Hello Everyone, yes, we’re still in England, but not for much longer! On our way home soon. 🏡 But ever since our election, I’ve had a hard time sleeping, I can’t turn off my brain, I wake up thinking about it, and go to sleep worrying about it. Finally I turn to the cure, I’m going to work it over in my mind by writing about it. It’s not that I have any secrets from you. I usually see my blog as a happy place, even as an escape from the negativity these days, where kindred spirits gather to talk about the little things that make life wonderful, things we all have in common. And, until recently, I always thought
And I have done it, risen above reality, quite easily throughout most of my life. When bad things happen, I go to the garden and pick a few flowers, make a cup of tea, get under my nap blanket with an old movie, and I feel better. I put away the disappointment I feel for the direction of the world and go knit my 89th scarf instead. I invite friends to dinner, light candles, pour wine, play beautiful MUSICA that fits my mood and forget. Even during 9-11, the worst, most intrusive example of man’s inhumanity to man, followed 
by all the other ones since, I could turn on Shirley Temple or Fred Astaire and slowly but surely, be healed. Maybe this made me a shallow person, but I didn’t see it that way. I saw it as a “take charge” of my life gesture, and it has always worked (except once, Sandy Hook 😥). But what has just happened to our country, I fear, is a 9-11 in very slow motion…no Shirley Temple movie is going to help. Where this election will take us, as a people, is still to be seen. And I have to talk about it. Please try to read this, because it comes from my heart. It’s not so much about the election, but more about us, and this angry world we live in.
See this photo, this room full of anything-but-angry Girlfriends? This and the photos below are the wonderful faces of some of the people that Joe and I had the privilege of meeting while crossing the country in the Fine Romance 
Van this last spring. I have no idea what political party they affiliate with, and I honestly don’t care. Because that’s only one small part of who a person is, and these people were so giving, kind, and filled with light . . . and we have so much in common! I would much rather concentrate on that . . . I could write a book about our commonalities! Oh yes, I forgot, I have! I’ve always known it from the wonderful letters I’ve received over the years, my whole life is based 
on it. We love our families and our best friends, we love nurturing them. We love to decorate our houses, make curtains and pillows, pick wildflowers for vases, because we all agree, home is where the heart is. We fold clothes, warm from the dryer, on the kitchen table (sometimes we wrap our kids or husbands up in them), we call each other to catch up, bake cookies and birthday cakes, feed our beloved pets, make Thanksgiving dinner, welcome family home with open arms, work hard, get the kids to school, put their drawings on the fridge, give to charity, mourn our lost loves, count our many blessings and are so grateful we have this amazing opportunity and gift to be able to do these little things that make life so very sweet.💞 We know how quickly everything can change and we are grateful for a normal day.
These days though, another thing we have in common, we worry. Mostly for our children and grandchildren in this changing world ~ we want them to hold on to the look in this little girl’s eyes for as long as possible, to grow up free as the wind, 
so tenderly careful never to touch butterfly wings, never experiencing war, sure that all things in our world are right and good. We want them to read books, embrace honesty, integrity, and ethics, have the very best education possible so the stars are the limit, honor family traditions, lay under trees, watch the leaves fall, dream, and 
feel perfectly free to reach for the moon and make this world a better place because I’ve never met a child who didn’t wish to do that. Every one of us wants our families to receive the best health care, and none of us want to see our parents grow old, destitute and alone. I don’t care which political party we’re from. Or even which country. Right? Isn’t that who we are as human beings, all of us? It’s what I believe.
Some of us are Catholic, some of us are Methodist, Jewish, or Muslim, and some of us have no religion at all, but that’s okay, because we respect freedom of religion as our forefathers, those we honor on Veterans Day, have fought so hard to preserve. We aren’t afraid of people that are different from us. We know their children will be bullied in school if we adults do not stand up for the rights of their parents. No child should ever be bullied because of some crazy adult thing. And common sense tells us, you can’t hold a person down without staying down there with him. And it’s our intention to rise and rise together. Right? One world, one people? Our grandmothers taught us that we’re going to disagree with people, but to be respectful, don’t throw our trash in other people’s yards, and remember that religion and politics are taboo subjects in mixed company and good manners means that sometimes we just keep our mouths shut.
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If A is success in life, then A equals X plus Y plus Z. Work is X; Y is play; and Z is keeping your mouth shut. 💛Albert Einstein
We might be Republicans or Democrats, but until the last few years, we’ve always believed we were on the same American team, trying to make a better country. We agree that we’d like to use our tax money to have safe bridges, clean water, good schools. Despite what we are told by a divisive media, we do want the same things, Yes we do, and are mostly just exactly alike. And that is true for peace-loving, garden-planting, women and men of all backgrounds, in all countries. Imagine waking up each morning not knowing if your child will make it home from school 
alive. Not knowing if men with machine guns will pop in the door of your little house with the one flower in the vase. Really imagine it, because it’s like that for some women in the world, women just exactly like the ones in these photos, people like us, who never stop dreaming of a better world. We are so lucky to live the way we do. To knit Christmas presents, make soup, take the kids to a movie. To go to tea parties wearing a new hat. All the joyful little things that make life so wonderful.
But our peace is under threat. We are being torn apart from within. I can tell you for 100% sure, no one in any of these photos hates America, whether she’s from Iowa, California, Arizona, Texas, Utah, Oklahoma, New York, or Wisconsin or all of the lovely places in-between. You know it, and I know it. Believing they do hurts our country. The people who tell us one part of the country is BETTER or WORSE than another, is a traitor to his country. His purpose is to rip us apart when he does that. It’s cruel and wrong, it has not a single American value in it, and if I was queen I would put these people in rehab (on a desert island). They do it for money. Look closely at those faces, we all love our country. We are good people, all of us. Anyone who tells you different is lying. That’s the first thing I wanted to clear up.
“Reporting is expensive, and making stuff up costs nothing.” 😜 BBC
But something has clearly changed when we elect a President of the United States who 
admits grabbing women by their private parts. I don’t care about one political thing, but that statement was a knife in my heart. That was the moment I said to myself, “Done.” Because it tells our young men that we condone this, it tells our daughters they are nothing. There is not one honorable thing in it, it is against everything I want the world to be. I would be very surprised if we didn’t all agree on this too no matter who we voted for. When I think of women in other countries who are buried in the dirt up to their necks and stoned to death for not following the local rules, and remember how hard we’ve fought for respect in this country, my heart bleeds and I cry very sad tears.
So what changed and when? Our country didn’t always suffer from so much divisiveness. Our media didn’t always take us to the lowest common denominator. I know, because I’ve been around a long time. When I was in high school, whether you were a Republican or a Democrat did not matter a bit. Most of us didn’t even know what we were. When did half of us become “the other” and the other half become “reviled?” How did this knife get driven into the heart of our country, dividing us like we are today? How did we all get so hurt, because both sides are very hurt by this. And, with all this glorifying of negativity, this shamelessness, how do we raise our children? How do we teach them? How do we take care of the sick and dying? How do we live and work together in peace?
How’d it happen? I think I know because I watched it unfold. Age is very good for this type of thing. It began for real in 1988. . . when radio and TV talk shows (on stations owned by huge political corporations) starting using fear, 
telling people that half of us were trying to undermine America by doing things like getting rid of Christmas (which is the MOST ridiculous thing I ever heard, no one ever wanted to do that, breaks my heart to think anyone would believe it), that our leaders, our media, were “not to be trusted” — that only THEY could be trusted. And guess what, fear worked! And radio talk proliferated, and moved to television. This kind of media, with their 24/7 brainwashing, was allowed because of a change in the law called the Fairness Doctrine in 1987. Turns out the people doing the talking were cheating on their wives, having affairs in bathroom stalls in airports, were addicted to 
drugs, yet the very things they would blame on “others.” They told us Obama wasn’t born in this country. They said he is a muslim (as a fear tactic). These days they are starting to call this Fake News. They’ve lied to us a thousand times, and yet, for some reason (due to a myriad of personal experiences) many of us believe them, and, slowly, over the years, we have allowed them to tear us in two. Because there wasn’t anything we could say. We couldn’t stop them, they gained strength and filled the airwaves with this stuff. Now it’s all over social media. Families are being torn apart, friendships are ending, violence is occurring. It’s not getting better, and no one knows what to think. Or, we think we do.
I used to imagine it didn’t matter who became president, because if I turned off the news, I couldn’t see how it made an actual difference to my life. Sun still came up, trash was picked up in same big trucks, street lights still worked. Then two things occurred. First, 
good paying jobs began going to other countries where people could work for a lot less. Our little towns were robbed of our small businesses, some look like ghost towns now, because they could not compete with large corporations such as Walmart who bought everything cheaply-made from foreign countries. (And, to be fair, we forgot to notice that we supported them by flocking to their stores.) In my art licensing business, in the years just after 2000, so many manufacturers closed, I was no longer able to license my products, the jammies, or the 
dishes, the way I used to…there was no one to make them anymore. All the money that used to go into the hands of small bookstores, publishers, editors, printers, authors, PR people, and agents, and most importantly, their families (who spent that money supporting other small businesses), now goes into the hands of just one person, Jeff Bezos, who owns Amazon. Yes, a billionaire is born every minute, to the exclusion of the rest of us. Everyone was affected by this mass abandonment by our government and big business who had gotten their successes on our backs. Our middle class was having the rug pulled out from under it. It was going away. ALL of us felt it! Then they had the nerve (and greed) to invent Black Friday and open stores on Thanksgiving (no, young ones, Black Friday is NOT an “American Tradition” despite that they tell us it is). There was a time when corporations felt a duty toward the country and the people that supported them. But no more. We’re losing our American way of life. We’re all in the same boat, together, the people on the coasts, the mid-west, the south, the coal miners, the manufacturing towns. And we put up with it. But we are mad. And media and the powers that be used our anger to divide us even further. It’s not US, it’s THEM.
Then in 2008, the banks walked away with all our money, they foreclosed on us and our neighbors who had done nothing more but applied for and were granted a loan from a bank, and walked away with retirements and pensions. Zip, too bad, gone. They were bailed out with OUR TAX MONEY (but not any for the foreclosed-upon), and the powers that be did absolutely NOTHING about it, news media did nothing, talk news ignored it. I have never 
been so upset with government in my life. Someone should have gone to jail. Someone should still go to jail. None of my friends got through it unscathed. It’s become much harder for everyone to make ends meet. It’s not just you. It’s not just your imagination. We are all worried sick about what will happen to us when we get too old to work, or if we get really sick. Most of us, including me, now work for nothing most of the time, and 
steal money from the retirement funds we’ve managed to put by, to make ends meet, still trying our best, adapting, the only way we know how. New graduates from colleges and universities are hurting, young people saddled with massive debt that the government gets interest on (btw, university in France and other countries is free, we could most definitely have that too, if it wasn’t for the large faction of our legislators that are trying to convince us now that we don’t need a Department of Education in this country) and these kid’s lives have a hopelessness to them that we never felt. These are our children, and words such as “Liberal” or “Conservative,” used as poison darts have NOTHING to do with it. Some things should not be politicized. They have undermined our beautiful American middle class. There is plenty of money in this country, it’s OUR money, and our government officials, corporations and media are using it to enrich themselves, through changes in laws, tax codes, and sadly, war. It’s our money, it should be used to make America better.
I hope I haven’t lost any of you. I want more than anything to figure a way to bring us together. I speak right out of a broken heart. There is common ground in every single subject and we are so sensible, and so like minded, kindred spirits can always, always find a way. 💙 But not unless we can see the truth that we are being used, divided, and conquered. 
Who’s in charge, who are the powers that be, who are the ruling class in this country? It’s not just the President, or congress, it’s the guys behind the scene, it’s the CEO of Walmart 
and every large corporation in America, the heads of CNN, CBS, FOX, oil companies and insurance companies, drug companies, chemical companies, bankers, and all their lobbyists that work behind the scenes making sure the laws are written to make them richer and happier. It’s the media and talk radio that have realized that they become richer and more powerful by separating us. And they are willing to say 
anything to do it. They tell us they are the “true news,” the only believable ones, and they use fear, the cruelest of all, that Isis (or whatever the fear is because they make up tons of them) is coming into YOUR town to GET YOU, and that they are the only ones that can save us. They tell us that people (the other, who just might be your family member or your next door neighbor) who disagree with them are Godless, or hicks, or racist, violent, or anything they want and tell stories to back it up. Problem is, it’s legal to say 
anything in this country. You can go in, make a fake newspaper, put a fake article in it, put it on your website, all fake and newspapery-like and say it’s true. And it’s really hard to tell the difference between fake and real these days. And some websites are so inflammatory, using despicable language, frightening everyone into fearful action, when what is needed is slow, thoughtful contemplation based on truth and fact. We don’t trust anything anymore. Friends and families are being torn apart by these lies, and our country is being torn asunder from within. Our beautiful country. I know this is strong, but I don’t care, I call this treason.
