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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Inauguration Day


I just had a spiritual experience. . . in public school, no less.
While volunteering in Briggs's k/1 class this morning, I was able to watch the swearing in of our 44th president with the class. The kids were very excited, as their teacher had prepared them well for this occasion. I was just as excited to see President Obama come out on this solemn occasion with his beautiful family. I feel comforted this morning by our nation's choice for President. I feel like he has a vested interest in the future of this nation because of his young girls. What a wonderful thing to share with these kids.
Many of the taboos that society has placed on classrooms were ignored, in honor of tradition and what this nation is truly about. . . God.
The official Bible was shown and discussed. The definition of "invocation" was explained and the children realized that when the prayer was being said, they were to be quiet. Many children had their arms folded and heads bowed. When the prayer came to a close, there were scattered "Amens" around the class, myself, the teacher, and the other parent volunteer included.
My hopes:
  • That this invocation will not be the last I ever hear in a classroom.
  • That President Obama will help us lift up this nation to be great again for our children.
  • That more people will remember that it is God who made this nation, through the hands of men who feared God.
  • That God will continue to "Bless America"

7 comments:

Clint and Gillian said...

wow kate thats pretty powerful. thanks for sharing that experience, i fully agree!!

Annessa said...

That is awesome! What a great experience for you to share with your son. I'm very impressed by his teacher...and your insights. Thanks for sharing!

sgmom said...

I'm impressed with his family, but let's see now if he can really keep the promises he made. That's a pretty tall order for an inexperienced and naive young man.

olivia (tringham) lyman said...

Kate,
I have been pondering your words for the past couple days. They have troubled me deeply, and although I do not usually comment, I really feel I must say something. I know we are all entitled to our own opinion, and I respect yours as much as anybody. Ever since you were the Institute secretary, I have looked up to you. As a young freshman at Cal Poly, I thought of you as an experienced, wise girl whom I could exemplify. That is why your words surprised me. Perhaps we are not thinking of the same prayer, but did not the invocation state: May yellow be more mellow; may white choose right? How could these racist words have invoked the Spirit? Did you not know that Obama fully intends to sign the Choice Act, where full-term, healthy babies are left to die simply because of facial blemishes (ie cleft-palate?) We have our own version of genocide, and it is on newborn infants. I know this sounds unbelievable, and I ask that you think about what you really stand for. Why give 10% to the Lord if you believe in the killing of innocent babies? I know He doesn't. This is just what I have been feeling in my heart. I truly hope that you are not offended, for I did not mean to in anyway. I am simply asking: why? Please, I would love to know your thoughts and insights. Feel free to comment back.

SLO Rober said...

Dear Olivia,

This is Brian responding back to your comment, so please credit these remarks to me and not to Kate. Although I know Kate and I are on the same page with this one.

You are mistaken in your prayers. You are referring to the benediction and not the invocation, of which Kate was referring to. Please check your references. I agree with you whole heartedly that the benediction was out of line. Knowing Kate, do you honestly think she would have endorsed such filth in front of a bunch of Kindergartners? Luckily, they had turned it off by the end. But please to not mix up 2 totally different prayers.

Since when does paying tithing have anything to do with who is President of the United States? We are not going to agree with everything President Obama does while in office. I doubt anyone in this country will agree 100%. However, that doesn’t mean run to the bomb shelters and cry over spilt milk. What’s done is done. We live in a Democracy and President Obama won the election. There is nothing you or anybody is going to do about it.

Whether we always agree or not, we pledge our support to this county. I hope that this new Presidency brings change and hope to a county that talks nothing except doom and gloom right now. We don’t agree with abortion, but how on earth does Kate’s spiritual experience in my son’s classroom have ANYHTING to do with that? She wasn’t making any political statements, but simply putting a little spiritually back into an unspiritual world. Re-read it. If you get anything else out of that post, then please forgive me.

Kate is still that same person you knew at the institute. She is a profound teacher, mother and member of the church. She lives her life in a way that makes me proud to be her wife. Please don’t call out our intentions. Our convictions and spiritual matters are ours and ours alone to decide. That being said, please re-read the post. I think you missed completely what she was saying. God bless this country, and everybody who has the faith to move forward and do their best to improve it.

olivia (tringham) lyman said...

You are right, it was the benediction and not the invocation. I apologize. And no, abortion and paying tithing have nothing to do with Kate's post. I guess I was appealing to Kate on a moral note. Kate had said that she hopes President Obama will help lift up our nation and my point was that I don't see how funding world-wide abortions and allowing healthy infants to be left to die is making our nation greater. And the tithing thing was just a way of saying that I don't think the Lord is in accordance with a man who would do these things. And why Kate was thinking a man who would want these things done, would be capable of lifting up our nation? Maybe he will economically, that remains to be seen. I was just speaking about moral issues. I am happy that she had a spiritual experience in the classroom with her son. It is rare to hear a prayer being said or a Bible displayed in schools, and I commend his teacher. Again, I am sorry if my words offended either you or Kate.

-Olivia

Anonymous said...

Hey guys! A big shout out to you all! You guys must be coming up on a decade together since you got married and decided to put down roots in SLO Town. Congrats!

Kate does a great job keeping everyone up to speed on your guys’ speedy life! I was just taking a break from my stats homework at the library (ugh!) and started some blog-hopping. Stumbled back on to yours and found this post…

I gotta say… you gotta hand it to Kate just for sharing an experience that meant something to her spiritually at the risk of mixing religion and politics. Especially since some (or many) of the people that are linked to her blog, might not share her same approval or hopes for the new president.

Admittedly, I am one who didn’t vote for him - not that the republican candidate was someone I felt I could get behind, either.

I’m ashamed to say that I don’t remember Olivia from 3rd ward. Granted, I came home from my mission and got married in record time. She definitely sounds educated, politically. If all voters were as educated as she is, regardless of how they voted, the country would be a better place.

But, what a great experience Kate had. What a great nation we live in! Her post was about a patriotic, historic, democratic event – the morning of the Inauguration – and about her chance to experience it with Briggs. It wasn’t the “mourning” of the Inauguration! Regardless of who we each voted for, what we all can hope for is that our country has turned over a new leaf and can continue to be a force for good at home and abroad.

Despite what we might think, the president has much less power to enact policy than congress does, and frankly, they are the one’s that I’d be worried about. Yet we continue to vote these same congressmen back into office. If we don’t like the Choice Act, we need to change Congress. Single Party rule was the main negative consequence of this last election.

As for the president, I think what he does have a profound power to do is to change the tone of politics. And he seems to be doing just that – changing the tone. Watch this short video with snippets of 5 interviews he did today to respond to the news of Daschle’s tax issues. You'd never have caught his predecessor talking like that!

All that said, I also noticed that Kate’s labels for this post were “Briggs, God, religion, school.” Nothing about politics :). Obviously it was her intention to share a great spiritual experience she had with her son. Keep it up Kate! And, stay motivated, Olivia! And, Grasshoppa - get back to work!

OK – back to stats… :(
Ben