“Just Do It”

On most Thursday afternoons, nurse Sue Cox of Lakeview Presbyterian Church on the Northside of Chicago gathers the Lunch Bunch seniors on Zoom to share in Storytelling. After brainstorming on topics to write about, they then schedule when they will share their writing, usually, although not necessarily, a personal memoir of their experience of the chosen topic. The week of October 19th this year the Storytellers wrote on the topic of voting.

As a Cuban citizen Alicia Hadad lived through a dictatorship and a regime revolution rife with violence and violations of human rights. Today as a US citizen and resident of Chicago’s Northside, Alicia writes: “Voting for a US president for me is an act of gratitude and the least I can do to defend democracy a system that is not perfect, but it grants citizens the right to select their leaders that will change or resolve the issues they care about by their elected representatives. Democracy itself means rule by the people. Use, protect and appreciate our right to vote! Protect our freedom!“

Chicago Northside AARP Community Group’s Program Chair, Georgia Evans, shares the following encouraging words before our meeting next Tuesday, November 3: “With only days until the November 3rd election, I‘m not done yet, and may become a volunteer poll worker, like Jennifer, for Early Voting. It’s policy-not just the politics- that will influence the rest of my life like Social Security & Medicare for which Ann Marie advocates, and social involvement with like minded and opposing view individuals that drives me. If my then one percent vision mother could stuff largest to smallest campaign literature for me to hand out with then senate candidate Obama, and ninety-three year old hospice neighbor can write post cards into a hotly contested race this year, how will you answer Betty O’Shaunnesy  on Nov.3-“What did You Do for this Election?”. It’s not too late-quoting a Nike campaign-”JUST DO IT”!!!