Early to bed, early to rise, early to vote

In all honesty, on a regular basis I rarely do the first one, and the second one is fairly accurate.

But, I definitely did the third thing this morning.

Patience has never been one of my virtues, and waiting until March 15 to mark my ballot lacked appeal, so I sashayed over to the Public Library in Palm Beach Gardens to cast my early vote in the 2016 Presidential election.

It is done, and I have the sticker to prove it. 

I admit every time I cast a vote in any election I am struck with the magnitude of what it means, and I am at a loss as to why everyone does not exercise this right.

For me, it is not only about my voice being heard via my vote; I never fail to think about the brave women in history who fought and won the fight for this freedom.

It is my wish that my granddaughter will be schooled in the importance of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1920, and fully understand the importance of the meaning of the word, Suffragette.

Even though the voting process this morning was a little chaotic (they have some organizational kinks to iron out for better flow), as I watched my ballot slide silently into the machine, I felt a swell of pride within.  Pride and gratitude that women before me had the courage to step up, go against the tide and fight for the right to vote. 

Ladies of the early 20th Century, I bow to you and what you did for all women to this day. 

Let us hope, in the current political climate, the issues of women are not taken back into the Dark Ages.
I want my beautiful granddaughter to value and appreciate the importance of fairness for all, and especially the sufferage movement. I hope, when she becomes of age, she will demonstrate bravery and stand by her convictions and never take protected rights in this free country for granted.

​I certainly do not.

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