Imagine a town meeting: I’m sure many of you have attended them, so you recognize the process: the town identifies a need, a water system or stop sign at the corner of Park and Main, something. So they hash it over in the most boring way possible, what’s the best way to get what they need, how do they find the money for it, etc…and then, the town votes, and they SOLVE the problem between them, and the water system gets updated, the stop sign gets put in, and the town is better.👏
Your national government should work exactly the same. But if half the people refuse to deal with the other half, nothing gets done, your air turns dirty, your water becomes poisoned, your health care is taken away, your education system gets dismantled, your bridges fall down, regulation goes away so big business doesn’t have to tell you what additives they put in your food or how much lead is in your water. And who benefits from all that? Because definitely someone does, and it isn’t us.
We have to work together. Because there is a way to bring America back together, but not with all this name calling and fake news. And saying it’s okay because the other guy did it first, doesn’t help. The buck must stop with each of us. Turn off the radio. 
Just say no. Don’t believe everything you hear. If there is an issue, follow it through to see who is benefiting from the divisions it causes. A very good place for that is C-Span, it’s a little boring because it sticks to facts, but it lets you see all sides of issues and decide for yourself. It doesn’t lie. Your presence in your government doesn’t end with your vote for president. Watch your congress. Watch them like hawks. Don’t let anyone TELL you what they do, see it for yourself. Many of them (not all!!!) are selling us out. Doing NOTHING for the people, giving all our tax dollars to the lobbyists for the large corps. We are alike, we are Americans, we sink or swim together, and what we provide for our fellow citizens through laws we all work to make together, in jobs, healthcare, affordable housing, clean water, the best education, internet and hospitals for small towns not only brings up our country, it brings up our children, and it brings up the world.
We are being kept apart by an evil force that we need to join together to fight. Please, 
believe in each other, please don’t believe in these voices using us for, when it comes right down to it, money. They take our tax money and give it to each other, while we are fighting about stupid things, they manage not to spend it on the things we want, those schools, those roads, a VA that works for our lost and suffering veterans . . . they ignore us completely, pay lip service, and all the money, OUR money, goes to wars that we don’t want or ask for, to make up for the taxes that corporations don’t pay. And at this point in time the 
ruling class, media, government and corporations are in cahoots against we the people.
Not to throw out the baby with the bath water, because there are several wonderful politicians/people who are in it for all the right reasons. Of course these good ones are first to be demonized by the media. A politician that they can’t control is a bad one as far as they are concerned and has to go. If one of them chooses to vote for gun control, the NRA does everything in its considerable power to unseat that person no matter what his or her other achievements 
have been. The NRA, therefore, runs our country, not us. (And don’t go crazy here, nobody and I mean nobody, wants to take away everyone’s guns, that’s another lie, but who needs machine guns in the hands of crazy people or children? Lovely to be in England where people don’t have guns, and go to the movies, and be perfectly sure that no one will begin to mow everyone down.) And yes, politicians with that kind of bravery, who put their jobs on the line for doing the right thing, are few and far between. We should find the good ones, check backgrounds, find out what they’ve stood for, and bring them forward. It’s not what they SAY, it’s what they DO. But if our elected officials divide us, refuse to work on behalf of the country we love, we should vote them out of office.
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Americans are WONDERFUL friendly, hard working, generous, creative people. Don’t believe ANYONE who tells you differently. Our country does not have to be made great again, it is already the greatest country on earth. This bit about some of our United States being filled with “hicks” and some filled with “elites” makes me sick, they are doing this to separate us and we are letting them.
We have to outsmart them. If the media outlet you’re listening to tells you your neighbor thinks you are stupid, laugh in their face and say, “You must think I’m stupid if you think I believe that malarky.” 
If they tell you, “They don’t think like you,” “or those people are baby killers,” or “Christianity is under attack,” be aware that these are total and complete lies, they make it all up because our laws say they can and no one can stop them. If they blame Mexicans, Jews, African Americans, Iranians, Muslims, whoever, it’s because they want to separate us. Remember, Timothy McVeigh who blew up the Murrah building in Oklahoma City was a white Christian American. Terrorists come in all colors and from all countries. You and your neighbor are in the exact same boat, and the powers that be want to OWN the boat and will SINK it if they have to. Government has limits. It’s not supposed to be in charge of religion (they honestly don’t care about it, they use it to divide), it’s supposed to be in charge of roads.
Trump was appealing because he sounds like change, and at least he spoke to our total national frustration with the ruling class that shipped our jobs off-shore (even though he manufactures all his products in China), and let the banks walk away with our national treasure, foreclosing on people (hardworking citizens of this country) to whom they had approved loans because they thought they could get away with it (then blaming it on them), and the truth is WE ALL FEEL THAT WAY, no matter WHO we voted for. We all feel the need for change. But, unfortunately, electing this divisive man, a billionaire who told us that if he lost, the election would have been rigged, thereby inviting violence between the American People, for whom he was purporting to work, was not the answer. It is the saddest day America has ever seen. It’s the loss of presidential nobility, honor, honesty, integrity, truth, justice and the American way I lament. 😥 I know some of you disagree with me, and you have every right to do that, and write about it on your own blogs. But you can’t disagree with some of the things he has said and done. I see the election of Trump as the culmination of massive amounts of misinformation coupled with total frustration at the system. Everyone has a right to vote they way they see fit. Remember, I’m still here in England. I JUST basically woke up to this, and I’m torn apart. What has happened to us? There has to be more to this than meets the eye, this wall building that Mexico’s going to pay for, this “Lock Her Up” rhetoric, I don’t believe he will do these things. It will unfold. If Trump puts people in his cabinet that are on the side of We the people, I will be thrilled and happy. But if it ends up as all deal-maker conmen billionaires, heads of corporations that have been running this country for years anyway, I will be heartbroken even further than I am now. 
Yes, we desperately needed change and Hillary should have said, “I will jail the people that stole our national treasure, I will stop us from subsidizing corporations for taking our jobs overseas (that money will go to rebuild our infrastructure and fix health care), and I will raise taxes on corporations. I will work for the people.” Obama, instead of trying to “make nice” when he got into office, should 
have had opened a huge investigation into the banks. Banks should have been broken up. Drug makers should go to jail for overcharging us. Insurance companies should be prosecuted for not being there when we need them. But he wanted to soften the rhetoric between the parties, so instead he went to work saving the auto industry … he tried to be a healer, but the congress had vowed not to work with him, and in the end, he missed the boat. Hillary is also more of a hawk than I would personally like. She voted for that ruinous war we were lied into. But at least I know her as an honorable person. Despite the fake stories, she is not a murderer, she has worked hard all her life to make a better world. At least she tried to talk about roads and schools and children’s health. And, sadly, the powers that be (which even includes foreign governments like Putin) would rather see a man in office, no matter how inappropriate he might be, than any woman. Tons of manipulation went into that. (And now Melania Trump is in the crosshairs. She’s not evil either, and neither is Michelle Obama.)
But our country was so upset, we needed change so badly, we’ve been lied to and manipulated so much in this post-truth world, we forgot our core values as defender 
against tyranny, champion of the little guy, equality and justice for all. If you see an article beginning with, “Sources have told us . . . that so and so is sick, dying, meeting with the KKK, in a rage, falling apart . . . whatever . . . be suspicious. What sources? Never forget, they can say anything. The unvarnished truth is the only way we can make a better world. We need to know. There was a huge discussion on BBC here yesterday about false information coming from Facebook. We can’t let the forces of evil take over the world. We need new foot soldiers to join in the fight against the misinformation they are using to control us. If you think it’s all one side or the other, you are wrong.
We grew up in our lovely middle class world believing in the American Dream, and this includes Hillary Clinton, who is my age and remembers it the way it was, is a good mom and a hard worker, and since I’ve been around long enough to watch it unfold, I have to tell you, she is the most investigated person in the history of this country. It’s been almost constant since I first heard her name. Looking back, ever since Rush Limbaugh began calling her a femi-nazi in the early 90s (because she wanted to help fix health care and the powers that be didn’t want that, because it would change the status quo, i.e. their pocketbooks, follow the money Insurance and drug companies), she has been demonized. I don’t know how she’s stood it. She’s a brave person, and in my opinion, she stood it for us. Despite our congress spending millions of dollars of OUR tax money on the best and the brightest lawyers hired to prove something against her (should have spent it on reopening the mental health facilities in this country that were closed in 1982), she has never been charged … not with the murder they said she committed, nor any of the “crimes” they say she did. Because accusing someone of something is perfectly legal ~ totally reprehensible, without integrity or honor, but legal, and lucrative. And if you put them through hell and find out they did nothing, too bad for them. If she was guilty of something, she would be in jail. Obviously the system, despite Trump’s lie, is not “fixed” — or, for example, Donald Trump would not be president. He was willing to say that, to shout LOCK HER UP, to incite violence (because he never had any intention of locking her up, he knew she’d never been charged with anything), even to bring this country to civil war, in order to win. Donald Trump, supposed outsider, was not the answer. He is the ruling class (and so is Hillary, btw). Before he 
ran for president, he was a pro-choice, bonafide card-carrying Democrat who invited Hillary to his wedding in order to court her for whatever he wanted voted for, now he says he’s a Republican and he’s vowed to lower corporation taxes from 35% to 15%. But we have no idea, none of us really know what he will do; he will say anything because what he really is is an opportunist. He’s the art of the deal. He would have done anything to win, and he did. Now we are going to have a government run by his children. Please God. Common sense tells us this is not good. Yes, we needed a shake up. But the damage that can be done in four years can actually never be undone. We can never take back the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the costs associated that we paid for, we can never bring all those soldiers back to life, we can never take back what the banks were allowed to do to us. And if it’s bad for us, you can only imagine how hard it is on people of color.
One thing I know for sure, the enemy is not your neighbor. Look at the faces in these photos and ask yourself, who benefits from reduction of corporate taxes, reduction of 
death taxes, and who profits from war? Because people do, and those people aren’t us. Who benefits when there is no regulation or weak regulations on car safety or safety of our food or water so they can make it cheaper, faster, using slave labor? Who profits when they advertise disgusting drugs on TV that none of us ever heard of? Who benefits if the legislative process is stymied? Do you think that oil companies want us to believe in global warming? Heck, no. Standard Oil started calling it a hoax 40 years ago. Kids gun down their classmates with AK47’s and we’re scared when we’re told that “libs” want to take away our first amendment rights, who benefits from that 
lie? Us, our kids, or gun manufacturers? Who benefits when we fight each other over gun control or Obama Care? Everything is fixed to benefit them, not us, and in this, Trump was right: the system IS rigged against us, but not the way he says it is. When we fight, they get away with it. It’s our NOT ALLOWING them to divide us that can save us. Can we do it? I don’t know. We’re in 
so deep. The yelling on Twitter breaks my heart, moms screaming at other moms. And the powers that be are loving every moment of it. I mean, how better to sell a newspaper than the screaming headline VIOLENCE ENSUES OVER ELECTION. And some media outlets say the violence is coming from the right, and some say it’s coming from the left, and the only thing we know for sure, when they do this, they win and we lose. We’re being used. They would rather we don’t vote at all actually, they make it harder and harder for us to do so, and when media made both candidates seem so unpalatable, when they decided issues didn’t matter, many people stayed home and didn’t vote at all!!!! Perfect. Just the way they like it.
