Slightly political post

Yesterday I loaded Ron in the wheelchair and we headed off to vote.  We took paratransit "to".  I wasn't sure how long it would take to vote, so we didn't make a trip home.  The polling place is only about a mile from my home, I can certainly push him that far in the wheelchair. 

We arrived around 8 AM.  A nice lady asked us to turn off our cell phones, which we did. 

Then we headed into the building and got ready to vote.  I did Ron first, I presented his Voter card and his ID card.  They had "him" (me, with his hand on mine) sign.  Then it was my turn. 

I voted first.  They gave me a number to input into the voting machine (4 digits).  I had to enter it to access the voting program.  It took me a while to figure out how to vote "straight ticket", which I did.  Once I did that it went quickly. 

I had heard horror stories about the voting machine changing votes to the opposite party, so I checked, and it was fine.  I "cast ballot" and finished. 

Then I took Ron over to another machine and asked him how he wanted to vote "Straight ticket?"  Yes, he replied.  So I did the same thing all over again.  This time, though, I was faster. 

I voted exactly the way he wanted me to.  Ron respects my honesty and ethics, and trusts me more than anyone else on the planet. 

In fact, when we got home, I told him he had dropped some $20 bills on the floor, and gave them back to him. 

We left the polling place about 8:20 or so.  I began pushing him home.  It was a little tricky because the ground was boggy from the rain the other night, and it was harder to push him through the mud.  I managed. 

At one point he had to get out of his wheelchair and walk about 20 feet.  He had a lot of trouble with that due to his knee (!).  [sigh]  So, we probably won't do that again unless he is 100%. 

I got him home, as he called my Dad to come get us and take us out to lunch.  We could have actually had Mom and Dad take us to vote, wait, and then go to lunch, but I didn't want them to get stuck waiting. 

I would much rather wait, than be waited upon. 

We got home and I made a post.  Ron laid down with his massager.  Mom and Dad arrived eventually and we went out to lunch.  We had a good time. 

However, on the way home, Mom got a call about her Mom.  "Grandma" (I never felt she liked me very much) is in her 90's.  She attended a funeral with her boyfriend and they got food poisoning.  He is in bad shape, on dialysis, and she is doing better, but still frail.  She was asking for (my adoptive Mom) so Mom either is, or has, flown out there to help. 

Imagine being a caregiver in your 70's.  Wow.  I think it's tough in my 40's. 

I came home and took a nap.  I got up and we went to Walmart.  I bought some ink for the printer so I can do Ron's "certification" since he missed the training conference last month.  I also got some more protein bars and stuff. 

We came home.  I put my stuff away. 

I was tired.  I went to bed early, around 7:30 PM. 

I woke up around 2:30 AM, wondering who had won.  I asked Ron.  He didn't tell me.  He played Trump's acceptance speech.  Oh, Trump won. 

Now maybe my healthcare will become really affordable.  I got a letter, 2 weeks before the election, saying my rates were going up 65%.  I'm sure letters like that swayed a lot of votes. 

It sure would have swayed mine.  That's nearly half my pay. 

Ron was in a good mood so we talked for a while.  I planned to get up (I didn't know what time it was), but when I saw it was only 2:50 AM I went back to bed. 

I woke up around 7, #6 was dragging their trash out to the curb. 

I got up and talked to Ron some more, got on Facebook to see the reactions.  Pretty typical whining and name calling on the part of those who backed the person who didn't win.  My favorite was someone calling Trump voters racist. 

I don't believe most people are racist.  I think what we hate are ignorant people of any color.  Ignorant people are loud, don't let their neighbors sleep at night, are involved with criminal elements (often), don't maintain their properties, etc.  Most people will pay a LOT of money to live among people who are not ignorant. 

As a rule, my neighbors are not ignorant.  #6 gets pretty ignorant when he has his parties, and we can't forget #2 is a hoarder (he has apparently broken up with his Baby Mama, by the way), but the rest of them are pretty awesome. 

I do keep the cats in because I worry about them being hurt by a hateful person, but that's it. 

Anyway, if you think about a "bad" neighborhood you know, it is probably filled with ignorant people.  I know all the "bad" places I lived were.  It was exhausting.  I felt like I was the only logical person in the whole place. 

So, I don't think "racism" is really a thing so much as it is a hatred of ignorant people. 

I can't hate ignorant people, much as I might like to at times, because they are my primary ministry group.  I spend a lot of time in really bad neighborhoods holding my sign and handing out Bibles to takers.  God has a way of making us stretch beyond our limits. 

God, in me, does it.  I would probably just say "Screw that neighborhood, they can save their own selves".  But God in me helps me see the desperation of their daily lives and their hunger for God.  Does that mean I am going to move to those neighborhoods?  Hell no.  But I will do outreach. 

Now, about immigration, we have got to shut the door and get rid of the people who are here without documentation.  We can't support our own people, it's only common sense.  After all, we lock our own doors every day to keep unwanted people out.  It's no different with our borders. 

And yes, God has me do a lot of outreach to people of dubious immigration status.  I can hardly keep ahold of my Spanish language New Testaments. 

God does not want me to be a hater of any flavor. 

So, I blocked what I could.  I expected some of what I saw but others it was like, huh? 

I think, at least in my news feed, the Trump supporters were pretty low key, not obnoxious, etc.   I could not say the same thing about the Trump haters which is why I finally logged out of Facebook. 

I guess that will go on for years, though.  I had seen some pretty nasty stuff about the current president over the last year or so, which I don't support. 

The Bible says to respect your leaders, and pray for them (Romans 13).  Even if you voted for the other guy. 

Believers are really commanded to go above and beyond, with people they normally might not like or even outright hate.  I would say to the unreached: if you ask God, though, He gives you (me) what we need to reach beyond our own prejudices and (hey, I spelled it right!) and be a more loving person. 

Because, at the end of it, God wants believers to be loving people.  Strong, with boundaries, but loving. 

I woke up this morning with a headache, so I took something for that and went back to bed.  It (Excedrin) worked pretty fast, so I got up and fed Biscuit. 

Biscuit is disappointed he didn't win the write-in campaign, but he'll manage. 

Ron complained more, about his knee.  He called the doctor to arrange an appointment.  They had 2 for tomorrow morning. 

I love Doc, but he runs behind in the afternoon.  That's because he takes the proper amount of time with each patient, I don't begrudge him that.  Ron asked if I "minded" going to see Doc tomorrow. 

Well, yes, I would like to go ONE WEEK without a medical Ron crisis, (I didn't say that), but I'll go.  I like Doc and I am always happy to see him. 

I measured Ron for a knee brace, so we can get him one if it's required.  My Amazon Prime assures me it will arrive in 2 days, although Ron's done fine without a brace for weeks. 

I need to take a shower, strip the bed, wash the bedding, make the bed with my old sheets (it's Cycle time due tomorrow), do my God time, and then take my nap.  Ron and I are going out to eat at a fast food place this afternoon, so that should be fun. 

The only bad thing about today was Ron sitting in the kitchen drinking at 8 this morning.