Lean on me
Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there’s always tomorrowLean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean onIf there is a load you have to bear
That you can’t carry
I’m right up the road
I’ll share your load
If you just call meSo just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you’d understand
We all need somebody to lean on
I recently took an online test where you enter your view on hot political issues and how important you feel those issues are to you and America. After answering and rating thirty questions my results came back: I most agree with Obama’s politics.
This surprised me for a number of reasons. As far as politics go, I tend to lean to the right. I am a white Christian woman who grew up with white collar parents in a catholic home. My grandparents fought in wars and taught me the value of being an American and being proud of my country. I love fireworks and apple pie and baseball and country music (I love Toby Keith). I am an American and a Republican and proud of it.
After 9-11 I was angry. I wanted a leader who would rise up with the same anger and and righteousness I felt. I wanted a cowboy would would ride off into the distance with his guns blazing and defend my freedom and my rights and my country. I wanted answers. I wanted justice. I wanted war.
And I voted for the candidate who I thought would provide me with answers and action I needed.
Now, Four years later, I am not sure what I think or how I feel. I know that my best friend Brian went to Iraq for a year and a half to defend my freedom and came back bitter and sad and wanting change. He doesn’t believe in the war he fought, or the government he defended in the same way anymore.
I love and respect Brian more than almost man I know and think he is brave and strong. It is hard for me to know that he is so passionately against the things I thought I believed in and stood for. How I can believe in America and support our troops if the troops themselves don’t believe anymore? Who are we really fighting at this point? Where should we go from here and who should lead us?
Brian thinks the answer is Obama. He is passionate about Obama and spends weekends campaigning for him. He has taken me to campaign parties and introduced me to Obama supporters. And while I found it interesting and also found my quiz result interesting, it was and still is hard for me to let go of the right.
On Saturday Brian sent me a text message from Iowa. “I talked to him. He gave me a hug. I was crying because I gave him a poster of the people we lost in Iraq. He was so nice”
Today he sent me a link to a picture.
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama embraces U.S. soldier Brian Jesness during a campaign rally stop in Mason City, Iowa, December 15, 2007. Jesness came back from Iraq last July after serving for 16 months in An Nasiriyah, south of Baghdad.
REUTERS/Carlos Barria (UNITED STATES
And it gives me pause.
In that picture I see the man who I lean on, who is always strong and brave, leaning on and taking comfort and strength from someone he believes in and trusts.
And that just may be the thing that sways me.
