God Intervenes
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020 the day of the election had arrived. At 5 a.m. I headed to Brooklyn to cast my ballot. It was a towering challenge for me to return to Brooklyn to vote. I didn’t have to. New York State was a sure thing for Mr. Biden. Having arrived in Brooklyn I went by our home to pick up papers and to check on things. From there I drove to our church about seven blocks away. Because of the virus, I no longer worked from the office but from our home. I parked my car at the church and walked to the Barclays Center four blocks away. My wife, Dr. Karen Daughtry told me that is where I should vote this time. Arriving at the Barclays Center I was informed that my voting place was the Senior Citizens Center (my usual voting site). Now another walk of several long blocks to Carlton Street, the location of the Senior Center.
First, I must confess I was a little piqued with my wife for giving me the wrong address. They were voting at the Barclays Center for the early voters. But I remember she told me that old people didn’t have to wait on line. This information would prove useful later. When I arrived at the Senior Citizens Center, the line was around the corner, about a half a block up Atlantic Avenue almost to Vanderbilt Avenue. Remembering what my wife told me about accommodations for the elders, I went past the line straight into the building, where the voting was occurring. I stopped at the reception desk and told the receptionist that I got ahead of the line because of my age. I wanted to head off anyone who would criticize me for having gone to the head of the line. The receptionist smiled and said, “It’s okay” and directed me to the desk where two men sat. I was handed my ballot and directed to the machine where I would vote. I went to the booth and marked my preferences. I was then directed to another machine across the room. I was shown where to place my ballot- on both sides, the back side for judges. I was surprised that Assemblyman Walter Mosley had lost the Democratic primary and was on the Working People’s Party line. When I returned to my car, I discovered that I had lost my phone. I retraced my steps and found the phone in the church office.
So around 6:30 a.m. I returned home in New Jersey. I was very pleased with myself, as I stated, I didn’t really have to vote. New York State was Biden’s country. But because I didn’t have to and still put myself through the challenges of awakening at 4 a.m. and driving to Brooklyn, then walking from place to place. I really felt ecstatic and grateful. In a little more than two months, I will be 90 years old and to be able to awaken early in the morning, drive to and fro from Jersey to Brooklyn, and walk from place to place still feeling energetic at the conclusion, I felt overwhelmingly grateful.
I must say however what inspired me was watching the long lines of voters in the city after city across America. Day after day people stood in the rain, they brought babies in carriages, and the old and the young showed extraordinary determination to vote. They inspired me to get up and get out to vote. Again deep in my spirit, I will always be pleased that I voted even when I didn’t have to. Then I thought of how I would feel after strenuously and vigorously urging everyone to vote and there I was a non-voter.
After eating or drinking breakfast, breakfast for me consists of water, juices, and a smoothie of oatmeal, chia flax seeds, apple, walnuts, and ginger with almond milk. I settled in to watch television through the day into the night -in fact, the next several days and nights.
All day long Wednesday, November 4th I watched television on CNN, and MSNBC, and gathering superhuman strength I watched Fox 5 News. At first, Mr. Trump was leading by substantial margins, but I felt the wind of change blowing in the election as the day progressed.
Georgia was crucial at this point. It would block Mr. Trump’s path to victory in the electoral college voting. He could arrive at a tie and that would throw the election into the House of Representatives.
I had cut short my weekly prayer conference call on Wednesday night. I do conference call prayer and open mic Monday-Friday. I wanted to be present via the television when Mr. Biden won Georgia— YES GEORGIA! The hours moved on and the wind blew harder 9p.m., 10p.m., and 11p.m. And the wind kept blowing across Georgia to Chatham County where sits Savannah. Savannah is special to me. It is where I was born and spent the first 11 years of my life. Around 2 a.m. I was conquered by SLEEP. I tried ever so hard to stay awake. I knew the vote that would put Mr. Biden ahead would come at some point. Usually, my biological clock awakens me at my command, but this time it failed me. I was disappointed I wanted to be awake for this historic moment.
Then, early Thursday morning after 4:30 a.m. it was announced that Mr. Biden was the projected winner of Wisconsin and Michigan. Later it was announced that Biden was leading in Arizona and Nevada (and was projected winner at 11:21 a.m.) In Pennsylvania, the half-a-million vote lead of Mr. Trump was being wiped away. And then came Georgia and the wind of change was doing what many thoughts was impossible, blowing away pieces of the old South and blowing in a new day.
Suddenly I was startled awake, it was 5 a.m. I slept for 3 hours. I heard the voices of CNN’s Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon discussing how Mr. Biden had moved ahead in Georgia. I looked at the board where the votes were counted and there it was, Mr. Biden had taken the lead by 917 votes - 49.4% totaling 2,449,371 and Mr. Trump by 49.4% totaling 2,448,454. It was Clayton County that pushed Biden ahead. I had hoped it would be Chatham County. However, Clayton County is the home of Congressman John Lewis so it seemed right that Clayton County would be the count that pushed Biden ahead. Throughout the day Thursday, Mr. Biden’s lead was steadily increasing. Also, Mr. Biden’s lead in Arizona and Nevada was increasing. Friday, November 6th at 11:30 am Mr. Biden was the projected winner of Georgia.
To be continued...