Emeline was born on February 3, 2010. This is my introduction of her to the world of political blogging. Consider it an open letter from me to her.Hi, sweet girl. Your mother and I are very excited you are here, healthy, and as happy as newborn babies seem to get.
It seems like forever ago since I announced your imminent arrival into this world on this blog. All the same things that were true then are true now. I'm still a Democrat, and I still have the same values, and I still have your Grandmommy and Grandaddy (who were most excited to meet you) to thank for that.
When you get a little older, and you're not totally embarrassed or annoyed with me, you'll discover that I'm fascinated with the passage of time. With that in mind, what you should know is that we remain in a precarious time in politics in our country. Despite the great progress we have made as a nation, we remain divided in a lot of ways.
I have a lot of hope that by the time you're old enough to be interested in politics, you'll have seen a lot of great progress, and we'll be less divided.
One of the ways I think we remain most divided is in our concept of service to others. What is our obligation to help our friends, neighbors, fellow countrymen? My personal answer is that it is really our only obligation, and that is the definition of real freedom.
Others would tell you that freedom means a lack of obligation to do anything for anyone at any time. They think that freedom means taking care of yourself, even if it is at the expense of others. Even if it means hurting other people.
Baby girl, as much as I want to tell you which side to take, which values to adopt, I won't. I'll simply lead by example, and hope that you choose wisely. I have a feeling you will.
I'm not going to lie to you, Emeline: it's a scary world out there, and right now, today, five days after you were born, I don't want you out there in it, ever. At all. The rational side of me knows that keeping things this way is an impossibility, but I can still lie to myself for a little while longer.
You'll go out into that mean world some day, Emeline, and no matter what side you take, I know you'll be a leader. A strong leader, too. You'll do what you think is right, and I'll always, always be proud of you.
Alright, so there are probably less than a half-dozen people who read this blog (to include Grandmommy, when her Internet connection is working). Those that do know I try to sometimes find a good song or YouTube video to end on. Of all the things I should have been worrying about with you, this one bothered me a lot because I struggled with it. Everything from AC/DC's Shoot to Thrill to Ohio Express singing Yummy Yummy Yummy had me sobbing uncontrollably with emotion (listening to the radio on the drive home from work before you were born were not some of Daddy's finest moments).
I got involved in politics and trying to help people a long time ago. When I first got started, this song was kind of a big deal. I'll tell you the whole story behind it some time.
In the meantime, your mother and I love you very much.
Congratulations, and welcome, Emeline! Sorry we left you such a messy place, but you'll get used to it.
Posted by: Mustang Bobby | February 11, 2010 at 04:16 AM