I know I’m not the only person who has been feeling like a zombie for the last few days. I have nothing insightful to post, nothing promising to say at this point. I did find the following from Diana Butler Bass helpful, though. She posted it in her newsletter late on Tuesday night when it was becoming more clear what was going to happen. I hope it help you too. Be well.
This evening is painful. It seems as if Donald Trump may win the election — and do so with a larger vote than in either 2016 or 2020.
As I write, the election hasn’t been called yet. But by the time we wake in the morning, it might be. History is unfolding a road of terrible uncertainties. Yes, it does seem like it is midnight in America.
But now, here, in the dark, I want you to know that if you are feeling bad or scared or angry or confused, you are not alone. I feel all of that with you. The silence of my text messages speaks volumes — it is surely a stunned silence, a kind of communal shock.
Go slow tomorrow. I urge you to pay attention to some small beautiful things in your life. We don’t need answers or a plan or even understanding right now. One friend did text me, “It’s okay to need to catch your breath after the wind has been knocked out. It will take a bit. But we will rise.”
Do that with me, okay? Breathe. Read a poem. Pray for someone who truly lives on the margins and who is even more at risk now.
We will rise. In time. I’m here with and for you — for all the things about which I’ve always been passionate — mercy, love, hospitality, peace, joy, liberation, healing, faith.
It is good to write those simple words. Even when it is hard to catch my own breath. Somehow, midnight will give way. Oddly enough, I hear a lone bird singing right now. In the tree just outside my bedroom window. Singing in the dark.
Share a thought in the comments. Something honest. And maybe something kind and beautiful.
I’m more grateful for you all than ever. You are not alone.
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