Barack's Closing Argument and My Reflection

Yesterday my father walked in the house with his sample ballot in hand and asked me if I had gotten mine. I said that I hadn't checked and when I did I found 3 other samples*. My dad asked what was the sample for and after I explained it he realized that there was a bunch of people on the ballot to be president. My father isn't the most computer savvy person in the world but he took it upon himself to check out what he could find on the Internet of them. Crazy. About an hour went by and my grandfather came downstairs and asked me what the sample ballot was about and for me to explain it to him.* While I was telling him about it he stopped me and said "I don't care about none of that other stuff just tell me where I check for Obama*". Crazy.

Now I want to explain how those series of events are crazy and where you see the *s means that those parts are really crazy.lol.

Four years ago only 1 sample ballot came to the house and it was for me. Earlier this year when everybody started announcing that they were running my sister registered and after her guy (I can't remember his name right now) lost she went for Obama and has been pushing for him ever since. My father started asking me questions about Obama in mid summer and I gave him Obama's first book to read. He asked about registering soon after because he wasn't sure of the laws because he's a resident of Puerto Rico.

So that's what my first * was about. I felt something; a strange feeling as I reached for my sample and saw my father holding his and my sister's still waiting for her.

My father is very to himself and pretty much so is my whole family. We can walk around the house all day and have no idea what's going on in each others life. But I know my father never really expressed any opinion towards politics around me until now. I never saw him watch MSNBC or Fox News or CNN. Growing up I would walk past my folks' room and see local news and the part they REALLY cared about was the weather..lol. But now when I walk past I see MSNBC or CNN on all the time. Now when me and my dad talk he always tells me about how stupid the stuff about Obama is. It's crazy that only a year ago I was the only one thinking politics and now my house is full of it. Even my mom has an opinion on things... Damn I love Obama...lol

Now for my other 2 *s...

My relationship with my grandfather soured over the years and it started when I started feeling funny when he would have jokes or comments of Puerto Ricans or Blacks. Then one day my mom told me that he disowned her because she got pregnant by a Puerto Rican. I hadn't come to terms with it until my daughter was born and when I saw the love in that mans eyes. I knew from that day on his opinion or whatever thoughts he had had melted.

I think my grandfather has been a citizen for at least 10 years and I never knew he voted and the fact that he asked me about the sample ballot I really figured this is the first time he is going to vote. So what drove my grandfather to finally vote?

As I said before I know that now my grandfather is a changed man but I would have never figured he changed to the point that he would vote for a black man. Or at least CARE to vote for a black man.

These events have me choked as I write this. 5 years ago I was going to my town hall meetings and nobody in my family cared. Now maybe things will change. Maybe I can listen to them complain instead of my cursing them out in my head for not doing anything about the government.

A CHANGE IS GOING TO COME!