We Voted

I pulled the sticker off of my sweater. I didn’t want it to leave a stain by being left on too long. I paused for just a moment to read it, though of course I knew well what it said.

“I Voted.”            

I smiled as I wadded up the patriotic sticker into a little ball to throw it into the trash. Such a simple thing, yet such a BIG thing that we take for granted far too often.

But looking at the sticker also triggered a sweet memory for me. It seems like forever ago now. My husband and I had just voted and we had taken our young son with us. We always went everywhere together as a family. Yes, even when we voted.

After we finished and we got back into our tan, Ford Taurus, my husband rolled down the window, and placed that little voting sticker right there at the base of the outside mirror. My son, from the back seat, watched him do it. I don’t know how long that sticker stayed on our mirror; it was months, if not years. It may have even still been there when we finally traded off that vehicle. I know! It seems like the weather would have worn it away, but I don’t think it did. The sticker held up for some time.

Years later, (and I do mean years!) my son and I voted together in what I believe was his first time to vote.  I always love voting at the polls, and try to make sure I always do. It is a very meaningful experience for me. Sounds corny, I know; but it just is – meaningful.

Anyway, this time my son had driven us to the polls, and I was in the passenger seat. When we were finished and got back into our vehicle, I smiled, (probably through tears, knowing myself the way I do) when I watched my son, roll down the window, and place his voting sticker on the driver's side mirror of our Bravada. He never said a word; but looked over at me and smiled.

Pretty cool! I love generational stuff, but it gets better.  Some time later, I was taking my folks somewhere in our Bravada. As my dad walked by the driver’s door to get into the back seat of the car, he pointed at the sticker, tapping it as he walked by. As we settled into our seats, I told him the story of how that sticker came to be on the driver’s side mirror – our son, imitating his dad in what has become a silly family tradition.

I will never forget the look on my dad’s face. “Grandpa” was more than pleased - he was moved to emotion. And while I know the voting aspect of the story was important to him, I knew without a doubt, the son following in his daddy’s footprints was the headliner of this story for my dad.

Teaching your kid’s what is right and watching them follow through in their actions – it doesn’t get any better than that.  Well, maybe only made better by sharing it with someone who understands and taught their kids what is right, too...meaningful. Very meaningful.

 

We Voted.

God Bless America!
We vote!