I'm not ready to choose hope just yet. I need to get my bearings and figure out what to hope for. Many of us are not ok. And that's ok. We can be not ok for a bit. We can be not ok together. Then we can create our own mission statement. And move forward.
I’m a Christian, pro-life, registered Republican who voted Harris with a deep hope to send a message to the Republican Party, one they did not hear last election, that MAGA and Trump are dangerous, disgusting and Godless Pharisees that do lasting harm to every good institution that exists. With a thankfulness in my heart, I chose to support a woman who would not be my perfect choice, but was the right choice for this election. I woke up scared for my 3 daughters that this win for Trump will embolden the males that cling tight to the religion of Joe Rogan and other “f-you if you aren’t on our side” men, that see Trump as their God. It would further harden the hearts of Christians who have lost sight of their call to love others sacrificially over themselves. And it would leave me vulnerable, feeling hated by both sides and politically homeless. I’m so sad today and realizing that even my grief is a privilege. I’m going to exchange grief for hope at some point, but it will be a difficult, daily battle.
It’s Christians like you that give me hope in this country where there’s so many Christians who claim they follow Jesus yet spew so much hate and voted for a man who encourages the divide within our nation. A man who sees Americans as the enemy within 😔
Thank you for putting into words my thoughts and feelings! I’m sad-devastated-frustrated-angry today. But tomorrow I will choose to honor my faith in God, and choose hope. And I will follow that choice with action to spread light and love and hope to those around me!!
I really want to choose hope but I have never felt more hopeless. Not just the election but life this year has been agonizing. It’s too hard. Too cruel. And the common thread has been men in power seemingly getting away with anything. There is no justice. In fact, there is reward and power heaped on them. Excuses abound from their apologists. I’m disgusted and don’t even know how to find my hope, or choose it. I want to disengage from everything, but that in itself is a privilege afforded to me as a white woman.
I really want to just sit back and say "I told you so" for the next four years... But I won't. I'll fight for my students who are worried about being deported. Or separated from their parents. I'll fight for my LBGBT students right to exist and thrive.
and I have a message for anyone who did vote that way, and feels that "I didn't vote for hate or vitriol or fear or punishment!"
Prove it. Hold them accountable.
When the denigrating starts, or when the mass deportations round up innocent people, or when the military is aimed at citizenry, or when women's right are further restricted, or when democracy is dealt blow after blow -- prove that you didn't want people to be harmed.
Because people are about to be harmed as a direct result.
My 13 year old daughter just came home from school balling her eyes out. Her best friend told her she might have to move to Canada if the right to gay marriage is over turned. Her parents are lesbians. She is still crying 30 mins later. This is harder than I thought. Feeling really heavy and sad today.
That’s the problem, it’s not ideals, it’s not philosophy, it’s affecting real people that we love. It’s going to take awhile to see beyond that and that’s ok.
May I offer a sliver of hope from MO? We are the first state to overturn a total abortion ban with no exceptions. We passed a constitutional amendment to protect abortion, birth control, and IVF.
It was my personal goal to make our SOS Jay Ashcroft cry. Mission accomplished.
Unfortunately, elsewhere in the world, Putin (and others like him) are smiling.
We also raised the minimum wage and required earned sick leave.
We were able to put both on the ballot through initiative petitions. We know both will be attacked by our R supermajority legislature, but we will defend them!
I’m happy to hear you have the protection in place. As a Louisiana resident, MO is a closer drive than Illinois (which was the prior closest option). Although, it doesn’t help in medical emergencies. I have a toddler and I would love to have a sibling for them, but I’m so anxious about miscarrying and not having the option to get help. I’m really struggling with the results of this election. I know we all are. 😭 I want to choose hope, and I know I will but right now, today, I just can’t.
I will continue fighting to restore Repro care for all of us.
From Oct -Nov, I knocked 613 doors. Yesterday I stood in the rain, wind, and cold handing out lit at the poll. I was freezing for a reason.
