Together, red and blue, we'll see it through

Like many others during this post-election time, I’ve been dismayed about the current and impending efforts to drag our country back in time, to divide us and to silence us. I’ve been depressed about the alignment of team players who seem bent on eroding our basic civil rights, who (the wealthiest cabinet in the history of our country) are salivating over the unregulated possibility of further pillaging our natural resources - all in the name of greed and expediency.

I’ve cringed at every ill-tempered humorless tweet and have had that sinking feeling with each and every headline. I’ve felt overwhelmed by the imminent absence of necessary federal checks and balances - which simply helps erode the camaraderie of “we” giving way to the unnecessary lowest denominator of “us” vs. “them”.

But no more. I am determined to remain with those who remain resilient, who take care of themselves and others as one would during any other disaster that (temporarily) throws us into darkness. Resiliency and then reconciliation with those who voted differently than I, within my own party, across parties - with those who were hoodwinked (hacked?!) into thinking that those voted into power will care about, protect and serve the vulnerable and overlooked among us.

Reconciliation with those who voted self-righteously or who didn’t vote at all.

And finally, I am determined to resist that lowering of our civic and patriotic standards and accepting any new normal that suggests a wink and smile towards bigotry and exclusion.

This story was originally published January 12, 2017 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Together, red and blue, we'll see it through."