Our Responsibility

I was listening to a song the other day and I was struck by the upcoming elections and what they mean for our country. Not who’s in the Oval office, for we all know Who is in control and who He wants to sit in that office will be there, to fulfill His purposes. No, I was thinking more of the men and women over the decades who have willingly given their lives for us, so that we can go to the polling place and vote.

What was the song? A song by Mark Schultz, (to hear the song scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the music player below). Here are the lyrics:

Letters From War

She runs to the mailbox
On that bright summers day
Found a letter from her son
In a war far away
He spoke of the weather
And good friends that he'd made
Said I'd been thinking 'bout dad
And the life that he had
Thats why I'm here today
And that the end he said
You are what I'm fighting for
It was the first of the letters from war

She started writing

You're good and you're brave
What a father that you'll be someday
Make it home make it safe

She wrote every night as she prayed

Late in December
A day she'll not forget
Oh her tears stained the paper
With every word that she read
It said I was up on a hill
I was out there alone
When the shots all rang out
And bombs were exploding
And that’s when I saw him
He came back to me
And though he was captured
A man set me free
And that man was your son
He asked me to write to you
I told him I would oh I swore

It was the last of the letters from war
And she prayed he was living
Kept on believing and wrote every night just to say

You're good and you're brave
What a father that you'll be someday
Make it home make it safe
She wrote every night as she prayed

Then two years later
Autumn leaves all around
A car pulled in the driveway
And she fell to the ground
And out stepped a captain
Where her boy used to stand
Said mom I'm following orders
From all of your letters
And I've come home again
He ran into hold her
And dropped all his bags on the floor
Holding all of her letters from war

Bring him home

I have voted in every election since I have been able to. My first vote was for Ronald Reagan in 1984. Have I always been totally up on all the issues? – no. There have been times that I have only voted on the things that I understood and I abstained from those that I didn’t know. But, I have always been there. To honor those who have paid the ultimate price for me to be able to freely walk into that polling place. Not having to worry about if I am endangering my life or my family for doing the right thing.

If we don’t vote, just blow it off or think that one vote won’t matter we lessen that sacrifice. How can we be “Proud Americans” if we don’t appreciate what has been done for us and do this small part, in thanks to those brave and wonderful men and women? So get out and vote! Now, I’ll get off my soap box, but I will be forever grateful for the ones who have made it possible for me to be up there.

Thank you to those who are or have served – I appreciate you more than I can say.

God Bless