Still Grateful - Despite November 6th

 Trump Won, But We Remain Blessed

By Mildred Robertson

As we celebrate Thanksgiving 2024, it may take some effort to come to a place where gratefulness can abide. Yet, God is still in control, even in the aftermath of perhaps the most disheartening election in my lifetime. I, and those who believe like me are still blessed. 

I don't know what 2025 holds for us. I am not sure whether democracy will stand. I don't know if I, my loved ones, and other like-minded individuals will be safe.  

I am apprehensive about how Congress, the military, and the courts will perform under authoritarian leadership. I fear that unchecked militants may maraud in the streets. I am concerned that some of my friends and neighbors may be dragged into internment camps, and that folks who have known no homeland other than America will be cast out onto some unknown shore.

I'm not sure the safety net will remain in place. I don't know if I will continue to receive my social security check at the end of the month. I don't know whether student loan payments will explode, or the economy will collapse under the weight of tariffs. I am uncertain as to whether the majority of Americans will continue to have healthcare.

I worry that our allies will walk away from us. I fear that Putin will run rampant and gobble up nations that cannot protect themselves. I am concerned that the end of vaccination programs will result in the proliferation of long-managed illnesses and millions will be sickened or die.

I am fearful that our society may become more dystopian, and that the strong will prey on the weak. I'm concerned that militarized police will begin knocking on the doors of those who, like me, voice their concern and opposition to an administration that I believe may destroy this country. 

I worry that the gap between the rich and the poor will widen. I wonder what the future holds for my children and grandchildren. 

Yet, I know that there is a higher power that can mitigate all these circumstances. While we may face trials in this upcoming administration, we will not face them alone.  "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." Psalms 121

That is a blessing. And I am grateful!

America Chooses Trump in 2024

By Mildred Robertson

I am forlorn, heartbroken, disappointed, confused, and yes, angry. I am not angry at Donald Trump. He did what he did, and he was his authentic self. I am angry with America because she showed herself to be just like him.  

I thought better of her. The 2024 campaign was the most mean-spirited in my lifetime, including 1988 when the "Willie Horton" ads flooded our television screens. I thought we had evolved. 

That America would choose a convicted felon insurrectionist who disrespects women, minorities, and the poor, who is an isolationist and who uses the presidency as his own personal piggy bank over a qualified, dignified woman of color who planned to put America first and bring us together as one, absolutely blows my mind. 

I will perhaps write a more coherent blog on this subject later. At this moment it is like your body rejecting a foreign object. You just have to get it out. 

I am going to be depressed today. I may drink wine and cry on my friend's shoulder. Then I will soldier on. There is much work to be done to salvage what is left of our democracy. 

There will be dark days ahead. I pray that we survive them and that our allies continue to stand with us to the best of their ability. I pray that the chaos I anticipate does not come to fruition, and if it does, that we who love this country, those who believe in democracy will continue to stand. 

But right now, I am overcome by the knowledge that, while I love America; she does not love me back. She has revealed herself, yet again. She looks just like Trump, and it is not a pretty picture.