Elections and Reflections

"Daddy... who do you believe will be the next President of the United States?"
.
.
.
[My eyes go to hers, noting her use of "believe" instead of "think." We had a discussion about the differences between looking and seeing, between listening and hearing, between thinking and knowing, and between knowing and believing. I "know" many people... but don't necessarily "believe" in them... and trust is a shadow of belief.]
.
.
.
.
"Why such a big question from such a little girl?" I ask.
.
.
.
.
.
"At school, the teachers talk about it and all the kids from class are going to vote."
.
.
.
.
"I see."

"Daddy, will my vote determine who will be President?"
.
.
.
.
.
Always over-thinking things, I smile and say "Well, you are certainly one of the most important factors that I considered in making my decision on a candidate, but your vote at school... today, while it is very important, it doesn't actually count in the "grown-up" election. But soon... sooner than I like to think, you'll turn 18 in 2020, which is a Presidential election year, and then you'll vote in the real elections... how cool is that?"
.
.
.
[Her eyes smiling as she nods her head]

"Daddy... you didn't answer my question."
.
.
.
[raising an eyebrow at her]
.
.
.
.
"Let me tell you something about myself... something about a candidate, and you'll have your answer, deal?"

"Deal!"

"One was a soldier, did you know that?"

[Her eyes widden, thinking the story will be as exciting as some of the outrageously funny stories that I tell her of my 8 years of military service]

"In fact, he was such a good soldier, they let him fly very expensive jet airplanes! No body ever let me drive anything that flew... they figured I couldn't do as much damage as long as I was on sea or land." "Well, when countries fight... when they go to war, soldiers do most of that fighting." It's their job, to defend their country... which sometimes means, to fight."

"You mean they fight?" [puting up her dukes]

[hugging her close] "Yes honey, they fight with whatever they have... with everything they have... guns, bad words, tanks, jets, bombs... everything. This soldier, while he was fighting for his country, doing his job and flying jets to drop bombs in this war, he was shot down. The other soldiers, the ones he was fighting against... they actually shot his airplane down, crazy huh?"

"So flying the jet and not being scared, that made him a great soldier?"

[My eyes look right into hers]

"Nope... what ever your job is doesn't make you great, and I am certain that he was scared... very scared, but what makes people great is how they can be scared and still do the very important jobs, do them to the best of their ability, do you understand that?

[She nods her head, but her face registers a bit of concern]

[siling at her] "What's your job?"

"To be the best little girl I can be" she answers without hesitation.

"Exactamundo!" [I tell her to be the 'best little girl she can be' every morning, without waiver]

"Since his jet got shot up, he didn't have a ride back from the war... he jumped out of his jet, but was stuck in the enemy's territory... on their property, instead of back here where he would be safe."

[She hasn't blinked in several seconds] "So he was on the wrong side of the fence... not on the safe side?"

"That right... and before he could get back to a safe place, he was captured by the other soldiers... the soldiers that he'd been fighting against, the solderis that had shot him down."
.
.
.
[Her eyes widden more as she's hanging on my every word] "Like when you catch Biscuit outside of our fence, because he digs underneath it?"
.
.
.
"Very much like that, yes."


[Her eyes squint a bit, looking worried] "What happened?"
.
.
.
.
[hugging her close] "They hurt him, they punished him for fighting, even though it was his job that he was doing, and that I have no doubt that if there hadn't been a war going on... the last thing he'd want to have been doing was fighting... over in an enemy country is the last place he'd want to be, as opposed to getting to be home with family and friends."
.
.
.
[Her eyes are welling up just a bit] "How bad did they hurt him?"
.
.
.
.
"Well... you know how there are some hurts... hurts that are so bad, they make us cry?"

[nods]

"I know that he cried, baby... I know that he cried... and probably still does sometimes, because he'll never forget those hurts... but what's awesome is that, after a long time, he got to get outta there... he got to return home to his family and friends, and that's a good thing!"

[wiping her cheeks dry]
.
.
.
.
.
"But what is important to me... is that after doing a job that most people couldn't or wouldn't do and after getting hurt and punished for doing that tough job... he returned home and continued to love his country... continued to serve it... as a senator."
.
.
.
.
[*blink... not following]
.
.
.
.
"You know how Daddy wears a suit to work now, right?"

[nods]

"But Daddy didn't always wear suits... a long time ago, I wore an outfit from a fast food place, several of them in fact... then I wore camouflage for many, many years... got lots of education and experience... and now, I get to wear a suit to work in. It's kind of like being promoted. Sticking with it and trying your best at a job can get you even better jobs, it's like being rewarded for years of doing your best."

[Her eyes beam] "Like good grades on my spelling test get me stickers?!"

"Sure... something like that. You see... I think that the soldier worked for this country soooo long and loved the United States so much that he did a terribly tough job... but he did it his best, and even though he was hurt and punished by the people he was fighting against in that war, just for doing his job... he still loves his country and is proud to have served it and will fight every bit as hard for it now, as he did back then."

[putting my dukes up makes her giggle]

"I think loyalty should be rewarded, I think he followed orders... followed his country into war... survived it and continued to serve it after the war... and now, I believe he deserves to lead this Country, while serving it."

"So you are voting for the senator, right?"

[smiling at her]

"Actually, they both are senators... they both serve the United States in the legislature now... and both have done great things in those important jobs... but my vote to be President is for the one that served in the war, suffered for it, but always... ALWAYS loved his country. I don't necessarily agree with everything that he says he wants to do as President, but I believe in him... I trust in him... and that is why I voted for the solder."