We had the same last name, but he was one of those almost arrogant short Jewish men you see in movies. Not that good looking, but so confident it didn't matter. Not particularly interesting, but full of political fervor. Definitely not part of the swirling "in" crowd. He invited me to his apartment with other friends to watch the election returns come in. I had voted in my first presidential election,so naively hopeful that it would be better than '72, when I cried watching my father watch his black and white TV as McGovern conceded.
It was a short walk between his ground floor apartment and mine, which was good, because when Reagan started speaking, I was bereft, and in no mood to fake it around those I perceived to be my intellectual superiors.
Today I took my eleven-year-old son with me to vote. He filled in a couple arrows on the paper ballot for me and we discussed all the choices in depth and with careful and kind consideration. I don't take these teaching moments lightly. They matter. Will the look of the white sides of the small booth loom large in his memories some day? Honestly, I hope so. I hope he talks about understanding the importance of our liberal and humanity-oriented values with his children. I hope he carries the torch of pride with him that he was part of it. He's lucky. We won tonight. A rare and beautiful thing.
Now the real trick - to recognize that we are all far more like his favorite color, purple, than the binary reds and blues shown on two-dimensional maps. All of us have a stake in finding common ground and mutual respect.
yes, we won this time. phew. I too must go in person. viscerally feel the responsibility that too many don't partake in. absentee is not for me.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jenny for carrying it on for the next generation and sharing with us.