By Jan Penton

Columnist

What a beautiful day! The sun is shining, and it’s unseasonably warmed, but gorgeous. As I sit at a local eatery to do a little writing I am reminded that I get to choose my attitude. I don’t make a secret of my political persuasion, and it doesn’t appear to be looking good for my choice for president, but it’s a great day to have a great day.

When I look at the big picture I realize that the White House changes hands from one party to another quite often, and America has survived through many changing tides. Can you imagine the heartache and ill feelings of the entire country during and after the Civil War? What about the horrible unrest of America during the 60’s?

My point is that our country has stood the test of time and trouble many times in our history. We all have a choice to make about how we will behave. It is easy to play nice when everything is going our way, but when we feel very invested in the political landscape and suffer a great disappointment our conduct speaks volumes about our character.

My daddy was a veteran of WWII, and received the Purple Heart and Silver Star medals. He actually suffered most of his life as a result of injuries both physical and emotional, but his love and devotion to this country never faltered. I have no doubt that he would be appalled at some of the behavior we have seen from our fellow citizens, but it is up to us to set an example of proper behavior.

You will never hear me say, “Not my president” when all the votes are tallied and all the count battles are decided. It is up to us as citizens of the greatest nation in the world to accept the decisions of our election once the courts have weighed in. So I will watch and pray for myself and my fellow Americans to remember that democracy can be messy, but it is well worth every effort.

One wonderful thing that has happened is the sheer number of people who cast a vote. This is a tremendously healthy and necessary part of our political system. Many people around the world would give anything for the freedoms that we often take for granted, and the ability to vote is at the top of the list as far as I’m concerned.

Do we need recounts when the races are very close? Of course. Do rumblings of voter fraud need to be investigated? It would be ridiculous not to, but after that we all need to settle down and look for common ground. Our forefathers put much effort into writing our constitution, and I believe were guided by God to create a document that would serve us as well in 2020 as it did in 1776.

But those who would seek to follow their own isolated agenda and ignore our constitution should have no place in our government. This is my opinion and everyone has one, but I solidly believe this. God bless us, everyone.

Email Jan Penton at jpentonauthor@gmail.com