My Dad was one of those people who rarely got discouraged. Nearly every day of his life he woke up singing some little ditty of a song. If something was making any of us anxious, angry, or upset he would say, “This too, shall pass.” 

Last week those words would cross my brain. And while I knew they were true, I was unsure what the outcome would be, and what the next lesson was that I needed to learn. 

Those four little words seem inadequate for the changes we are seeing on a daily basis right now. A friend of mine told me on Monday that something big is coming to shake up the current status quo. 

I have been seeing a huge dark cloud coming. I need to paint it and get it out of my head. I pray daily for all those we have elected to become strong and remember the words of the oath they took to defend the constitution of our country. 

I continue to copy and add meaningful scriptures daily to encourage myself and others. I share  political social media posts in an effort to educate as many people as possible with factual information and ramifications of the appalling decisions from the oval office. 

I don’t drive much anymore and I become anxious when I am out in public-even in the grocery store. I experience shortness of breath and occasional dizziness. I am able to center myself and take a few deep breathes to make it quickly pass, but I would rather not have it happen at all. So going to a demonstration surrounded shoulder to shoulder with strangers is the last thing I want to do. 

“The power of the people is greater than the people in power.” This was a quote shared by Corey Booker at the end of his more that 24 hour speech. Did you see him? He spoke for more that 24 hours and didn’t look tired. He was eloquent and intelligent. He was inspirational and challenged all of us to do our part and stand up against the inequity, selfishness, and hatred being expressed and demonstrated in Washington. 

Last week I was afraid and emotionally beat up. By Monday I had finished working on my taxes, the money that was stolen from me was returned, and I received a new debit card in the mail. A weight was lifted.The crisis in my personal life had passed. I could buy groceries and pay my rent without fear.

That is a privilege not everyone has. We all have different paths to walk. Some are born to wealth and privilege, some spend years working hard for just enough to pay the bills every month and put a little away for their old age, and some work more than one job, struggle to feed their children and provide shelter for them. They have nothing left at the end of the month and rely on the goodness of others for medical care and school supplies for the children. 

I have no right to criticize the difficult decisions they make. We do not have a society of fairness. We never have. Occasionally we have made strides to shrink the chasms between the wealthy and the impoverished, but they remain. And innocent children are the most impacted. 

We have people in the wealthiest country in the world living in shacks without running water. They work in our hospitals and hotels. They wash dishes, clean floors, and bathrooms. They care for our children and then go home so exhausted they struggle to provide for the basic needs of their own families. 

And the super rich don’t want to pay taxes for the paltry minimal assistance for the basic needs of food, shelter, and medical care of these families. I would love for those men who hold the purse strings of our nation to have to live one day like these brave, strong, people. To have to keep their mouths shut when they are ridiculed. To have to sleep on a pallet on the floor without a blanket, and to have no hot shower to wash away the sweat that coats their body after a day of physical work. And when injured to have to suck it up and continue on. Each day the same as the day before. 

Do you want to judge those who are beneath you? First walk a day in their shoes. Feel the painful muscles, the empty stomach, the cold of the day without an adequate coat. Work day after day, after day without hope of it ever changing. Without a raise. Without a thank you. Without being looked in the eye acknowledging you are a human being. 

We can’t let this continue. We have to speak up. We have to vote. We have to stop the train that is flying off the tracks toward the destruction of everything our country was built on. 

Our leaders are being manipulated. The are showing their lack of intelligence, their ignorance, and we are all in danger. 

I don’t think I’m being over dramatic. I see Putin as an enormous threat to our way of life. I see a cabinet of men drunk on power, playing a video game with our lives. But Americans banned together in a common goal have the ability to stop the aggression. 

While I don’t want an event like the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest, those students made an impact that the whole world noticed. I have a feeling that more of us are disgusted with our leaders than they realize. We are always more powerful together. We have the right to peaceful protest and can take note of the impact Dr Martin Luther King Jr. made. I also believe God is on our side. Our leaders are pushing an agenda built on hatred and oppression. God is rooting for love and equality. He always has. He made each human being unique and perfect in his image. All living things are created and loved by God. If you don’t believe that, go read your Bible. 

I would love to talk to my Dad about all this. I need his optimism and wisdom. I need his grace and steadfast belief in the power of love and the ability to trust that God is still working all things for good. 

Sometimes it seems evil triumphs for a short time. I hope and pray that doesn’t happen now. We can’t stick our heads in the sand and think our leadership has our best interests at heart. I need my social security and my retirement account to be there now. I need to feel safe and to know that my friends, family, and neighbors are safe. 

Not too long ago that was a given reality. Let’s ensure it continues.