Looking for Some Light

I remember an elderly woman I used to know who told me she was old enough to remember the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. She grew up in the mining country of North Idaho and her family was grateful for all the things had he had done. She was four years old when Roosevelt died and when her father told her, she burst into tears and cried, “Oh, Daddy. Whatever will we do now?!?” On election night, when people chose vulgarity and lack of morality over decency and intelligence, I felt very much like that little girl. Whatever will we do now?!? Here’s what I hope people will do: Be kind. Welcome strangers into our homes. Help take care of the people who are most vulnerable. Share the resources we have. Be resilient. Hang onto our basic belief in human decency. Remember the words of Martin Luther King, “Don’t let them get you to hate them.”

Photo courtesy EvgeniT at Pixabay.com