See this photo? This is a room full of Girlfriends who have EVERYTHING in common. We can be mad, but not at each other, let’s be 
mad at them! Some of you may like what I’ve written here, some of you may see it as political, some of you may wonder why I didn’t write it before the election. Now I wish I had. If my dad was still alive he would have made me, but, sadly, I no longer have his sage advice. I’m on my own. Although I’ve paid close attention to politics over the years, I’ve never been a political person, I’ve believed that goodness would always just automatically win. I have a vision of a strong, inclusive America. Some of you might agree with me that our divisions are not real, but are caused by influences from within, from the powers that be who have everything to gain by keeping us separate and off message, if you do, pass this blog around, because we need all the help we can get. Some of you might decide I’m the enemy and never come to my blog again. So be it. Let the chips fall where they may. Many tears have been shed over the choice of best words here, maybe I didn’t do it perfectly, but please, never doubt one thing, my sincerity for the outcome: Us. Together. Forever. One country, one world.🌎
He drew a circle that kept me out, heretic rebel a thing to flout, but love and I had the wit to win, we drew a circle that took him in. 💖
I’ve said my piece. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
We’re on our way home! We leave England on Saturday, via the Queen Mary 2, back to America across the deep blue sea. It’s been wonderful beyond words and I wrote it all down in my diary.✍🏼 And don’t worry, my blog will come back in its same old homemaking celebratory way because that’s my heart and it’s almost Christmas🎄, and despite everything, I was born with the happy gene and I know I’ll come out of this. I could probably go on all day, but I believe I have entertained you long enough.💞
Two simple words, “thank you” that carry overwhelming feelings of gratitude. Today has been full of depression for me because of Trump and Ryan and the men Trump is appointing. His chief advisor, an openly anti-Jewish advocate. His campaign manager warning people to be very careful how they criticize Trump because of legal action that will be taken against them. It’s looking like a dictatorship being set up. When I saw Trump mocking how Hillary was stumbling to her car when she was ill, I literally got sick to my stomach. His crowd roared with laughter. She was sick, how could anyone laugh at his cruelness. I felt out of time and place, was I watching a scene from a Hitler documentary? He forced himself on women and bragged about it. The women who did come forward were silenced and booed down. Then I see all the women at his campaign speeches and they’re carrying signs that read, “Women for Trump”. I can’t seem to center myself back to the America I knew. A wonderful man running for the senate wanted to put a sign in my front yard and I couldn’t let him out of fear. Not ALL my neighbors are extreme but a couple are. I’m 72 years old and this is the first time anything like this has happened. The news had just reported of a man’s dog being poisoned because he had a Hillary sign in his front yard. Now the news is showing a group of high school students in Pennsylvania marching down the halls carrying a sign that says “White Power” and they’re chanting it. Another school showed a group of kids screaming, “Build the wall” and there were shots of Hispanic children crying and cowering. I fear the worst is yet to come. In defense of Hillary Clinton, yes, she’s not perfect, cut she is NOT the criminal that the powers that be have painted her. The lies have been repeated for so many years and they take on a life of their own. She’s powerful and has been out-spoken, the BIG men don’t like that. She has done nothing but work for children (which are her passion) and for equality rights for the South. Frontline did an amazing program outlining Hillary and Trump’s biographies with no bias. To their credit, they brought their daughter, Chelsea, through a very brutal scandal and together they raised her to be a beautiful young woman who is doing wonderful things today. I use to be very strong, but today am feeling almost numb and find myself in an unknown country, listening to hate and more hate and fear and more fear. I’m desperately struggling to get my bearings, stand up straight and get into the fight. I know I will, if only for my two grandaughters who are almost 18 and 13. They cried for two days over Hillary’s loss. I fear for their future as women, for they not only have to fight the men in power but also the women that stand with Trump. The deck seems so stacked. I agree with everything that you said Susan. I thank you and I know I will re-read this many times. There’s so much here that I haven’t said, but I would like to add one more thing. I’m definitely an old movie buff. I often will put on a movie that I know will make me happy. Whenever things are really, really bad and I need to think clearly, I put on “To Kill A Mockingbird” After watching all the hatred and injustice that happens, I cry at the end (everytime) because Boo Radley comes out and somehow all the atrocities aren’t made better but are put to rest and life goes on. Will that happen to our country?
Oh honey, I’m so very sorry. Crying. xoxo
I agree with you Pat…with everything you said and how sad that we have to be afraid to stand against racism, sexism, hate. Shouldn’t everyone be against those? Very sad
Dear Susan,
I couldn’t have said it better. Thank you for standing up for what is right and good and decent about our country.
My friends and I feel the same as you do and this is encouraging. We are a great country and I have traveled across it and have only found wonderful, caring and helpful people wherever I went.
God Bless America and save her from her errant ways. Amen.
Me too! That is so true. I have traveled by car back and forth, and love us one and all! Now if we could all love each other, this would be good! and a start!
East and west coast liberals call the rest of the country fly over country. Very dismissive and condescending! Well guess who told you to stick it!
We do not do that, that’s what THEY say we say, when you hear that, it’s a clue that you are being manipulated. My mom and grandma were born in Iowa, and I love the midwest, and the south, and all of America and everyone I know feels the same way. You are being told a lie.
Dear Susan,
I have missed you so much.
I read every word of this post and every comment. You have stated the case beautifully and fairly. It is true that we are all really on the same side but we have been divided to be more easily conquered. Unfortunately it is also true that there are none so blind as those who will not see. I rejoice in every positive affirmation you received for writing this post and despair of the others. I love how you defend your opinions gently but firmly. I love that are willing to risk that people will not buy from you because of your stance. It has integrity. Something this election was sorely missing. The world which was already a scary place and has become so much more so now. Thank you for your words of hope.
Thank you Anne. We’re all in it together, and I feel determined we come back one of these days to seeing the truth in that.💖
Thank you so much for your bravery in writing this and posting it! This speaks to all my own concerns as well. While Hillary may not be a perfect person, she has always worked hard for this country. Also, she lived through a very difficult personal time when her husband was the President. I believe that speaks volumes as to her character and what type of person she is. I am very fearful of Trump’s moral code and where he might lead this country. I guess time will tell. I am trying to have faith in the process but I would be lying if I said that I haven’t been shaken to the core by this election process this year. I have never seen such nastiness in my entire life. Americans are great already and I am holding on to that!
Shaken to the core. Me too. Your words were beautifully written, thank you Debra.
I believe that we reap what we sow, and that every mean and ugly thing Trump has said and done will come back on him one way or another. This brings me a degree of comfort.
Thank you, thank you for taking the time to write this post. I appreciate how much courage it took to write and then to hit the send/post button. I agree with most everything you wrote and will continue to recommend your books and blog to all of my girlfriends. You have been cheerful, uplifting, inspiring, and provided laughter and smiles to ALL of us as we journey through this imperfect and sometimes bumpy thing called life. Thank you for your willingness to share your thoughts about such a difficult situation.
You are a doll to take the time to write. Thank you Leigh.
I so look forward to your post because they usually encourage me and take me to a happy place. This was different. We who read your blog also had a difficult time in this election. We chose the candidate WE wanted just as you did. I was heart sick that you used this media to go off on the president-elect! That is just as divisive as the news media. We are all concerned but we don’t lose hope!
No, it’s separate. My vote or yours, for whatever reasons we had to make them, they actually don’t count. There is a bigger problem. That’s our divided country. They have done this to us, they continue to do it, and they will forever, unless we get a grip on it.
You are being very dishonest. You keep saying they are trying to divide us yet you would never have written these comments if hillary had won. You are just having a stompy foot fit cause it didn’t go your way. Period. I felt EXACTLY the same about Obama. No riots in the streets.
Maybe not, to be honest, perhaps I wouldn’t have. Because maybe I would not have been as clued in to how MUCH our destiny is being decided by disinformation, how much the powers that be would rather chance it with a man, than know what they would get from an experienced woman. Please take note, over the last 20 years, things have not gotten better. As the powers that be have gotten stronger, dividing us more and more, they just walk out the door with our money, and do nothing to lift this country. Watching this coming over the last years has been like a slow train wreck, and only lately have I noticed.
So solution is to tell the Republicans how awful they are. The typical blue states voted for Obama twice. Now they vote Trump. Democrats lost everywhere. They even lost most state houses. I guess they became racists and bigots over a few years
What is awful is the way we are being divided, and how we, both sides, are being demonized. You think the way we are now is normal? Do you like it?
who are “they”? If you mean the mainstream media, then that is liberal and biased.
All media.
So brave and eloquent. Thank you for putting into words so beautifully what is, I believe, to be the truth.
Just last night I was with a couple of my girlfriends and we were talking about what we do when we are heartbroken (like we all are now). One exercises, the other bakes cookies and ‘hunkers down’. Me? I make a big mug of tea, and look at my Susan Branch books and read your blog.
Thank you, so much. Please don’t go anywhere yet! We need this blog more than ever.
big hugs to you.
I’m more afraid of girlfriends leaving ME! I’m here, I’m with us. We are the normal ones.
If they leave then they are not true girlfriends
It’s an anger I don’t understand. That we can’t talk to each other if we don’t agree on who should be president? It’s crazy, but its what the powers that be, what our media in particular, has done with fake news, and drumming people up with emotional fears such as “getting rid of Christmas” that a. aren’t true and b. have nothing to do with the running of this country, is a sin, and we need to see it, and I need to try and explain it.
👏👏💕
Thank You! Thank you for saying what so many of us feel. Yes the next 4 years will be hard but we must not give up on what is right and to speak out about what is wrong. This was an election about hate not love for you neighbor. Sue I’m 73 and have been with you from the beginning…..any will be always .
LUV
and thank you again
grandma glenda
With you back Glenda, and with us all. xoxo
Thank-you, Susan. Your words mean a lot. Your courage is an inspiration.
Thank you Karen, and the same to you.
Oh, Susan, your blogs are usually the highlight of my week. I enjoy a cup of tea and bask in the beauty of your kitchen and kitties and all things homespun but this….this is just more than I can bear to read. I’m sorry but this makes my stomach churn. I really wish you would have just written in your journal and NOT published this. I have missed your blogs so much and so anticipated one but this is just awful.
I’m sorry Care, it was not my desire to upset anyone, just to inform. Unless we start to notice that we are being purposely divided, we can never come back together. I feel strongly about this. But I don’t intend to become the voice of the middle.
Hang in there, Susan. Many who agree with you will not respond, sadly, a true silent majority.
So far, I love the responses, both sides … read a bit here if you have time, such thoughtful comments! And thank you!
I agree with Care. This was never a political blog. It is obvious you do feel strongly about this. Which is fine, great, as many of us do. But this beautiful blog is not the place for it. You say you do not want us to be divided. That is exactly what you did here today.
My feelings, too Clare. This blog used to be a peaceful refuge but is now just like any other blog spewing more divisive rhetoric. It is obvious which way she leans and ruined what could have been a good message. Does Susan think she knows the “truth” about any of it better than anyone else? Our media is so corrupt, how can anyone truly know the facts about the candidates unless they are a first person witness? Such a pity; this blog has now been tainted for me.
Really, after one post? Okay. I don’t “think I know the truth” — I just see how divided we are, I followed the money, and saw who was profiting from it and who wasn’t. It was pretty clear.
Oh, my! Your loss!
You speak the truth and from your heart ❤️ Amen you are Brave and I’m with you !
Thank you Maureen, and I am with you back!
Thank you SO much for writing this, Susan. It is a scary time, and I for one very much appreciate your level-headed voice of reason reminding us what’s important: each other, and our shared commitment to a brighter future for our children. It is an insult to us as Americans the way that “information” has been spread around as if just saying something loudly enough makes it true. I appreciate so much your raising the always-unpopular fact that it isn’t the other side that is to blame, but the forces that benefit from our taking sides against each other. I will keep trying to move forward to with open mind and open heart (but BS-detector in high alert!). Thank you again for a courageous post.
Thank you for helping me to see the positive things in life after this devastating election. You are so brave to speak like this from your heart. These two attributes are what I love about your blog and what make you a star to me.
Thank you for being so very brave. I will stand with you! The opposite of love isn’t hate it is fear. We need to believe so very strongly in our Constitution. We absolutely must not forget it is the Constitution that rules the land not presidents, not divided Congress, not the Supreme Court and not the military. It is the Constitution and the checks and balances on all areas of government that gives us hope. Get to know who your congressional reps are. Call and email them with your concerns. Let them get to know your name by your daily/weekly messages.
