Aftermath

Aftermath: resultant conditions: aftereffects collectively

Given the definition, there appear to have been several aftereffects of last night!

Firstly, there were no fireworks last night. The predicted weather arrived and we had heavy rain and high winds. This morning, my garden looked a little worse for wear. There were roses and petals over the ground (the yellow 'ball' on the ground in the photo is a perfectly formed and opened rose that the wind obviously removed from its branch) and lots of tiny green plums. The roses will recover and with less fruit on the branches, hopefully the plum trees will put all their energy into growing bit fat ripe plums by mid-summer. No trees appear to be down and we still have power, so there is much to be thankful for.

Secondly, last night we learnt the results of the American presidential election. I'm not going to discuss the results but I do wonder: What will be the aftermath of such an election?

Thirdly, last night we also watched the election debate between our own two major parties, keeping in mind that the election is this coming Saturday. I thought I'd pretty much made up my mind - that is until someone in the audience asked both leaders: What are you going to do about the thousands of unborn children killed each year? Both basically answered the same: Nothing.

Then they were asked if they believed in God. One said: No because nothing has ever been proved; and the other: No but I respect others that do. Both then went on to say that they believed that they lived by Christian principles. They won't change our abortion laws or the same s*x union bill and both voted for the anti-smacking (spanking) bill, yet they claim to live by Christian principles. Obviously it's a long time since either of them read their Bible or stepped inside a church!

After what I heard last night I can no longer vote for the party I intended to vote for. Even though it's less than two days until our polling booths open, I'm now doing some serious researching on the other parties. I think I've found one that I can in good conscience vote for.

Recently I read these verses from Deuteronomy 4: 6-9:

Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons (KJV).

If only such words could be said about our own nation ...