I had an election official come out on his break to argue with me about fetal viability. He said there's no such thing.
I asked, "oh, really? Are u a doctor? Because I've had 2 pregnancy losses, and they were not viable. If it was not for Roe, I would not have received the healthcare I needed to protect my health and future fertility."
It takes a special kind of asshole to argue with a person that survived a health/fertility-protecting abortion But they are among us. And we will not back down.
Curiously, all the books we have been reading from Fever in the Heartland to Homegoing to the Warmth of Other Suns to The Distance Between Us have made the results of this election harder to swallow. I feel for the people of color who will be targeted if Trump starts his mass deportation .
I told my husband this feels like 1930s Germany where the masses adored Hitler. My husband replied that we would then be the protectors like the Miep Geis.
Today, I choose to lament. It’s been a comfort to me to see people in progressive Christian spaces allowing themselves to grieve, so I grieve with them.
Hope is hard right now knowing there will be few checks and balances in the coming years. I want to be wrong.
Biblical truth is dictated by God. He is not a God of confusion. His commandments are specific and clear as is every word commanded. He is neither for enslavement or anti-women.
As a Christian myself I see the principles of the faith as steadfast and specific as opposed to adapting to societal pressures or norms. The doctrine is clear, concise and unwavering.
I am so sick and angry- I thought more of my fellow Americans. I thought more of women. The only thing I can do right now is to keep moving. I will get up and go do my meals on wheels route. I will make sandwiches for the homeless. I will look for a way to protect my family.
I am trying to choose hope. For the first time in years, I had so much hope for this election. I am disappointed that lies won out over truth, that some people thought only of themselves when choosing who to vote for, and that there is a sizable group of people in our country whose lives are in turmoil because of this decision. I’m a straight white woman entering her 60s. Chances are good my life won’t change a whole lot in the next 4 years because of the results of this election. But if some of the victors have their way, life is going to get harder for a lot of other people. I may need help figuring out what “next needed thing” I am capable of doing is.
This. I'm worried more for others than what might happen to me. My neighbors from Vietnam, my coworkers' non-binary kids, my black friends, women with high risk pregnancies... So many others that will be vulnerable. And, of course, I'm worried about the plans in Project 2025 with all 3 branches of government controlled by or sympathetic to those who want to implement it. I'm not convinced there will be guardrails this time.
I am more fearful now than I was the last time Trump won. I know we should choose hope but how can we when MAGA is set to control all three branches? During the prior Trump administration, there was a 5-4 conservative majority with a swing conservative justice. That is no longer the case… we literally have what feels like an authoritarian government where everything will be handed to Trump with no checks and balances. I know this is my despair talking but it’s what it feels like especially with project 2025 😔
This is why I am terrified. I don't know how to hope when there will be zero checks and balances and a president who now has immunity to do whatever he wants as long as it's an "official act".
My absolute biggest concern is the power Musk was just handed. It will be curious to see if the “Five Eyes” stays intact. Why would our allies risk sharing their most protected secrets with a president and his friends who have connections with Putin.
Sharon, not sure you will see this, but in relation to Sens’ sentiment - can you do a q&a where we ask what Trump can and can’t do (of the things he has said he will do)? I am so confused and scared.
When I woke up this morning, my first thought was, "What does Sharon have to say about this mess?" I'm too devastated by the shortsightedness, selfishness and hatred of this country to have hope right now. The first four years were incredibly stressful and the next four, with Vance and Project 2025 in the wings, seem to be on par or worse. I fear for my family, friends and neighbors who are of other races, religions, undocumented, LGBTQ+, women, pregnant, and otherwise at risk. Thank you, Sharon, for your efforts to educate and uplift all of us, regardless of party. I will need your words even more now. And let's get more people to listen to you so that they may become better educated as well! It's pathetic that so many people don't know how our government works.
I agree. At least Pence was his VP last time & felt fealty to the constitution. At least Liz Cheney & Adam Kinzinger were in Congress. At least John Kelly was his chief of staff. At least Ivanka had a little sense & he’d listen to her.