The sqeaky wheel gets the grease. The President cannot make laws, he/she can only propose legislation. Congress has the power to craft the laws. Make sure your representative knows how you stand against all this unhealthy behavior. Show your rep he/she is not standing up alone, that you stand with them against slurs, persecution, harassment and all this country stands for.
Sorry for being so long winded and the typos (I’m doing this with my thumbs) 😊
Again, a big hug to you, Sue, for bravely standing up for us. Blog Daddy (and
Mommy) have a great deal to be proud of!
Excellent and informative. And thank you Vickie. xoxo
Thank you, dear Susan, for your heartfelt words. Sending x’s and o’s and wishing you and Joe a safe crossing.
Thanks Shanna!
Oh dear. I am sorry Susan, I must unsubscribe. I can’t handle passive aggressive political views any longer, especially when they take a particular side. I though that your blog was going to be a positive, uplifting experience, but not when you express political views.
Thank you. It is heartening to see the person behind the blog, it makes you much more real to me. I think what you are addressing is the overwhelming need in our country for critical thinking. I believe we need to add critical thinking (the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment) classes and finance classes to every primary and secondary school curricula. Give people the the tools at an early age in the areas that will dramatically affect their lives.
Susan, thank you for your wonderful words. After a campaign full of turmoil and the disappointing election results I have had so many moments of anger, anxiety, but most of all sadness. I feel more at peace after reading your blog. Safe travels to you and Joe on your way home.
Thank you Beverly!
Beverly, you said it well! I totally agree with Susan and it really helps to have someone put my feelings into words. We are in a sad, scary place but at least we have each other.
Thank you Susan!
You are One. Brave. Woman! Our society has been turned upside down for so long that I don’t know if it can be fixed even in the span of a generation. I worked for 22 years as an RN in a NY State Correctional Facility(prison) and can tell you that convicted felons receive better care and have more rights than the elderly, the homeless and the veterans of this country.I think things started going haywire when “under God” was removed from the Pledge of Allegiance in schools and a Christmas play had to be called a Holiday play. Maybe that’s too simplistic. The city I live in is in a downward spiral and just a shadow of it’s former self. Today it wouldn’t even be called a city due to its declining population. The family owned stores in our downtown have been replaced with Social Services and Welfare agencies. Of course we can always get in our car and drive over to Wal Mart. We started a group to revitalize our city but I gave up going to the meetings. All I feel I can accomplish is maintaining my own little plot that my home sits on and be kind and giving to everyone I have contact with. In the bigger picture, corporate greed has ruined us. Sorry that my thoughts are so disconnected but so many things are running through my head right now. It’s a shock that he won. I asked my daughter who is in the military who she thought we would be safer with and she said definitely Trump. I just have a hard time believing that. Glad that you trusted your peeps enough to be able to vent. Anxiety is always amplified when away from home. It’ll get better soon xoxo
Yes, I hear you Cindy, and it is confusing. It’s been a total undermining of our middle class and no one can feel happy with that. Love you! xoxo
It’s with a heavy heart that I’m posting this response to your comments. I have so enjoyed the ‘happy’ things you have shared; your art, collections, recipes, travels etc. However, it seems you decided to break a very good rule and have discussed politics. By casting your comments against Trump it seems you may not entirely understand why some women, such as myself, voted for him. I do not support the negative aspects of his history, neither do I support the negative aspects of the Clintons’ or other leaders. However, I can never cast a vote for someone who openly promotes the killing of unborn children, sons and daughters, by calling it pro choice. I am so sorry to have read this blog when your previous blogs were so much pleasure to read and were a safe place from all the negativity in our world. Thank you for your past blogs shared and I wish you the best in your adventures. Sadly, I no longer view your blog in the same light.
Susan, you said it all perfectly. You gave words to what is in the hearts of many of us. To see what is going on is so hard. So unlike our America. We do need to get it back and do what is right for our children and grandchildren. We owe them and us a better world than this.
Thank you for your insight and compassion. You are truly an amazing person.
And when you say “get it back” you mean what I mean, the America we had where we all worked together. I don’t know one single woman who doesn’t agree with that, us, working together. It is our normal way of things. And thank you so much Fran. xoxo
When the was 18 I went to an event at the governors mansion in Arkansas. Bill Clinton was the new governor. He tri d to pick up me and my friend. He was a married man. I didn’t have a breakdown when he became president. I was very upset when Obama became president. He has cried racism at every turn and run our country down but I haven’t burned any flags or protested. We have to give each president a chance and judge for ourselves if we like the job they have done. Then thank God we have an election every 4 years to decide what we want. I can’t put my trust in amy man, only in God
God bless you, Susan. You are a wonderfully good person and you do so much good in the world with your positive, beautiful spirit.
So sweet Shirley, thank you!
Susan – hope you get some sleep….I wanted to point out, that the definition of “political” is interesting….I didn’t vote for Mitt Romney, but I knew in my heart he is/was a good man, with the best intentions to lead our USA….I believe what we are discussing now is deeper… is not Republican or Democrat….and NOT political. Misogyny, belittling persons with disabilities, disrespecting Muslims, racism is not politics – they are poisons that affect all of our lives, our safety, our freedoms, and our children.
I agree, Mitt Romney seemed like a good man to me too. Thank you Regina. Good point!
I am so disappointed in this post – this website is for the beauty of your words and painting and books – this is the second website devoted to this (Mary Englebriet). Though I value people and their opinions -it is not for websites that are devoted to entirely different matters. It should be used in another forum
I will say I voted for Hillary and I am not happy with the election but I do not choose to read about it when I open your website.
Marcie
I’m sorry Marcie, but haven’t you noticed the deep divide in our country? Isn’t it starting to bother you? Don’t you feel like it could lead to almost a civil war if it continues? That’s the reason I bring it up. I don’t think we need this, it’s a false thing, and it hurts us.
I agree with you 100% – I just do not want to see in on this particular website! I open your blog in anticipation of bringing me a smile and joy! not politics!
Maybe if the header had told me it was a political viewpoint I could have passed it up!
I am deeply troubled by what has happened BUT I can only move forward and pray that we as a nation can be strong and put this negativity from the news in perspective and change what we can within ourselves and the law.
So the message is – vote my way or the country is going to pot
No, again, the message is that we are being torn apart from within in order to separate and demonize the “other” by people who make money by doing it. It isn’t new, it started in the 80s, but we can see how terrible it’s getting now and I was just hoping to shine a light on it.
I agree with Marcie.
No matter who won this election, we all lose until we see how we are being divided. While we’re blaming each other, the powers that be are walking away with everything and leaving we the people nothing.
I, too, was disappointed in your blog. In reading it, I felt you were putting me in that class of “deplorables,” having voted for Trump. I voted for Trump because I was sick of the left wing progressive movement being shoved down our throats. I find it difficult to understand how anyone would want to continue down the road we have been on, which is what would have been had Hillary been elected. Yes, I agree with you in that the country is divided, but Trump didn’t cause that. It was divided long before he came in the picture. I felt you totally overlooked the “facts” that were brought out about Hillary, that I don’t feel necessary to go into again, particularly about her private server and emails. She lied through it all. The deep divide will only lead to a civil war if the media continues to promote it, and those on the left are so intolerant of a view different than theirs.
It’s a two way street Bea. We’re in it together.
I agree with Marcie. I am disappointed with your blog, Susan.
That’s okay, I meant it to help. The division is deep and it’s not going to be fixed overnight, but even if it’s slightly food for thought, I feel better.
If the people we love to hear wonderful things from, like you Susan, are hurting like I am and my friends are, I WANT TO KNOW, so we can comfort and help one another. Thank you for being brave enough to start a conversation saying, “We are not alone!”
We are not alone. And despite the differences of opinion here, we are ALL in the same boat right now, being manipulated by the powers that be to hate each other. It really has to stop.
Yes, I agree with your disappointment. I don’t turn to these blogs or books for politics or related. I read other places for that and want to keep it that way. You are a brave woman!
Marcie I stopped following Mary Engelbreit due to her posts filled with political messages I won’t even buy one of her cards anymore Hope this one goes back to the one I loved reading and looked forward to
Dear Marcie,
You have decided that Sue’s website is about the beauty of her words and paintings and books… and it is, but it has always also been about so much more. It has always been about us, women, all around the world, being authentic and loving with one another. And that’s what she did with this post.
Love, Dawn
Thank you so much Dawn.💜 We are each other’s back in good times and in bad. On the same team despite differences of opinion.
My heart is heavy but I have decided to act and not be beaten down into silence. The world needs more positive energy and so today I mailed three thank you notes – one to President Obama – and two more. Tomorrow I will find another way to spread gratefulness and love. And the same for every day after that until I die.
More love must push out hate eventually. Fear doesn’t lead to anything but misery.We each are responsible for what the world will become for ourselves and our children and grandchildren. Don’t despair! Ever.
What a wonderful thought Linda. xoxoxo
Linda, I applaud you for your action plan to spread loving kindness on a daily basis.
Bless you, Linda!! I am composing a BIG thank-you to all the Obama family in my head…soooon to reach for pen & paper. when I THINK of what that family has been put through….JUST because of the color of their skin….well, I weep. for us. we will miss him, and his grace & dignity & true LOVE of this country. what a fine soul he is…and, so are his wife & daughters. fine souls all. THANK YOU for realizing that. and, to our dear, dear Susan…i’ll be adding my thoughts to yours as soon as I am able. so far, I’ve been crying so much….gotta stop that and act. THANK YOU for your wonderful, MUCH NEEDED visit with us today. brava, bravissima!!!!!!! all love.
Dear Susan, you said everything I am feeling and thinking so eloquently! You are brave to discuss this topic on your blog but it needs to be discussed. We cannot rely solely on the media for information. Back in the day when we had Huntley and Brinkley and Walter Cronkite it seemed as if we were getting honest reporters. Newscasts were not paid for by ad money. Now the news is reported by celebrity newscasters and are part of entertainment media conglomerates.
I’m like you, close to 70, and probably won’t be directly affected by a new administration. But I’m deeply concerned about how the world will be affected. My young granddaughters, my friends of color, my LGBT colleagues, all will deal with setbacks if the new administration carries out promises made in the campaign.
Your saying about praying but continuing to row is a good one. I’m not religious but am spiritual and believe that most people are good. I’m cautiously hopeful that the good can conquer the evil.
Thank you for your wonderful words.
Bill Clinton was impeached for lying that he didn’t have sexual relations with an intern in the oval office but science proved otherwise! I’m sure the many woman of his past that have been coming forward for years are not all delusional! Hillary lied to the American people and families of loved ones who were killed in Benghazi! Yes, we heard Trump’s potty mouth tape but half of America is hoping for some needed changes and are willing to give him the benefit of doubt!
Did you realize that Monica L. had been moved away from the White House, a request made by the President, for two years before all of this came to light? He had not seen her for two years. He cheated on his wife, had an affair, this is true, and he didn’t want to admit it in front of the world, to her and his child, so he lied . . . and since my ex husband had an affair, I understand full well the pain that comes with this. But what was done with this information seemed to me more about politics than anything else. It was the first time I’d ever seen something like this taking priority over the dignity of the presidency. I found the reporting on it to be more hurtful than his actual act. It was more Hillary’s problem than mine. Trump did not have “potty mouth.” He physically grabbed women by their private parts. He said he did. No matter what reasons people voted for him, this is now and forever, a true thing. Giving him the benefit of the doubt is your choice and I don’t say a thing about it. But what I do talk about is truth.
NO HE DID NOT GRAB THEM BY THEIR PRIVATE PARTS. However he did say that he kissed them without their permission. Like every date i ever had. No man every asked my permission to kiss me. Ever. Since you’re all about truth stop lying about what he said.
Good for you Susan. I completely agree. At least Monica was consenting. These Trump women were preyed upon. You can’t disregard his behavior just because you have supported him. Cognitive dissonance can be a dangerous thing. And yes, truth is the most important thing. It has become hard to hold onto with this era of Fox News and manipulative talk radio hate-mongers. They twist reality and they try to twist people’s minds. All for money.
