Today was a good day. It gave my children a chance to see what is perhaps the greatest aspect of American government in action -- the peaceful transition of power from one leader to another. I got to explain to them why this is very important, and in doing so fulfilled our civics requirement for the week.
And even though I didn't vote for President Obama -- and I told my girls so -- I also told them why his election is meaningful in ways far beyond policies on economics, national security, or even social issues like education.
His story has given me a chance to lead my children gently into a gradual and growing understanding of why our nation has evolved the way it has. They are mystified when I explain that for many years blacks and whites were not thought of as equals. They puzzle over the fact that there was a time in this country when people owned other people as property.
They are young yet, just 9 and 6, and I am exercising my parental discretion as to when we will begin a formal and detailed study of slavery in America.
For now, it's enough for them to know that slavery is part of our nation's -- and family's -- history, that it was wrong and that it was in full violation of our Christian faith as proscribed by the Bible.
It's good, too, for them to witness the fact that even the most grievous of wrongs can, in time, be righted in the most spectacular of ways.
We need only to look at our newest president for proof.
May God bless President Obama and give him the wisdom to make the right choices. Anything less will send us all -- our captain included -- down with the ship, and I'm not a very good swimmer.
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