Hello friends! I've had a hard time trying to articulate how I have felt the last couple of days. I see your posts on Facebook, your tweets, and your cries for help. My heart aches for the minorities in the United States. I can't even find the words to describe how desparately I want to hug my LGBT+ friends who feel that they don't matter.
I guess most of all, I can't stand the hatred. I'm shocked at some of the stories I read, telling of children fearing they will be deported just because of the color of their skin. I fear for the young ones who may spend four years believing that you can make atrocious, sexist comments towards women; that you can mock a reporter with disabilities and claim that a senator is not a war hero because he was a prisoner of war; that you can claim women deserve to be punished for choosing what's right for their own bodies...and still become President of the United States of America.
But here's the thing: I don't dislike you for voting for Donald Trump. You made a decision (hopefully) based on the information you gathered and compared both candidates to your own morals. I can't be mad at you for making the choice you believed was right for you and right for your country. I do not see you any differently and I ask the same of you: that you will not look at me or my fellow Hillary supporters any differently just because we have different opinions. I am VERY aware that she was far from the perfect candidate. Truly, I pray that Donald Trump will be a good leader. I pray that as a country, we can work towards unity once again. I pray that his plans to further divide our country will not move forward.
Finally, I ask that you show love to every person during the next few weeks, months, and years. I ask that you do not judge anyone for taking advantage of their First Amendment rights. Still, I ask that you think about what you post and ask yourself if it's really worth calling your friends "whiny liberals" or "racist conservatives." I understand that it can be tough to put our differences aside, but what's the point of posting hurtful comments? There is a way to share your opinions and beliefs without offending half of your friends list. Let us be tolerant and accepting of differences.
To those of you who feel exiled, unloved, and terrified: I love you. I will not abandon you, I will stand with you in the face of big changes in our country. I can't know exactly how you feel and I'm very privileged to be able to say that, but I will be here for endless support. You. Are. Not. Alone.
If my mother were here, I believe she would have many of the same thoughts. Right now, I feel so blessed that she's watching over me, my friends, and my family. We will need it in the face of changes coming our way. As most of you probably know, she was a PROUD liberal and I'm so glad she was my mom.
P.s. She wrote a lot before she died and in a letter she wrote to my family, she said "KEEP OBAMA IN OFFICE!" If only. I love him and I will miss him so much.