Susan, Thank you for your beautifully written and heartfelt blog!! I could nearly hear your emotion and hurt coming through as you clicked each letter key. Thank you for the hope and inspiration you shared with us throughout your blog; and for the reply you wrote to Phyllis. We have let too much go under the carpet in our attempt to be nice, instead of doing and saying what we could to stop the hate and lies. Much thanks for your courage and time in sharing all that you have with us in your raw and truth filled letter to us all. Wishing you and Joe and safe and relaxing passage back home.
I agree.
It’s so sad, Susan, the state of our country, isn’t it? I’m afraid if we voted according to morality, no one would vote at all. Why is sexual immorality any different than the immorality of lieing, or the immorality of misappropriating funds any different than the immorality of bad language? We used to measure a person by the content of their character according to spiritual and religious guidelines. Some people don’t want to admit it, but if it weren’t for the 10 Commandments and the 2 Great Commandments, humanity would be, well, inhumane. Unfortunately, as far as our leaders go, we can’t use those things as a measuring stick anymore. I voted on the issues, period. (as much as I could, according to how little they were discussed). I wish I could say that either one of the candidates were good, moral, trustworthy people, but they just weren’t. I, personally, ended up setting the candidate aside altogether. Disappointing.
My mom always said, plain and simple, “You know the difference between right and wrong.” And I do. And I think we all do. And we know that hate isn’t the way we want to live our lives. It doesn’t matter who won, we are still in this manipulation bubble that guarantees that nothing will ever change and we will continue to suffer as a nation. We need all of us to change how government works. Divided, we fall.
Yes. It’s tragic.
It does not matter how long Monica Lewinsky was ‘away’ from the White House. He did what he did, lied about it…there should be no excuses like the excuses you made in your comment for Bill Clinton. But none for Trump. Two wrongs do not make a right.
Why are you not standing up for ‘girlfriend’ Monica? If you get the chance I suggest you listen to Monica’s Ted Talk on YouTube. I hope it brings tears to your eyes like it did many in the audience. She was used and abused by that man. I voted for Bill Clinton the first time he ran but was too sickened by what he did to vote the second time. My ex also had an affair and then chose to beat me for his kicks, so yes I know the pain also. But the words that really shocked me ” I found the reporting on it to be more hurtful than his actual act. It was more Hillary’s problem than mine.” Seriously. He lied. To all of us. The White House was not his playhouse.
I know this is your blog and as many have stated I come here for peace and joy. If you had left it as simply division in this country I would have not commented. But you did attack Trump and make excuses for the Clinton’s. Bill and Hilary divided this country by forcing an investigation, impeachment etc. for his and then her lies. I care not who you voted for but the excuses you made for someone else’s wrongdoing will keep me away.
They use Clinton’s personal life as a tool to separate us. I can’t say this enough.
He was impeached. An impeachment is a TRIAL. He was found not guilty. He left office in 2000 with one of the highest approval ratings in history.
Thank you very much for writing this. I am not sleeping well either. Neither candidate was perfect but this one terrifies me. Too many of us are afraid to speak up because it brings out the haters. Please don’t listen to them. You are a heroine. You are brave and have more love in your heart than I can muster right now. I have dipped in and out of your blog for a long time but now I am a true fan. Girlfriends forever.
Thank you for your thoughtful blog Susan. I always look forward to it and today you said what I have been feeling and said it so eloquently. This is the first election of my life where I cried….where I felt frightened by the result. You bring joy and happiness to this world and I love it. I also love that you took a stand on an issue that has been so painful. Thank you.
Hi, Susan! I’m a Spanish woman who admires you and your work very much. I live in big town next to Madrid, in Spain. I thought I was very lucky when I found your blog. I have read every post you have left in your site. My friend and English teacher, Brenda, is a wonderful woman, from California (her family lives in San Joaquín county), and I know she was very upset after the election.
I don’t know exactly how the politics of your new Government is going to affect to my country, to Europe, but I want you to know that USA is a great country, of course, but I’d like for you all Americans the things we have here, in Spain, and in other European countries like free healthcare service (you don’t pay anything when you are sick, when you have your baby, when you need a very expensive treatment, and so on. Free, all is free, and everybody is healed without asking if they can pay or not), a Public University where you pay very very few money with the best Professors and teachers, a month of holidays payed by the company, a good retirement, after a hard life of work, four months of holidays for women after having their babies, payed by their companies, and now some weeks for men too, if they want to stay with their babies.
You know, Spain is not as rich as many other countries around us (G. Britain, France, Germany…) but we have some very good things (like our fantastic heathcare service) that we don’t want to lose and we are not going to allow that to happen. We want everybody has the same opportunities and we are a united and a supportive nation: we all pay for everybody has the best, and we are happy this way.
Dear Susan, sorry about my mistakes 🙂 I just wanted to say you that I admire you a lot, and your country too.
Sincerely.
Mari Carmen
I love that Mari! Thank you so much. It is OUR tax money, we all contribute to our country, and there is NO REASON that we can’t use that money for health care, education, the good and right things. Sometimes I hear the powers that be call social security an “entitlement.” Like we are spoiled children who think we should be getting something for free. But pardon me, do we not pay into that every day of our working life? True entitlement is that our senators get paid almost two hundred thousand dollars a year for LIFE if they complete one 6 year term (really only 5 years.) And we’re entitled? It’s OUR money if you please. I appreciate you bringing this up Mari, our children are being saddled with huge education debt right now, and it’s a sin. xoxo
You are amazing, Susan. I agree with you word by word. You speak with wise words, that’s why I am so happy reading what you say, reading your blog. I love all your drawings too!!!
By the way, I am going to receive your book, Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams, as a Christmas gift. I can’t wait to read it!! 🙂
Have a good time in England, Susan. Here, in Madrid, Spain, there is a woman who admires you a lot!!! 🙂
Dear Susan,
I have been a fan for years and never replied to the blog but I am compelled to do so now. Thank you for your honesty, for putting out there what you feel in your heart. Some think it may not be good for “business”. I’m sure you considered this to some degree before writing this blog entry but I have great respect for the fact that you spoke the truth as you see it and you did so without blame except to where it belongs…on the media and corporations.
I believe that more than ever we must have conversations with each other and try and understand the other’s point of view if we are to get through the next 4 years. What a perfect venue for doing so: a place where we are more tuned in to our similarities than our differences. Bravo!
You are an inspiration in so many ways and especially now at a time when so many of us are grieving. Thank you for your honesty and your courage!
Love to all, Christy
Yes, I thought about it. But it’s okay. You’re a dear, Christy. Thank you for your thoughtful words. xoxo
Dear Susan, Ditto that Christy J. I too have followed you for decades but have never commented. I have your cookbooks, calendars etc. and read the trilogy and laughed out loud all the way through. I am impressed with your heartfelt, carefully chosen words to discuss a most complex state our country is in. I for one agree with every single word. I always knew and “called” you my kindred soul sister, and I could have written every single word of your post. Thank you for taking a chance with your own business and the possibility of losing blog followers. Sometimes laying it all out there is scary but you, my dear, are a brave woman. Thank you so much for for your open mind and heart. Have a wonderful voyage and best to Joe!
I will be praying for our country as I’ve done for most of my life. Thank you for your thoughts and words. You are so right about how the news manipulates our thoughts and actions. The one thought that comes to me over and over is what are our young children witnessing with all this disrespect, hateful and vile language and terrible acts of violence in our beautiful country?! You have the best heart, Susan, and by writing this blog perhaps you’ve helped others (including me) to understand many of these concerns. God bless you and safe travels home!
Oh. I know. It makes me cry. They see our president says it, does it, does that make it okay for a 12 year old boy to do it too. My heart is sick for this.
Just like when I had to turn off the TV around my children when Monica’s blue dress, stained by then President Clinton during his actual term, was being discussed.
Me too.
Debbie, you encouraged me, a lot, by commenting that you have been praying for our country and will continue. I’m with you ! That’s the first thing you stated, and, I believe, the first thing all believers should be doing.
I have read this blog several times and have sobbed through each reading. Thank you very much for your thoughtful and brave post.
Hi Susan! Your blog was incredible! I am so glad that this election is over and it saddens me greatly to see such violence and hatred based on the results. I didn’t particularly care for either candidate. I kept asking myself, “is this the best we can do”? I think people need to fill their lives with what makes them happy and peaceful, love everyone and do good works. I have friends and family on both sides of the aisle and I love them all! My mom taught me that you count to ten before you speak. Sadly, we don’t see much of that on either side. And so much is based on fear. No wonder so many Americans suffer from anxiety and depression. There is so much beauty to be found and we need to focus on looking for it rather than on all the negativity. Extremes to either side are not good. We need to come together and keep making our nation great. For me it’s “We The People” not “We The (fill in the blank)”. I think this year the Christmas carol “Grown Up Christmas List” is very fitting. Let everyone have a friend. Let love never end. A very safe and fun trip on QM2 “across the pond” for you and Joe. Be well and be happy! Love, Karen
Susan,
Hello from your California to Pennsylvania transplant friend!! My parents are/were WWII survivors and when their families immigrated from the Netherlands/Germany to the U.S., the correct/right way via sponsors and no assistance from the government for 5 years while they attended classes to become U.S. citizens, and had skilled trades, voting was one of the most treasured rights they valued!! But when family and friends visited the rule was NOT to discuss politics, money or sex?! And as parents they taught my sister and I to respect their elders, teachers and police; to learn a skilled trade for a better job, mind our manners and if you don’t have anything nice to say about someone then don’t say anything at all, etc…………. As far as the current election (and the past two) – WHAT A JOKE!! A lying criminal vs. an unethical businessman?! All I can say is if anyone working in the private sector had done what these two individuals (and the current idiot) had, we’d be out of a job!!! (I know this because my job was in HR!) And all the protests/riots are ridiculous/petty but who has to pay for the damages?! And what does it come down to – I’m sorry to say – the parents!!! What if anything were these individuals taught as children by their parents. And please, students in college don’t have to take a test because they’re upset about the election – Suck it up Buttercup!! This is totally unbelievable – what our country has become because parents haven’t taught their children morals, ethics, manners, etc…………
Can’t wait to see your pictures and stories of your fabulous trip!!
Margie
I think that some have missed your message, as they are still trying to defend their choice of candidate over another. This election was about so many important issues that will affect our future, and I’m afraid in ways not expected. I thank you for your post, as it has helped me put things in perspective, and hope for a better future outcome than what I’m so fearful of.
Susan, I think this was much needed. You said so many things, and please realize we *ALL* know how difficult it is to deviate from the usual “polite, happy thoughts” style of entries in order to express what is deep in your heart…and might I add, I feel also deep in many of our hearts as well.
Thank you for expressing what so many are feeling, and for piecing together thoughts into coherent ideas that perhaps we all are having a little trouble doing right now.
Bless you, and safe travels
Thank you for putting everything that I have been feeling for the past week in the words.
Thank you, Susan, for such an eloquent post. You perfectly said what many of us feel.
Thank you for your thoughts. Sending hugs.
One television commentator noted that the red states were “Fly Over Country” which what they call that forgotten part between the coasts. He ACTUALLY said that. Think about that. Think about what concerns people who live here–in the rust belt and farming country and the part of the country produces energy for the coasts to have lights and cars.
OUR concerns may be very different than yours. And first of all, there are WOMEN in both parties who have been married for a long time to men who have made a life-long habit of abusing and disrespecting women.
Here in the middle we are worried because perhaps the majority of our jobs are either gone to another country or threatened. Businesses are hamstrung by government regulations. It’s about whether we have a house or food.
We are worried about the crime we see, we are worried about how people in poverty are sinking into crime. We are also sick of being calle racists because that is not the majority of. We don’t think we are despicable people we know one another and we see the good that the “fly overs” will never see or experience.
It’s not about women’s issues. Someone got it wrong there. It is about AMERICA’s issues. The most unlikely person you could imagine talked about that and Fly-Over people saw someone talking about THEM.
Now you can complain and wring your hands a lot, but out here we have been doing it for a very long time. It is pathetic that people had to take the road they did to try to get some help. SO, please think about that. Poverty breeds crime, and crime breeds hate. SOMEBODY has to see that and try to address the root of the problem, not the symptoms.
From the coasts you see beaches and big cities and wealth. From here in the middle we see abandoned factories, shut down drilling operations, farms that are having a hard time breaking even, and despair.
