, for the duration of “Time for Kids.” And the more the adults laugh, the more the little ones act up. But my issue with that is, this is a great opportunity to actually tell them something about God, and in some cases that opportunity seems wasted.  

That said, I do really enjoy my time with the small fry in our church and nursery school. It’s fun to come up with Bible stories that they can relate to in some way, and I hope they retain the tale of Joseph and His Brothers, or Daniel and the Lions—at least for a little while.

A few months ago, the story was Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. In advance, I made a "wall" of cardboard building blocks. Joshua and his men circled the city (the kids walked around the sanctuary), and on a signal, they all blew kazoos (their "horns"). I stood behind the wall, gave it a nudge, and it all came tumbling down. At other times, I have given out band aids to illustrate the Good Samaritan, shared goldfish crackers for the Feeding of 5000 (perfect! “bread” and “fish” combined!) and counted cotton ball “sheep,” just as our Good Shepherd always keeps an eye on us.

Today was Noah’s Ark day. I was talking to the two year old class, which included my Peter. He greeted me with a big hug, then proceeded to sit on my lap—and wouldn’t budge. I struggled to turn the pages of the Story Bible and show the pictures, while holding my squirming assistant. The take-away item was little plastic bags of stick-on animals that the kids could use to make ark drawings later. The teachers collected up the bags so that they could send them home, which was OK by everyone except one tyke. Mine. Peter’s piercing shrieks could be heard all over church, and I kicked myself for handing the bags to the children in the first place—a real rookie mistake.

This morning reminded me that, much as I adore being in control of situations, I really never am—God is. And because of that, I believe the kids will remember the core message of every story: God loves them very, very much, and will always be there for them. And if they forget all my bells and whistles, it doesn’t matter a bit.

Our Jericho Re-enactment

Sous-Chef

Chicken and cheese casseroles with Chef Boy-ar-Aiden

I confess: when it comes to my kitchen, I am not a very good sharer. Even with a family full of talented cooks, I’ve never mastered the easy back-and-forth of two meal makers working in tandem. We tend instead to take turns with parts of dinner: Evan does his delicious thing with his array of professional gadgets, including his sous-vide, and when he is finished, I can then step in and make dessert. Ditto when Sher, Yaj, Patrick, Rose or Julie is at the helm. And when I AM asked to help, it’s to do the pain in the neck jobs. Evan in particular will ask me to take every single tiny cilantro leaf off its stem before chopping—and he checks! My approach to herbs is to just toss them in, stems and all—which is why I would be the one tossed, right out of the Culinary Institute of America.

But lately I have found myself happily sharing my mixer and oven, and working harmoniously with, my little Kitchen Wizard, Aiden. From early on, he has been fascinated by cooking and baking (with is ironic, because he is by far the worst eater in the house). But he WILL eat what he fixes—a good reason to invite him to prepare food with me on a regular basis. We have our routine: Aiden drags a chair from the dining room into the kitchen so he can reach the counter. Then he washes his hands in the sink, then he doffs his snappy Thomas the Tank Engine apron. With that, he’s all set to go!

Chocolate Mocha Cake was the gateway baked good that got him interested in the process of preparation. He learned how to separate eggs, handle the beaters, and frost the finished product. As he’s still a bit young to handle doling out small amounts of ingredients, our mantra with measuring spoons and cups is “Nana measures, Aiden pours.” After we had branched out from cakes to cupcakes and cookies, I thought his attention might flag. But no! He has recently  helped me make chili, meatballs, and pasta sauce. I find myself getting excited about meal prep again, just so I can spend special time with my guy.

This weekend he will be helping me make Italian sausage and tortellini soup, which should be a snap. So I decided he was up to a challenge: we will also bake whole wheat and orange bread together! This will be Aiden’s first experience with yeast, and rising dough, and I look forward to his reaction. He already has the chops for kneading (I’ve seen the way he pushes and pulls his brother), so I’m betting he will enjoy that part.

Aiden is learning so much these days: to write his name, to shoot baskets at the park, to ride his trike. Cooking with me may soon take a back seat to other pursuits, I know.

But while it lasts, I will treasure every moment with my dearest sous-chef.

Have apron, will cook!