Mine too. I have tried really hard this whole election cycle to keep hope going. To donate, phone bank, and keep a positive outlook. The people voted not for any of the things Gouverner Morris wanted for us. And now I need to step back from hoping, or even paying any attention for a while, just for my own mental health, and I realize it is a privilege that many don’t have. So I’ll be back to fight and hope someday-but not now.
I will look forward to watching the video when I get home from school today. I'm feeling rage, sadness, deep, deep disappointment and disbelief right now. I've been waiting for the Preamble today, Sharon. Thank you for your work. As always, you come at the right time.
Hope has been on my mind all morning. When my brother and his wife had a miscarriage, I wrote these words, "Today Hope received a black eye." I think of Hope as living and breathing, immortal. This morning, Hope had stomach cramps and felt like vomiting. Now, Hope is quiet and contemplating. Tomorrow there will still be Hope...
I’ve suffered 6 losses and this hit home 😭😭 We started our IVF journey yesterday. I am gutted by the election results. I am grieving and making space for the anger. I will choose hope, even if it’s small. For a better America, for our future child who will inherit it.
I'm not ready to choose hope just yet. I need to get my bearings and figure out what to hope for. Many of us are not ok. And that's ok. We can be not ok for a bit. We can be not ok together. Then we can create our own mission statement. And move forward.
Love every word you wrote
I’m a Christian, pro-life, registered Republican who voted Harris with a deep hope to send a message to the Republican Party, one they did not hear last election, that MAGA and Trump are dangerous, disgusting and Godless Pharisees that do lasting harm to every good institution that exists. With a thankfulness in my heart, I chose to support a woman who would not be my perfect choice, but was the right choice for this election. I woke up scared for my 3 daughters that this win for Trump will embolden the males that cling tight to the religion of Joe Rogan and other “f-you if you aren’t on our side” men, that see Trump as their God. It would further harden the hearts of Christians who have lost sight of their call to love others sacrificially over themselves. And it would leave me vulnerable, feeling hated by both sides and politically homeless. I’m so sad today and realizing that even my grief is a privilege. I’m going to exchange grief for hope at some point, but it will be a difficult, daily battle.
It’s Christians like you that give me hope in this country where there’s so many Christians who claim they follow Jesus yet spew so much hate and voted for a man who encourages the divide within our nation. A man who sees Americans as the enemy within 😔
Love this. As a fellow Christian, I feel the exact same way and voted for Harris for the same reasons. Thank you for this.
I'm coming from the "other side," and I don't hate you at all. We are fellow Americans concerned for our country's future.
I hear you. I’m an Independent Christian and voted for Harris for the same reasons you did. Thank you for expressing what I am also feeling.
Thank you for putting into words my thoughts and feelings! I’m sad-devastated-frustrated-angry today. But tomorrow I will choose to honor my faith in God, and choose hope. And I will follow that choice with action to spread light and love and hope to those around me!!
Amen. ❤️
I really want to choose hope but I have never felt more hopeless. Not just the election but life this year has been agonizing. It’s too hard. Too cruel. And the common thread has been men in power seemingly getting away with anything. There is no justice. In fact, there is reward and power heaped on them. Excuses abound from their apologists. I’m disgusted and don’t even know how to find my hope, or choose it. I want to disengage from everything, but that in itself is a privilege afforded to me as a white woman.
I really want to just sit back and say "I told you so" for the next four years... But I won't. I'll fight for my students who are worried about being deported. Or separated from their parents. I'll fight for my LBGBT students right to exist and thrive.
Perfectly stated.
That so many of our neighbors voted for a literal campaign of hate and vitriol and fear and punishment - it is a true gut punch.
I truly, deeply believed we were better than this.
I don't know what to do with the fact that we're not.
and I have a message for anyone who did vote that way, and feels that "I didn't vote for hate or vitriol or fear or punishment!"
Prove it. Hold them accountable.
