But I prayed . . .

Election Day

The first time I voted was in 1968.  That was back in the dark ages when one needed to be 21 to vote.

I remember that it was the middle of the day on Wednesday, November 9 before we knew that Richard Nixon had been elected.  That had been such a turbulent time. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated.  George Wallace had been crippled in an attempt on his life Viet Nam was a huge issue and both Ray Parker and I had lost friends in the that conflict

48 years and 12 elections later we hopefully will go to bed on Tuesday night knowing the results. We surely will know when we awaken the next morning.

About half of my friend will be distraught - while the other half are elated.

And what I keep thinking about is that many of them are fervently praying that their candidate will win or in some cases simply that the other candidate will lose.

Either way,  I think I'll hear "But I prayed. . .".-

Which brings me to a memory of my daddy.

My granddaughter, Allie has a life-altering illness, an immune disorder that prevents her blood from making the proper number of platelets. She was three years into the diagnosis in 2009 when my daddy was nearing the end of his life.  He spent most of his time in the bed or a recliner.  He prayed a lot.

One day he wanted to talk with me about something important.

He asked about Allie.  And when I said that the tests were still showing that she didn't have enough platelets, he puddled up.

"But I've prayed that God would make her well," he said through his tears.

Well, daddy, we can pray, and we can believe - but what we pray for doesn't always happen.  In fact, Allie is now 13 and a half and low platelets is still an issue.  She has been poked and prodded, medicated and even had surgery to remove her spleen (the residing place of the virus that is believed to be the culprit of this disease).

So do we stop praying?

Not in my book.

OR Alfred Lord Tennyson's.  He said, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of."

And the Apostle Paul tells us to "Pray without ceasing."

So if your candidate doesn't win, please don't think God did not answer your prayer.

Just pray more - for our country and those who lead us.  Democrat, Independent, Republican.

May your life be filled with enough sunshine

to make you appreciate the shadow