The girls and I surprised Poppa at the watch party on Tuesday night for the primary election for state representative.  After a clean race with integrity and unwavering values, unfortunately he did not get the job.  My Dad is a Republican and a Christian, always has been, always will be.  His opponent has been a liberal Democrat (by voting record) for the past 10 years and changed parties in this election for only one of two possible reasons.  Either one, out of expediency because East Texas is turning Republican and he won the last election by 114 votes (turning him into a Republican in name only) or two, he had a Paul at Damascus type experience where everything he once stood for (in voting record) out of the blue, changed.  Either way, to me, it’s shady, seems parrot-like, and I don’t like it.

When an incumbent outspends you 39:1, it’s comparable to David and Goliath.  But we had such hope that the "western cowboy," who is just "one of us," with steadfast faith and values, would come in and save the day.  In Cindy’s recent family update, she wrote, "Whether I have hope or not will not change the situation we are in. More important than hope is love. We definitely have that… every minute of every day. Love never fails, love never changes, love never waivers. Our family has love and no one or nothing on this earth can take that away!"  That’s how I feel about this defeat, however on an incomparable scale.  Noelle is really confused about the situation and even asked if the other guy got a trophy.  Kind of miffed, she is still talking about the outcome, smarting off, "Well, Poppa won our hearts!"

Here’s to healing on Wednesday:

"Noelle!!!  Stop picking Rara’s flowers!  What little she has left in her yard in the winter, oh my, oh dear, stop child!!!," I’m screaming from the window and running out the front door.  In the meantime, my mom is scurrying around the kitchen packing up leftover ham, bread, fruit, etc. from the party last night into brown handled bags. 

I ran outside to scold Noelle, but she and Rara had a plan.  "Mom, Rara and I are taking food and flowers to people who need them today.  Okay?"  Floored, I said, "Okay."

We drove into a poor little neighborhood, and Rara told me which houses to go to.  At one, a bald old lady with cancer was waiting on her front porch for us in tears to receive the food and flowers and experience a young energetic child handing them to her saying, "God bless you!".  Tears came to my eyes and my heart filled with deep joy.  This is who we are.  We help those in need when no one is looking (however I’m telling you now, so oh well to the whole stars in the crown thing), we smell God in the beauty of his creation (Noelle teaches me to use my senses to feel him near), we love, and when we lose hope in the "system" and in our current situations, we hope that God will work things out for good, beauty for ashes at the very end of our story. 

                     

 

 

Poppa, we love you and couldn’t be more proud of you!

Rara, you are the best mother and wife anyone could dream up!  We love you too and girl, you know how to throw a party!!!