It is the last day of February which this year happens to be February 29. I haven't posted since the last day of January so this is as good a time as any to try and get at least a little caught up.
It's been a busy month of dinners, appearances, planning and ordering and receiving items, all related to the campaign. It's been hectic but actually fun in many ways - my favorite part is talking to the people, even the people who express concerns about my Court or maybe even are upset with me. I've had some good conversations with those folks and truly have enjoyed visiting with lots of folks around Harrison and Doddridge Counties. And I look forward to meeting and talking with a lot more people!
Tonight, four other judges and I are meeting for dinner, our "Quarterly North Central Regional Judicial Summit." We started doing this a couple of years ago and take turns "hosting" - tonight is being hosted by Judge Born of Marion County. It's a wonderful time for us to visit, network, and just relax. I'm sure it has made me a better judge - of course, regarding our cases, we can only talk in generalities and not get too specific due to confidentiality - but it just helps to talk, throw ideas around, say "here's what worked for me," etc. Of those of us who will be meeting this evening, since our last "Summit" in November, it's developed that all of us but one have competition in the upcoming election - so that will be a topic of discussion as well. The one judge who does not have competition this go-round did last time so she will be able to relate to the rest of us so far as that's concerned -
There are 73 days till the election and I'm definitely resting on the fact that God's in control. If He closes this door He will open another. Someone said to me, "If you really believe God is in control of the election, why are you spending your time and money and effort on campaigning?," to which I responded, "I think He wants me to try!" This experience reminds me of what I've always said to my kids, and the youth I've worked with across the years, is the greatest lesson I've ever learned about God's will - God will never mislead you, but sometimes he will direct you down a path that you wouldn't choose to go on if you didn't think you were going to reach a certain goal, but He doesn't want you actually to reach the goal but instead, to wind up somewhere else. In other words, there's sometimes a surprise turn in the road, but this doesn't mean God has tricked us - it means he lovingly has guided us along a certain path because there are lessons He wants us to learn that we could learn in no other way, and that we will be able to apply for His glory when we get to where he does want us to wind up.
I'm optimistic about winning the election but remain very respectful of my candidate - I consider her a very, very formidable opponent. I have nothing bad to say about her, and will not, and nor will anyone who is speaking with my authority.
Four years ago today, President Aristide was ousted from Haiti with the help of the United States. This is of concern to me and my family because of our work, and our friends, in Haiti. It was a good thing, we think, but there's been a lot of unrest in Haiti since then - there always is some, it seems, but there's been a more significant U.N. presence in Fort Liberte, the town we focus on, since then. I myself haven't been since 1996 but I'm hoping that our youngest and I will get to go with my wife next Spring (2009), Lord willing -
Other than to promise I'll try to be more faithful to making entries here (famous last words?!?!) I must go and get some work done - signing off for now -
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