“Ek is jou man”, hy het vir my gesê.
“Jy kan nie van my afloop nie.
Jy is myne vir altyd en altyd en altyd.”
Ek kyk na wel die sterre,
terwyl ons op die soetgras en rooi aard lê.
Ek wonder, ek mymer,
“Kou my toekoms met hierdie man, 
hierdie wonderlike man,
hierdie seun van Afrika,
soos daardie sterre wees?”

Ek ruik sy cologne en streel sy wang.
Sy soene smaak na groenappels,
en hy neem my hand.

Ek sluit my oë en sug.

Ai! Wat is ek doen?
Dis ‘n gekke ding,
‘n baie dome ding,
maar ek kan net smelt
terwyl die vlame van sy hartsog
verteer heeltemal my liggaam en siel.

Sal ek vir hierdie ding na hemel of hel toegaan?
God. Almagtige God. Allerhoogste God.
Hy het eers van my soos die reën en die wind gekom.
Ek kon nie hom weerstaan nie
want hy het met sy magiek en sange afgerokkel,
en het nuwe wêrelds 
in die woestyn van my lewe 
met belofte, met mooiheid bloemgemaak. 
Hy het nooit my vertrek nie,
maar altyd my vasgehou.

Ek weet nie wat die toekoms gaan aandra nie,
maar ek nader na hom,
ek rus in sy arme,
ek antwoord, ek fluister,
saggies, maar baie saggies,
sonder twyfel, sans twyfel,
“Ja, jy is my man,
my pragtige man, my fraaie man,
my sterke man.
Ek sien in jou God,
my God, onse God,
onse barmhartige God.
Vergeef my. Ek is joune. 
Vir altyd en altyd en altyd.”

"But we have this Treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

It is written: 'I believed; therefore I have spoken.' Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God."

Thanks be to God. Things that we plan for our lives may have been crushed, but we ourselves are not crushed, knowing that Jesus is with us, and just as Christ died and rose again, so shall we die to ourselves and rise in God's Kingdom.

...and it's All Souls Day too. I'm heading off to my hometown of Milpitas, California around 16h00 to vote. Voting usually takes place in schools and churches, and I got assigned my old middle school, Rancho Milpitas Middle School. So I'll head there after classes so I can avoid the flood of kiddies running out of classes and vote in relative peace and quiet. Plus, I'll avoid the evening rush to vote after 18h00.

So here's the run down of who/what I'll be voting for today.

FEDERAL

Senator: Barbara Boxer – Democrat

US Congress, District 15: Mike Honda – Democrat

STATE

Governor: Jerry Brown – Democrat

Lieutenant Governor: Gavin Newsom – Democrat

Secretary of State: Debra Brown – Democrat

Controller: John Chiang – Democrat

Treasurer: Bill Lockyer – Democrat

Attorney General: Steve Cooley – Republican

Insurance Commissioner: Dave Jones – Democrat

Superintendent of Public Instruction: Tom Tolakson – Democrat

State Board of Equalization, District 1: Betty Yee – Democrat

State Senator, District 10: Ellen Corbett – Democrat

State Assembly, District 20: Bob Wieckowski – Democrat 

Confirmation of Judges:

Ming Chin: Yes

Carlos Moreno: Yes

Tani Cantil-Sakauye: Yes

Conrad Rushing: Yes

COUNTY

Nothing in this election for my district.

CITY

Mayor of the City of Milpitas: Rob Means – Green

City Council:

Althea Polanski

Gary Roope

Nancy Mendizabal

Carmen Montano

PROPOSITIONS

Proposition 19: Yes

Proposition 20: Yes

Proposition 21: Yes

Proposition 22: Yes

Proposition 23: No

Proposition 24: No

Proposition 25: No

Proposition 26: Yes

Proposition 27: No