As you know, I haven’t written much about politics during this election season. I don’t tend to talk much about politics on this blog, but it does come up from time to time. As we are now about a week past the election of our first African-American President, it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on some of the things that have made me hopeful, angry and filled with mixed emotions.

I’m hopeful. I voted for Barack Obama. I doubt that is any surprise to you if you’ve been following my Twitter/Facebook comments throughout the past few weeks. It was never a question for me that Obama would get my vote. I first heard of Barack Obama during a family reunion in Illinois, summer of 2004. My grandpa (and all of my other Mennonite cousins and aunts and uncles) were talking about how this was a politician that we could actually put some hope in – that he was someone who cared about social justice, the poor and was someone to keep an eye on. I figured if he’s good enough for my Mennonite relatives, he’s someone I should try and keep up on.

Of course, I forgot about him a few months after that until his name started coming up for the Presidential race. Once he received the nomination, there was no question in my mind, I would vote for Barack Obama.

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