I Needed a "Little Christmas" This Week

(My granddaughter's snowmen)

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I’ve felt much like these snowmen since last Wednesday morning when I woke up to the election results.

Deflated.

I have felt four stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, and depression.

I won’t make it to stage five.

I won’t accept this “new world order,” and I won’t allow fear to take hold.

I recall, at nearly ten years old, watching a candidate and others surrounding him shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on our family room TV. It was shocking, yet I was unable to look away.

I looked at it in disbelief. Was this real?

Why would someone do this? Even at that young age, I knew Bobby Kennedy was respected and loved by many.

Why did this happen? To make matters worse, the newscasters replayed highlights of his brother, President JFK’s funeral, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King serving as a stark reminder of our past.

It seemed the world was coming to an end.

Our true leaders were being silenced. Our values of peace, equality, unity, and justice were questioned. The safety and stability of the United States was examined. Our nation was changing.

I feel this same way today, only for now, I avoid the news. I can’t bear the replay.

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(This quote has been making the rounds on social media this week. Beautiful reminder)

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I am quite aware that some of my friends and family have different political views. I am willing to hold space for them as long as their differing opinions are not forced on me.

Nor do I intend to force my opinions onto them.

I believe we are all good people with loving families and giving hearts.

It is ok that they no longer read my posts or that I no longer follow them on social media.

They feel compelled to write, to express their feelings, and so do I. That is a fundamental freedom, one I pray we never lose.

However, I will be selective with anyone new that I let into my world, online or otherwise.

Still, I genuinely believe we are more alike than we are unlike.

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I need time to process what has happened and calm my fears for our country’s future, my family’s future, and the world we leave our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I know that sticking my head in the sand isn’t going to work this time.

Changes aren’t going away. I believe we are being compelled to look inward and unite our collective strength for the crucial fight to save our ideals and freedom. We need to defend our constitution and our rights. It’s just so maddening that we must repeatedly fight the same battles.

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So, I needed to find a little joy this week. I needed to feel a bit less depressed. I needed a “Little Christmas.” I needed a little hope.

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I donated to the ACLU this week. I feel more proactive and less helpless in doing so.

It’s one way forward.

For today, I am grateful for distractions, the beauty in the world, the Holidays to look forward to, and the freedom to express myself.

I am grateful for my desire to find joy amid despair.

I am most grateful for family, good friends, and those of you who have read my post today and in the past.

Thank you for reading!

Keep smiling!

xx