Gratitude Monday: adding my voice

On Election Eve, here’s what I’m grateful for:

Despite what some political elements would like to pretend, every citizen of this country age 18 or over (with some, very few, exceptions) has the right and the obligation to vote in elections from municipal office to the President. 

Millions of men and women around the world view this as an exceptional gift, one they can barely hope to achieve in their lifetimes, so they wish for it for their children. They read about the United States, our elections, even our government, and they hold us up as a shining city upon a hill.

In the past few days, I’ve seen photos of women who were born before the 19^th Amendment became law; they are only too well aware of the decades of struggle that took place to win them this right. Many of them cast their votes for a woman to be President, and the looks on their faces are extraordinary.

Tomorrow, the Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y., will remain open for an extra four hours, to accommodate the numbers of people who make pilgrimage to the grave of Susan B. Anthony, to affix their “I voted” sticker to the stone.

And on a personal note, I’m grateful for having had the opportunity to cast my own ballot by mail, and that I can freely proclaim it on my office door.

I couldn’t go to Rochester, but I did write my thanks to Susan B. on my sticker.

However your conscience guides you, I hope you find a way to vote tomorrow. It’s an important election—they all are. And they all require all of our best efforts. You’ll be grateful, just like me.