So how about we talk about us for awhile? And how about everybody change the topic to the things that are taking this country into ecumenic disaster. We are obviously ready to listen out here. And oddly enough, we DO count don’t we?
Both coasts have lost jobs too, have lost their homes, their retirements, there is not this divide, except in the voices of those that profit by it. Coastal small towns are devastated too, and it makes me sad to drive through our beautiful country and see what has happened. When you hear you are fly-over country, call that person a person who wants to divide us.
Thank you , thank you, thank you! We are all in this together. We need to help each other, love each other and stand up for the America that is an open kind and caring nation. I have cried many tears over someone like Trump becoming president but I have faith in our ideals and who we are. Yours words were so caring, reflective and true.
Susan thank you for speaking the truth! I enjoy reading your blog. I also worry about the next four years, yet we continue on with faith. Love to you!
Oh my, Susan. You had me until you made this personal. That’s too bad. Yes, we need to be united and heal our land and that will take all of us. But you just went too far and lost me and my support. Just keep things neutral, pray for unity and sisterhood and brotherhood. To state your personal feelings taints what you tried to say. Sorry, you’ve lost me.
Thank you, Susan. We have to be able to express our thoughts and opinions without fear of reprisal-that’s one of our basic rights as Americans. I appreciate your last post so much. It’s a little easier to breath thinking we could all remember to trust ourselves more and those we love.
I have started & deleted my words several times now. There’s so much I want to say, but you’ve all ready said it in such a heart-felt, gentle way that I am surprised that still there are those who want to argue sound advice from a lovely, sensible woman. To think that because you embrace the beautiful side of life with a happy heart you should not feel fear or worry & want to share it is ridiculous. For me, your honesty has made me realize you truly may be a kindred spirit. You have as much right to give voice to your worries, your thoughts, your ideas as anyone. Thank you for not living in a dream world where everything is always perfect, when indeed, it is not. I found solace in your post as I have been at odds with family & friends who view the world we live in, in a very different way than I do. One of the things that has kept me centered is ready & savoring A Fine Romance this last week. Again, thank you.
May you have a joyful journey home.
Per Federal law, automatic guns, such as the machine gun you mentioned, are illegal in the entire USA. They cannot be sold or bought on the open market but just like drugs, opium, heroin, etc., they may be illegally sold or bought on the black market.There are thousands of laws already on the books that, should they be enforced, would ensure a greater degree of safety for all citizenry.
Out of a country of 320 million Clinton and Trump were the best offered? Tis very sad indeed. POTUS includes CIC, Commander in Chief, and after listening to reports from military men who made it out of Benghazi alive, I could not, in all conscious, vote for Clinton, who as Secretary of State, left them behind. By her own admission, she was responsible for the 60K employees, including the four men murdered. The buck stopped at her desk.
As to Clinton working for “children and women”…during the last national debate she supported partial birth abortion. As such, I’m at a loss to understand how her claim of “working for children and women” isn’t a lie of the greatest magnitude.
I’ve been heartbroken for the last eight years and feel Obama has done a great deal of harm but we survived him and I’m sure we’ll survive Trump. I’ll do for Trump what I’ve done for Obama…pray. There’s been so much divisiveness these last eight years, even more this election but I fail to understand the intolerance, rioting, infantile behavior on the part of some people who voted for Clinton. There was none of that eight years ago and it doesn’t speak well for those doing it now. America: the world is watching. Get your panties out of a bunch and grow up.
Susan,
Thank you for writing the truth! The election is over! We all need to be viligant
with pending and future legislation that restricts or denies us our rights! This was a wake up call for the American people! We can hide our heads in the sand or we can stand up for our beliefs! It hurts to hear fellow Americans who are minorities state how frightened
they are since the election! We all need to support each other and move past the fear! It may take time but United, we can move mountains or a President!
Thank you, Susan, for writing this and even more for defending what you said clearly, but lovingly. I have more respect for you now than ever before.
Thank you so much Laurie!
Thank you for writing this, Susan. I removed myself from my political party this past summer with the primaries because I was fed up with all the hate and anger from both parties. In the process I shocked my husband, my friends and family and then voted my conscience. I have always been a peacemaker, but had no words for the horrible, vitriolic insults being lobbed back and forth by friends who voted on both sides. While watching everyone fight, I decided I was still going to be a good person and set an example of kindness, happiness and helpfulness – just like I did before the election. Your words are the ones I’ve needed to hear, comforting me. Thank you for being my own personal voice of peace. 🙂
THANK YOU!
I have been so depressed since the election.
Your words help me put it in perspective.
I’m the one that sat next to you at your
Signing in St. Charles, Missouri😊
Hi Ann! I remember! Thank you!
It is very sad to me and not something that i understand….I have known a lot of men and few are 100% all of the time ‘good’. You obviously found a ‘doozy’ of a guy who might be perfect…BUT I will say that most men are not and most men say things that they regret later. What is most sad about the feelings from the ‘never Trumpers’ is the ability to latch onto several points emphasized by the liberal media and completely excuse the corruption – and it is certainly documented – of the Clinton dynasty…Many of us wanted a woman President, just not THIS woman! Many of us would have been happy with a black President, just not THIS black President. So many of your statements just are repetitions of what the media has told us was true…NOT the real truth….Divisiveness has come to us from this President’s podium so many times…why did he want to always divide us into black, white, female, gay whatever…why can’t we just have one set of rules for ALL of the people…Rules made with the leadership of an inclusive LEADER who will do his best (DESPITE the hateful things being said by people who voted for others) to lead us into ONE great nation again….I suggest that since we cannot change the election result, you might want to do the same thing that i did eight years ago when our elected President was not my choice. I convinced myself that he seemed to want to try to bring us through the black/white world into a world that was ‘just us Americans’. My own belief is that through his bad choices, he has had the opposite effect and it is time for someone else to try. AND there are many more important issues that need to be dealt with as well – meaningful to all of our children and grandchildren. Democratic government for 8 years…now, can we just TRY something different…??!!
Please try, as you reconsider over and over again this election result….just TRY letting the bad words leave your mind and look for GOOD indications that we might can make this 4 years work if we REALLY try. And, while you are at it, you might use your forum to encourage others….WE GET NOWHERE with the bad reactions that are happening now….You are a very smart woman, I believe…Remember that we SHOULD respect the office if not the person…we should want the best for all of our future….I have more words….but would need to know that they are heard to spend time writing.
I cannot tell you how glad I am that the election is over. For better or worse, we must now accept the fate of the voters. I am optimistic that nothing seriously bad will happen, because our President does not run the country alone. Hoping I am right.
I will not go into my personal beliefs any more than that, because I was not raised that way.
I am so glad you will soon be on your way home, as I know you are anxious to BE home, to see your kitties and your hearth and home. I look forward to hearing about your travels, as I am not a “twitter-er”!
Safe Voyage!
I was optimistic that nothing would happen when George Bush became president. But I found out there’s a lot that can happen in four years, and even more in 8. Two wars were unpaid for, and the Banks walked away with what was left. So now I don’t think that way anymore. I pray really hard! Thank you Marianne, looking forward to home sweet home! xoxo
ah, yes!!!! thank you for pointing that out. BIG, BAD things can happen. even worse….we were truly LIED into Iraq…..so many lives lost…and, so many horribly impacted by the worst possible injuries. and, if you think the banks made-out….just you wait till THIS time. wow.
Thank you Susan! I think you have it spot on! What I don’t like is how the popular vote is by far for Hillary, yet it’s the Electoral College votes that matter in the end. I also agree that Hillary missed the boat, so to speak. My heart breaks for what may happen to this world in the next 4 years; the progress we have made towards fighting global warming and protecting the animals will surely disappear. I, for one, will be even more diligent in supporting those causes. I thank you for speaking out and I do believe yours is one of the voices of reason in this election aftermath. mind how you go, Yvonne PS: safe travels home!
Thank you, Susan. What a wonderful message, coming just as I needed it most. I know this is not who we are, and we can find our way back from it. Did I wish we didn’t have to? Of course. But I KNOW we are better than this, and we will find our way.
I think so too. But we have to change our thought pattern, its got to be us against them, and the them, cannot be US!
All together now: “This land is your land! This land is my land! From California, to the New York island…”
Oui!
Thank you Susan. Every word was spot-on.
I am both heart-sick and terrified which is not a good combination. Being told to just ‘get over it’ is neither helpful nor respectful. I am the TEENIEST bit heartened by your brave words. We must do the right thing…..be kind and respectful to one another. Wearing my safety pin and taking a break from Facebook……hugs, Patti
What ever it take Patti! xoxo
Thank you for speaking out. So many of us go quietly about our lives, voting but not being vocal and actively calling out candidates who mislead and media who don’t do their jobs. No more. I will follow your lead and speak out, however uncomfortable it may be. We all need to sharpen our critical thinking skills and cut through all the misinformation we!re fed on a daily basis. Letting candidates spout lies without consequence is damaging our democracy. And by the way, lets end the electoral college so that we have a democracy where the majority rule.
Thank you Susan. I’m with you.
I agree that we have been manipulated and have been for years by government, corporate America, the Media, and pharmaceutical industries, now even hospitals are big business( sadly). Everything today is set to undermine the little guy and people are angry which is why someone like Donald Trump could become President of these United States. We are no longer united it seems. I too fear for my children and grandchildren and still remember our world before it changed. I do not know what the answer is to any of this. I will continue to practice random acts of kindness and try to live each day without judging others. I try to be kind or st least tolerant of everyone I come in contact with and pray there are enough of us to keep our American Dream alive for the future. ‘Ran while, in retirement, my family sometimes needs to choose between medical payments and food. ( true story Susan). We are part of the so-called middle class. My Dad, who is 95, and still sharp as a tack was part of the Greatest Generation and I try to soak up his wisdom. He fears for our country too and has no answers either. He has said for years that it is broken. We will continue to carry on each day, one day at a time, and try to persevere and do good. My Dad says we are tough and we are survivors. Love to you dear Susan and your hubby- Pam Gardner
I want to come from a different space on what has been said above. I am not a supporter of Donald Trump and feel Hillary Clinton has contributed to more good than bad as a politician. Having said this, I would like to share something that happened in my little suburban town of Yardley, Pa. Let me say that I naively thought we had come a long way against racism and prejudice and didn’t realize it was still simmering under the surface to the extent that it is.There is a little bakery run by a Muslim couple. They have seen their business decline since the Fall and the rhetoric that has been thrown around. A friend asked me to share their situation with my email group of friends with the hope that more of our friends and neighbors would purchase their sweets.. We both posted to our friends. I went to the bakery a few days later and there were three customers waiting patiently for their goodies. The owner said she didn’t know what happened but they have been very busy. She went to the back to get some goodies and one of the women who was Indian said we just have to support them…she had faced difficulties back in India and had to leave with only the clothes on her back…her point being, there is always some bad things but we just have to continue to show goodness. When I left several other folks arrived…the owners only had about a dozen or so cookies left but the customers bought what they had. I went back twice since then and most of their shelves were bare! I don’t remember the exact quote but there’s one that goes something like…”all it takes for evil to continue is for good men (or women) to do nothing.”
We have to continue to be the light we want to see in our little corner of our worlds.
Thank you Christina, that was a nice thing you did. I’m sure they felt the love. I only moved from California to Martha’s Vineyard, leaving behind all my friends and family, and that was hard. I can only imagine what it must be like to have to RUN from your country and start over in another with a totally different culture and language. Now that’s what I call brave.
It is all those little kindnesses and quiet help of our neighbors that will help strengthen this country and bring us back to the knowing that we can work together for America.
Oh, thank you, Christina. That is a positive thing we can do that will speak without words. Debbie in Tampa
Susan, thank you for voicing what so many of us are feeling. We’re all reeling to understand a world that doesn’t make much sense but it will be up to ALL of us to fight against the negativity & remember who we are. We’re better than this!!
Yes we are. We are the world, and we should be together. When we are pulled apart and blame each other, we are diluted. It’s not that we are all supposed to think alike, I’m not saying that, I’m saying that we should all know and agree that we are on the same team, the American team, and anyone who tells us different is a liar.
“When we blame each other” what do you think you are doing? Look in the mirror.
I am blaming the ruling class, not you, not us. I blame the corporations, media, government, lobbyists, the CEO’s of NBC, Fox, CNN, the oil companies, the insurance companies . . . all of them, for using their power to cheat, steal, and separate us.
