We Are All in This Together!

My biggest memory of the night of the election of 2016: my husband is in bed asleep and I am in the living room watching anything but election coverage while checking the polls here and there. My son walks out of his bedroom and says “Mom, this can’t be right, they are saying he won”, with a very panicked look on his face. So I looked. And I sat there and cried. I cried because my gut instinct had told me that he was going to win several weeks before and I had tried to ignore it. I knew better than to ignore it because it has never been wrong, not once.

I cried for my country and for my son’s future. I still cry to this day. I knew that we were getting ready to enter a very dangerous period in our history. I had watched what the Republicans had been doing for years. They always seem to want to hurt people and I never understood why and I still don’t. And I knew who this man was and is. I knew that he had hurt many people already and I knew that he was nothing but a con man. The only thing I had never been able to figure out is if he is just truly some uneducated dolt or a very savvy con man. Well I believe that he is both a dolt and a conman. The fear that began to get stronger in me became overwhelming and it’s never gone away. I know I’m not alone in this because of social media. I read people’s comments daily that could be my very own words and I connect with so many people.

The daily onslaught is mind-numbing: I really can’t wrap my head around the crazy that is happening. I grew up in the 60s and 70s but I was very protected in my little small Oklahoma town. I didn’t truly know the gravity of the history that was happening until after I was married and I started watching more documentaries, etc. I so admired all of those that were out there peacefully protesting as well as not so peacefully protesting during those times. They made sure that I as a woman have rights. They fought to give others the rights that they should have had all along. They fought to stop am unjust war. They fought.

I never imagined that we would have to fight the same fights all over again. And I admit I’m scared. But I’m angry too. I have to put that anger towards doing something about this. I may not be able to go and physically protest, but there are things I can do. I can continue to help to resist the taking over our country by some really evil people. I can join my voice with millions of other people.

I truly believe, especially since the midterms, that there are many out there that are not looking at themselves as Republicans or Democrats or anything else except for American citizens and human beings that cannot and will not condone the absolutely horrific things that are occurring in this country right now in front of our eyes.

I feel we are truly in a fight for the very life of this country. We cannot be complacent here. We cannot fight with each other over things that don’t matter. We cannot be distracted from the fact that our country is truly being taken over buy some truly abhorrent people. We must find a way to stay on track and get factual messages out there to everyone we can possibly reach. I am seeing the comments from people that are finally seeing the truth.

I know I have no direct personal control over anything that happens on a national scale. Together is different. Together we can win this fight.

If you’re like me and itching for ways to get involved, here are some ideas:

• Write postcards to voters from home! https://postcardstovoters.org
• Text voters: https://www.demandthevote.com/text-banking
• Call your Reps (it really matters!): https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
• Help the #BlueWave: https://my.democrats.org/page/s/help-elect-democrats