You could feel it in the air.  Patriotism ran deep in this Midwestern farming community.  And today was the day everyone had been waiting for, voting day.  The country would have a new president.  The only place large enough to accommodate all of the voters was the Lutheran church.  So all the people gathered, dressed in their Sunday best, ready to cast their votes.  Voting day was more important than any holiday, more important than anything because of the implications.

Everyone voted because it was our obligation to do so and to make sure we elected a competent person who would do the right thing for the country and the American people.  There were no protesters calling you names for making your choice; there were no thugs with billy clubs trying to intimidate you into voting their way.  Back then, people had respect for the office, respect for the country, and respect for each other.  People discussed the real issues – economics and security – not which bathroom one should use or which lives mattered and which ones didn’t.  Elections were serious business, not entertainment.  Absent were discussions about foul words being spoken, crimes being committed, evidence being destroyed; we all participated in this democracy because of a sincere desire to ensure that the country was moving in the right direction.

As a child, I was in awe of the process and couldn’t wait until I was old enough to vote so my voice could be heard.  As I prepare to cast my vote in a few days, I look around and wonder what happened.  Whom will we elect as our new president?  Someone who cares about the American people and maintaining a democracy or someone who will stop at nothing to destroy it?