Are you kidding me? There were no postive stories about trump. CNN had a documentary promoting hillary. Of the journalists who donated to candidates, 96% donated to hillary.
It’s not about Hillary and Trump. Read the my words. Look at the photographs. This about something much bigger and more important than them, it’s about us.
It is about them for you. You have defended Hillary over and over. Her policies won’t affect you that much. When will Martha’s Vineyard accept 100’s of refugees or illegal aliens. They won’t. When your beautiful little town turns into Mexico keep your mouth closed. Also ask that Muslim bakery to bake a cake for a gay wedding. They will refuse.
Approx 20% of our year round population on the Island is Brazilian immigrants, some legal and some not. Just so you know. We aren’t so different from the rest of the country.
Thank you, Susan ! You said what so many of us are feeling…we want to live wonderful lives and be at peace. We had VERY dear and old friends visit before the election – and we were NOT in agreement about our choices. We talked, we argued, but we hugged and said no matter what we are friends and we want the best for each other. And that is how I am feeling now…and I hope you get that happy feeling back. This is a wonderful country and the founding fathers set up a system of checks and balances – and I am hoping that works to keep us safe and sane. I am praying for our new President – even though I did not vote for him or agree with him – but I am praying for him and our country. You are very brave to put into words what we all are feeling. Take heart, we are all in this together. Safe travels to you and Joe…come home, be an elf, and spread your magic to us all !
Thank you Ann! xoxo
Ann, what a wonderful reply. Thank you!
Wow, I am impressed. You took a big risk posting this and had to knew that some of your readers would not agree with you.
Everyone has a voice and deserves to be heard. The people voted and spoke their voice (which is the most amazing thing about our country even if the ‘voice’ you agree with does not win the election!) and I am taking great pains to see and understand the rationale and reasons that people may have voted, whether that be Republican, Democrat or other.
And, now that the vote is decided, the folks that are pleased or not bothered with the result will still need to run across the thoughts, opinions and ideas of those who voted for a different result. Had Hillary won, those who felt strongly that she was not a good choice would have every right to lament and speak out and share why they may have negative, confused or disheartened feelings about it all.
As a woman, I have found it an extremely difficult and long road getting to a place in my life where I can state my opinion regardless of knowing that others might disagree or GASP even dislike me. THANK YOU for setting an example of what that looks like. You were passionate and articulate in your post and explained your viewpoint, all the while knowing it might cause waves (and I know this could not have been easy for you as you are a very gracious person).
It is not helpful or productive to understanding one another and what we hold dear to say “la la la please don’t say that?’ and that goes for both sides of the political landscape in this country right now. As someone who was not supportive of Trump being elected, I still feel it is my duty to truly look and try to understand the reasons why people fair and square voted him in and look for ways to address their hurts and problems just like I desire others to consider my perspective. Otherwise I am living in a bubble and missing important things. Hearing and truly listening to others can sometimes be uncomfortable but I challenge everyone to give it a try. That seems to be the biggest challenge right now doesn’t it?
You are so right when you say that all of us must come together and try to figure out how to heal this nation’s deep divide, even if we do not think we have much common ground. A perfect example is my sister and myself. We are polar opposites on so many things, including and especially politics, but both of us know that the other is basically a good person, and we somehow manage to have discussions without becoming resentful of the other. We even joke that maybe we should run for election as co-presidents, because we are always willing to listen to the other no matter how deeply we disagree.
I too grew up during the 50s-60s, and it seems to me that politicians used to be the same way, agreeing to disagree on some issues but working very hard to come together on others, because all of them believed that their primary duty was to do what was best for this country. What happened to that philosophy? We have always had division and strife in this nation, but over time we seem to have become less willing and less able to work out our differences, and that is what scares me most. I think that is what you were describing in this post, and I could not agree more, so thank you, Susan.
Thank you so much for your insights and observations of the last week, months, years. I have been struggling as well and feel a bit better after having read your words which reflected my feelings…..
Again, as I stated above, I so admire your courage and your ability to speak to those who added counter statements. I agree with you 100%, and I have been having these arguments with my family for several months. I made no progress with them, but you said it all in one article and I am so grateful to you. I think you can see from the comments, that you will still have many, many who will continue to enjoy your words and the products you create! I love you unconditionally.
Many of your readers totally missed your point. Even my 98 year old staunch Republican father figured out that the reason Trump was elected is because people are just plain “fed up” with the status quo. We need change, but I’m pretty sure Mr. Trump is not the one to bring it. We need unity in Congress, fewer political action committees, fewer loopholes in the tax code that only the wealthy can take advantage of, more jobs in this country (I’ve heard it said that none of Trump’s products are made in the U.S.), stronger family values, more attention to the things that are right (more active youngsters with direction- less video gaming and social media), better health care and education to mention a few. I appreciate your courage and honesty. You won’t lose my support.
WOW! Susan Branch is a socialist and does NOT support the office of the Presidency of the Unites States …. CHECK PLEASE! Or rather, no more of my paycheck is going to support such a hate-filled anti-American.
Sad. Torn apart.
SUSAN!! THANK YOU! Thank you for this blog post! I appreciate that you shared your heart when you could have simply kept your feelings to yourself. Instead, you stood up for your well informed beliefs and took a risk in order to make a difference.
There have been some really nasty comments over the last week directed toward artists who have had the nerve to speak out and have a personal opinion. Contrary to popular belief, these artists are NOT here for our entertainment. They are people with feelings and opinions who happen to have a larger platform than the average American. Some choose to use it for the greater good. I know this and you know this…I wish others knew it too!
So, where do we go from here? I choose to stand up for those who will be hurt from this decision the most. We have come so far and I for one do not want to see the progress of Women’s rights, LGBQT rights and Environmental issues fall behind. I know many families who WILL suffer with a higher tax bill. They are the families who can least afford it. Not to mention those who depend upon the aide of social services such as Medicare/Medicaid or student loans. (Not to mention the refugees and so many other important issues 😖)
I felt a sense of loss and helplessness last week. I have no formal experience in politics nor do I pretend to KNOW the best way to help, however, I couldn’t stand idly by and let those around us suffer because of a misinformed choice. Here a list of places that need our donations more than ever:
1.) Planned Parenthood
2.) Center for Reproductive Rights
3.) Natural Resources Defense Council
4.) The International Refugee Assistance Project
5.) NAACP Legal Defense Fund
6.) The Trevor Project
7.) Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
OR we could get involved:
1.) Run for Office, make a change in your local community
2.) Join a Board, volunteer with local, progressive groups
3.) Support Women and Girls Programs
4.) Promote Love and Kindness
And I think something EVERYONE can do is:
Fact Check, Fact Check and FACT CHECK again…promote FACTS, promote EDUCATION!! Subscribe to a newspaper like the New York Times, support FACTUAL information, insist upon it!!! (I don’t understand how some of the population – enough to get the electoral vote – can believe stories such as Hillary’s murders (Were YOU there? Do you KNOW anyone who was? Did you sit in on any of the hearings? HOW do you KNOW she is a murderer?) yet vote in a man – who anyone can see and hear for a FACT – DID the multitudes of things he is accused of. Of course he apologized – that is beside the point.)
Here is a link to a list of bipartisan fact check websites:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/true-5-factchecking-websites/
Listen to a reputable source bipartisan news: CSPAN or The BBC. I hope we can all make a difference💙🇺🇸🏠💕
Love & purple puddles.
Give peace a chance.
jm
Dear Susan, thank you! I knew you are a wonderful and talented artist but did not know until now how your art extends to deep thought and the written word. Please DO NOT be discouraged by those who write to disagree with you. You are so correct. Keep up the good work, both with your paint brush and your wonderful thoughts. Here’s hoping for a good outcome from a most difficult situation.
That’s my prayer. xoxo
Thank you for putting into words what we are feeling. Seeing this all put down
in one place, brought tears to my eyes. I don’t know that we see the whole picture of where our country has gone in the last 25 years without this retrospect. What was wrong with children reciting the Pledge of Allegence each morning? You live here. If you don’t wish to live here, move on. What happen to citizenship class, learning to be proud of where you live, and help your community. The new phrase, “It takes a village”, is just that. Unless this is instilled from a young age, it is hard to instill diversity without the knowledge that we ALL came from another culture at one time.
Well said Susan. We’ll just have to hang tight. I too think I have a small happy gene. How could we not, we grew up with Leave it to Beaver, Donna Reed and The Nelson’ s. Not the Kardashian’ s or the Housewives of Whatever. My co worker looked at me like I was from Mars when I said we didn’t gossip or say mean thing about our friends. She wanted to know where I was from, my answer was Mayberry. There are a lot of people out there that missed a lot of what made us happy. We need to get that back. Thanks for reminding us with your wonderful books and beautiful outlook on life on how things were and could be if we really try.
I’ll be honest….I was so disappointed to read your blog this time. I have followed you ever since your very first book and have always looked at your works, both artistic and written, as that “safe happy place” to which I could turn when I needed a smile. While I couldn’t agree more with you on many of your points including the misinformation and its purposes, I was really hoping to put all the ugliness of this election behind me and go to some happier places. While making your points, your bias was obvious. Neither candidate was good for this country. One was not better than the other, and the two can’t even begin to be compared. They have both lied (and been caught), and they have both pandered to their respective audiences. Proof that both of them would say or do anything to get elected. That’s where our country lost….it was about getting elected. Period. Not about us, the American people. What about us? I respect your opinion. I honestly do. I just wish it hadn’t been in the “happy place.”
Susan, there was a quote floating around Instagram after the election that really resonated with me. “Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House but what happens in your house.” That really spoke to my heart as a wife and mother. My job is to love God, love my husband, love my children and raise them to follow Christ. I firmly believe that while there are many out there today who will stand up to fight injustices (and we should support them), it’s just as important to raise up the next generation right because that is what will change America for the better. From the inside out. Regardless of who we voted for, what we need right now is unity and it starts in our homes. Take heart my friend, there is always hope.
I honestly believe that this election was one of the ugliest we have ever experienced. If I had ANY other reasonable option I would have not voted for either candidate. Personally, I see very little difference in them. Yes, Trump is a pig who devalues women. Hillary is no better. She casts her anchor wherever she can to get what she wants. She was first to vilify the women who accused her husband of molestation. I think they are both horrible, power hungry, megalomaniacs. Neither one is on our side. But then they are politicians, did anyone really expect them to be on our side? I think that most people voted this election according to the political beliefs of the candidates not the personal beliefs. I cannot believe that anyone agrees with either of these candidates. I hope not. I also have to respectfully disagree with you on Hillary’s emails. No she won’t go to jail but that doesn’t mean she didn’t do something wrong. She did. She never should have used a personal server and risked those emails being hacked by outside parties. As secretary of defense, she knew better. I never believed she would be charged though. When is the last time a politician, especially one that powerful, was charged with anything? And don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Donald has plenty of illegal activity in his closet. I am just really disheartened by the whole thing. What makes me the most upset though, is how people are STILL acting. It is over. One person won. Maybe it was your person, maybe it wasn’t but at the end of the day we are still Americans. All of the protesting, arguing and blaming is only further dividing us. It’s time to work together instead of complaining. I find it ironic that Hillary’s slogan was “better together” and we are more divided than ever now. I wish people would stop being ugly and come together.
Thank You!
Linda L. in Texas
You are welcome Linda. xoxo
Susan,
Your words are wonderful and I appreciate all your courage to write them. I agree with you and I hope that we will come together as a Nation, but it will take time for healing to occur. We the people will need to keep working towards kindness and walking towards peace. You are a light Susan, keep shining and encouraging us to look deeper and shine brighter than ever before! Blessings upon your safe journey home. Mary DD
Thank you Mary!
Bless you, Susan, for being so brave to write this. Irrational hatred of Hilary is no reason to vote for such a poor excuse of a man. What has he ever done for anyone but himself?
I was so hoping we would see his tax returns. Then we’d know.
what about the emails!!
I’m not sticking up for her because her actions have been under scrutiny by much more competent people than me and a decision was made. I don’t think it matters who was elected president. Neither of them can solve the divide I’m speaking about here. Only we can. Follow the money and you’ll see we are being used and they are laughing all the way to the bank, and nothing will ever changes, because divided we fall.