When the denigrating starts, or when the mass deportations round up innocent people, or when the military is aimed at citizenry, or when women's right are further restricted, or when democracy is dealt blow after blow -- prove that you didn't want people to be harmed.
Because people are about to be harmed as a direct result.
My 13 year old daughter just came home from school balling her eyes out. Her best friend told her she might have to move to Canada if the right to gay marriage is over turned. Her parents are lesbians. She is still crying 30 mins later. This is harder than I thought. Feeling really heavy and sad today.
That’s the problem, it’s not ideals, it’s not philosophy, it’s affecting real people that we love. It’s going to take awhile to see beyond that and that’s ok.
Sending so much love your daughter. And to you, and your mama heart. <3
<3
May I offer a sliver of hope from MO? We are the first state to overturn a total abortion ban with no exceptions. We passed a constitutional amendment to protect abortion, birth control, and IVF.
It was my personal goal to make our SOS Jay Ashcroft cry. Mission accomplished.
Unfortunately, elsewhere in the world, Putin (and others like him) are smiling.
We also raised the minimum wage and required earned sick leave.
We were able to put both on the ballot through initiative petitions. We know both will be attacked by our R supermajority legislature, but we will defend them!
You’re fortunate MO allows citizen ballot initiatives. We don’t have that option in AL.
Nor Texas…
That’s true! Our R supermajority legislature has made restricting it their #1 priority.
I’m happy to hear you have the protection in place. As a Louisiana resident, MO is a closer drive than Illinois (which was the prior closest option). Although, it doesn’t help in medical emergencies. I have a toddler and I would love to have a sibling for them, but I’m so anxious about miscarrying and not having the option to get help. I’m really struggling with the results of this election. I know we all are. 😭 I want to choose hope, and I know I will but right now, today, I just can’t.
I will continue fighting to restore Repro care for all of us.
From Oct -Nov, I knocked 613 doors. Yesterday I stood in the rain, wind, and cold handing out lit at the poll. I was freezing for a reason.
I had an election official come out on his break to argue with me about fetal viability. He said there's no such thing.
I asked, "oh, really? Are u a doctor? Because I've had 2 pregnancy losses, and they were not viable. If it was not for Roe, I would not have received the healthcare I needed to protect my health and future fertility."
It takes a special kind of asshole to argue with a person that survived a health/fertility-protecting abortion But they are among us. And we will not back down.
Not backing down!!!
Resistance, Vigilance, Accountability.
Same old, same old here in MO!
They’ve shown us who they are. We’re continuing to show them who we are.
Yay! Thank you, Missouri! :-)
Curiously, all the books we have been reading from Fever in the Heartland to Homegoing to the Warmth of Other Suns to The Distance Between Us have made the results of this election harder to swallow. I feel for the people of color who will be targeted if Trump starts his mass deportation .
I told my husband this feels like 1930s Germany where the masses adored Hitler. My husband replied that we would then be the protectors like the Miep Geis.
SENS! Miep Geis!
Same!! 😕
Today, I choose to lament. It’s been a comfort to me to see people in progressive Christian spaces allowing themselves to grieve, so I grieve with them.
Hope is hard right now knowing there will be few checks and balances in the coming years. I want to be wrong.
I’ll get there eventually.
What is a progressive Christian?
In my opinion, a Christian who doesn’t align with the political policies of the conservative right and aligns more with progressive policies.
Biblical truth is dictated by God. He is not a God of confusion. His commandments are specific and clear as is every word commanded. He is neither for enslavement or anti-women.
Okay.
As a Christian myself I see the principles of the faith as steadfast and specific as opposed to adapting to societal pressures or norms. The doctrine is clear, concise and unwavering.
Doctrine is man made and varies by church affiliation.
If the church didn’t adapt to societal pressures we’d still be enslaving people, subjecting women, and segregated. Not down for that.
I am so sick and angry- I thought more of my fellow Americans. I thought more of women. The only thing I can do right now is to keep moving. I will get up and go do my meals on wheels route. I will make sandwiches for the homeless. I will look for a way to protect my family.
This is where my head is at too. I'm looking for what I can do to help my community. It feels like all I can do right now.
I am trying to choose hope. For the first time in years, I had so much hope for this election. I am disappointed that lies won out over truth, that some people thought only of themselves when choosing who to vote for, and that there is a sizable group of people in our country whose lives are in turmoil because of this decision. I’m a straight white woman entering her 60s. Chances are good my life won’t change a whole lot in the next 4 years because of the results of this election. But if some of the victors have their way, life is going to get harder for a lot of other people. I may need help figuring out what “next needed thing” I am capable of doing is.
This. I'm worried more for others than what might happen to me. My neighbors from Vietnam, my coworkers' non-binary kids, my black friends, women with high risk pregnancies... So many others that will be vulnerable. And, of course, I'm worried about the plans in Project 2025 with all 3 branches of government controlled by or sympathetic to those who want to implement it. I'm not convinced there will be guardrails this time.
I am more fearful now than I was the last time Trump won. I know we should choose hope but how can we when MAGA is set to control all three branches? During the prior Trump administration, there was a 5-4 conservative majority with a swing conservative justice. That is no longer the case… we literally have what feels like an authoritarian government where everything will be handed to Trump with no checks and balances. I know this is my despair talking but it’s what it feels like especially with project 2025 😔
This is why I am terrified. I don't know how to hope when there will be zero checks and balances and a president who now has immunity to do whatever he wants as long as it's an "official act".
My absolute biggest concern is the power Musk was just handed. It will be curious to see if the “Five Eyes” stays intact. Why would our allies risk sharing their most protected secrets with a president and his friends who have connections with Putin.
Sharon, not sure you will see this, but in relation to Sens’ sentiment - can you do a q&a where we ask what Trump can and can’t do (of the things he has said he will do)? I am so confused and scared.
Great idea!
Yes. Agreed about Musk, RFK, etc. And why would our European allies trust us with Putin lovers at the helm.
When I woke up this morning, my first thought was, "What does Sharon have to say about this mess?" I'm too devastated by the shortsightedness, selfishness and hatred of this country to have hope right now. The first four years were incredibly stressful and the next four, with Vance and Project 2025 in the wings, seem to be on par or worse. I fear for my family, friends and neighbors who are of other races, religions, undocumented, LGBTQ+, women, pregnant, and otherwise at risk. Thank you, Sharon, for your efforts to educate and uplift all of us, regardless of party. I will need your words even more now. And let's get more people to listen to you so that they may become better educated as well! It's pathetic that so many people don't know how our government works.
I agree. At least Pence was his VP last time & felt fealty to the constitution. At least Liz Cheney & Adam Kinzinger were in Congress. At least John Kelly was his chief of staff. At least Ivanka had a little sense & he’d listen to her.
Yeah well. My hope is gone.
Mine too. I have tried really hard this whole election cycle to keep hope going. To donate, phone bank, and keep a positive outlook. The people voted not for any of the things Gouverner Morris wanted for us. And now I need to step back from hoping, or even paying any attention for a while, just for my own mental health, and I realize it is a privilege that many don’t have. So I’ll be back to fight and hope someday-but not now.
I will look forward to watching the video when I get home from school today. I'm feeling rage, sadness, deep, deep disappointment and disbelief right now. I've been waiting for the Preamble today, Sharon. Thank you for your work. As always, you come at the right time.
Hope has been on my mind all morning. When my brother and his wife had a miscarriage, I wrote these words, "Today Hope received a black eye." I think of Hope as living and breathing, immortal. This morning, Hope had stomach cramps and felt like vomiting. Now, Hope is quiet and contemplating. Tomorrow there will still be Hope...
I’ve suffered 6 losses and this hit home 😭😭 We started our IVF journey yesterday. I am gutted by the election results. I am grieving and making space for the anger. I will choose hope, even if it’s small. For a better America, for our future child who will inherit it.