Do you mean her Bed Bath and Beyond emails? her personal emails she didn’t want the world to see – I’m sorry but I don’t blame her.
You don’t need to see his tax returns to know what he has done – look at all the jobs he has created, all the women and minorities he has hired. Revealing tax returns is NOT a requirement to be president of the United States.
You don’t really know what he’s done. No one does. That’s how we tell for sure, by seeing what charities they give to, by knowing if our leaders have invested in foreign countries, by knowing if they have paid taxes in this land they say they love so much. Unless we see them, we have no idea.
Susan, I’m sure this wasn’t an easy post to write and I admire and thank you for your honesty. Although I agree with some of your points, I disagree with much of what you said here…but given this day and age (and especially this election year) disagreements are not unusual. But your opinions are yours and I have no issue there. I’m only responding to the feeling I had after reading your post. I walked away feeling scolded…especially so after reading some of your replies to people who disagreed with you in the comments section. This election was especially difficult, the most difficult one in my lifetime (and I’ve been around several decades), and I believe people struggled to make sense of all the mis/information thrown at us. The election is over and I don’t feel like this post helps now or lends itself to people and our country moving forward.
Why don’t we all get together and support Trump instead of tearing our President-elect down? It always amazes me that knowing full well that HALF the people of the United States voted for Trump because we think he can do more for our country, that anyone would post a blog on how bad things are. Remember, Trump hasn’t taken office, so I don’t think we can blame anything on him yet. Please give him a chance! It’s rhetoric such as this post that is fueling the protests!!
Thank you dear Susan for all you have brought into my life for so many years, joy, beauty, kindness, love and now some clarity. I have tried several times to write back to you but it is so hard to get passed this pain and betrayal I feel. People that I thought were so nice saying the things they say on Facebook, reposting such hateful and untrue garbage about Hillary. And always refusing to believe any facts you try to express. I guess I just thought he had proven in his own words and deeds what kind of person he was and goodness would prevail. ‘There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know’.
I was so sad and could not even express what I felt till a friend came over and said he felt exactly like he did at 12 years old when he found out President Kennedy had been shot, unbelief, fear, loss of faith in the human race. And I realized yes the feeling I had was exactly as that day. Exactly.
Thank you for your courage and helping to shine some light I hope it brings more brightness and knowledge maybe just a little questionling at least to those who read it. As always you are a blessing in my life as I hope we all are to yours.
Love
Dolores
Oh, Susan, I started reading and had to stop. My stomach is back it’s tumbling. I do not agree with you on your support of Hillary. I do love you. I will always love your style and your books and recipes and delightful blog. But I know the tug of stating a view that is so deep seeded that it has to get out. Thank goodness we live in a country that allows us to do this.
I voted for Trump. I could not support a candidate that agrees that babies can be ripped (literally cut apart while in the womb at term) and pulled out only to have their brains sucked out after a puncture to the back of the head.) This is no lie and has been admitted by many abortion doctors as to the procedure.
In all reality, a dead baby is a dead baby-aborting it at 6 weeks or 9 months. It is still murder. Where is the babies rights?
I did not intend to get off on that subject, but as you felt compelled to write your position, my heart just swells with this barbaric practice and my passion for the unborn sometimes let loose.
I have friends who feel as you do. We agree to disagree. I can’t understand it, and I guess they cannot understand my view. I pray that we can give Mr. Trump a chance. I am appalled at what came out about him, just as I am about the many things the Clintons have done. We had so many good people in the primary to choose from.
God seats and unseats rulers. He has allowed Mr. Trump the seat, if you will, for a season. I hope he can make changes for the better and help all American’s, no matter their station in life or their color or faith.
God Bless America! And, God bless you, Susan and Joe. I feel like you are a close friend. Thanks for all the fun and delightful reads! Don’t ever stop drawing and telling us of your trips. I feel like I have gone with you!
I believe political issues should be kept private , or between close person such as a husband . its like someone asking someone how much money you make. Will still look at you blog and read your books because i love them, but was disappointed in todays post. Now you got me worried and thinking of all the BS issues. Hope your trip is going well, and have a safe trip home.
I must start by saying that I have never written on-line before.
People who defend Trump’s bragging about groping women by saying how long ago he said it are missing the point. If they had ever had a stranger do to them what he said he has done to women, they would have a different attitude.
When I was 30, I had a stranger grab me between my legs, smile and walk away. I was in a grocery store in the middle of the day with my 7 year old son (who luckily didn’t see what happened). I was so shocked and humiliated that it took me a few minutes to seek out the store manager and tell him what happened. Of course, by that time the man had left the store.
I knew it was silly at the time, but I never went to that store again. As a matter of fact, it so unnerved me that I wouldn’t go shopping without my husband for months afterwards. For anyone thinking it may have happened because of the way I was dressed, well, I was wearing paint spattered sweatpants and my husband’s sweatshirt that had a picture of a warthog on it, plus no make-up!
To this day (I was born in 1947, the same as you, Susan.) I am watchful if a man comes too close to me while I’m in public. Women who have been sexually battered will tell you that the humiliation and fear never completely go away.
Believe me, if Trump had made that remark 25 years ago, it would make no difference to me and how I felt then and feel about the assault today.
Also, the people who have criticized what you say do so with exactly the same type of negativity you wrote about. Reading between the lines, they are saying, “I don’t agree and I want to hurt you.” I had to laugh when I read some people saying that they will no longer buy your products or read your blog – the playground equivalent of “I’ll take my ball and go home.” I especially loved the one who said she would not now buy your calendar. I hope you won’t miss the 87 cents that you would have received from that sale, if that much!
I’ll continue to read your blog and any other regardless of whether or not I agree with what is written there. I will close with one of my favorite quotes I first came across in college:
Voltaire: I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.
I wonder if your critics would ever do the same.
Oh Lee, thank you for sharing. Sometimes I think our humanity gets lost in all of this. Your story was the perfect example. xoxo
Bravo, Lee!
So sorry that that happened to you Lee. You’re not alone in your experience and then to have this as our president elect seems like utter betrayal. I get that.
I, too, had a similar experience. It happened when I was only 19 (I’m 63 now). I was leaving an outdoor concert with my friends when some guy from the crowd came up behind me, grabbed my entire butt and ran off. I immediately took off, caught up with him, grabbed him by the back of his collar and hauled off and planted my platform-shoed size 9 into his backside. I sent him sprawling on the ground and his friends begged me to leave him alone! I was shocked but not humiliated. I wasn’t the one who did something wrong, he was. I never even considered that this could be considered sexual assault. I am sorry you felt that way, Lee.
Too many comments to read. I follow lots of blogs and one lady who cooks, stuck her head up, got it ripped right off too. It’s her blog she is allowed to be disappointed in the election and to write about it, which she did in a very kind and inclusive manner. People said they would not come back. Their choice. I had thought that America was a democracy, seems you are not always entitled to your opinion it is a very sad state of affairs. You mention America as the greatest country in the world. I have travelled a bit and there are many many great countries all in their own way, there is not just one. We all love the country we live in whether we were born their or more importantly if we CHOSE to live there. America except for the native people is a country full of immigrants they made your country great. It’s a community and we all need to work together, all we need is a natural disaster to see all people working side by side to help those affected, that is what is great, people respecting each others views but still working together to a common goal. I was sad you said that Obama had tried to ‘make nice’ I think he tried very hard I admired him and his family greatly, not one breath of scandal, I’d say that was a first. He was blocked at every turn, no country who denies all good health care is great, everyone is entitled to the basics of life, free education and free health care. These are the basics which help to build a great nation. I think that people in America probably wonder if their child will come home from school and not die while trying to get an education, I think that a ‘law’ written hundreds of years ago could do with scrutiny, guns were important in the wild colonial days but not so much now, many other countries do just fine with stringent gun laws, guns are not freedom. Stringent gun laws do not take away peoples liberties, the reverse is true. Stop being so paranoid and fearful. I worked for a national broadcaster, run by the government for 35 years, I know how the ‘mainstream’ media tries to frighten people, divide and conquer, stop watching it, much of it is biased and the stories twisted if not untrue. I think if the American public stop with the vitriol and work together this presidency could be the making of you, pull together work for the common cause be decent and respectful of each other, see this as a great opportunity. Thank you for saying what you think Susan, in a respectful inclusive manner. I hope you don’t lose followers, that would just be petty and surely you’ve seen enough of that, make this a turning point in your history.
This past year I have pulled out of my bridge club, knitting club, garden club, etc. I cannot talk to these women who voted for a man with no scrupules whatsoever, who not only grabs women, makes fun of a disabled person, veterans, pays no taxes, has had three wives, who hates immigrants although he is married to one and is so full of himself and arrogant that he thinks he will fix all this country’s problems all by himself. 53% of white woman voted for him. You all go ahead and try to fix this by talking to them. I would rather spend my time in a dark basement, alone, and without any light. I have nothing in common with them. The America we all grew up in is gone, and I am resigned to it. The American dream is just that: a dream. I am also a happy person, but I have never been so depressed.
The conclusion I’ve reached after these many weeks of upset and turmoil is we have to “read” the news and media with a very jaundiced eye. It is our duty to put it all behind us and not believe all that is printed or produced. They are not infallible and neither are the politicians. Its one part of our lives and we have to put it in its place and move on.
Hi Susan ~ Oh, how I feel your distress. I’ve been physically, and spiritually, sick since election night results became apparent. Alas, I’m fearful… I’ve never felt that way after a Presidential election. My ❤️ and Spirit are bereft… where will our Beloved Country, and the world for that matter, be in four years time⁉️ I truly feel it’s out of our hands… no matter what we do, we’re powerless.
I’ve been thinking of you, wondering how you and Joe have taken the news of the election outcome. Thank you for putting your feelings/thoughts into words for us. During this stressful time, the place I turned to, was you. I went right out and bought, “A Fine Romance”, that’s where I lose myself when I feel I can’t take anymore reality. I’m eternally grateful for you, and the life I have in the hills of New Richmond, in Southwestern Ohio. There are so many wonderful beings (cats, dogs, deer, wild turkeys, birds and otherworldly woodland creatures), that ground me during this very stressful time.
My interest in all things Shaker, especially their music, and wise sayings, gives me hope as well. I’ll close with this saying, from Shaker Sister Eunice Banks who lived in the Harvard, Massachusetts Shaker Community ~
“Little acts of kindness which we render to each other
in everyday life, are like flowers by the way-side
to the traveler; they serve to gladden the heart
and relieve the tedium of life’s journey.”
Let’s love and show kindness to one another in these trying days❣️
In Light ~ Lois🐾🐾
Dear Susan,
Thank you for your brave words. You have such a wonderful way of saying what needs to be said . Blessings to you.
Thank you Marty!
I have only this to say: I hate politics! It’s all about the spin, and rarely about the truth, and I’m 99% sure its been that way since the founding of our government. We just have to do the best we can, and PRAY.
Its awful isn’t it. But I do care about this divide in the country, I hate to think about how much money these talk show people are making by doing it. They think we are idiots.
Dear Susan – I’m sending you love and support for your decision to voice your feelings, fears and concern at this time. I am not a political person but I do recognise the need to recall and uphold some semblance of decency and ethics in this world and I completely understand and share your worries. It is shameful, I believe, that someone who appears to be lacking in these most fundamental qualities is about to take to the world stage as representative of a nation. It does feel like a time to despair, doesn’t it? And sadly there is no easy answer or solution to this issue. I wish there were. Please take strength, Susan, from the messages of support you receive – I believe you did the right thing in telling all your friends what you feel. I’m sure most of us feel exactly the same way. Continue sharing – don’t lose heart. With love to you and Joe – come back to us as soon and often as you can. Bernie x.
Thank you for being so brave to say exactly what SO many of us know in our hearts to be true. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you Susan! I want to throw my arms around you because you said it all so clearly and passionately. While 9/11 was an horrific act, it brought out the best in us! Strangers were
reaching out to one another offering support and love because, after all, we were in it together and terrorists were not going to change us. This election though…
Fear is divisive and love is the. cure. xo
Susan, thank you so much for this wonderful post. I feel the same as you do. I applaud your bravery and integrity in posting this, knowing that it might cost you some fans (the rest of us will just have to love you all the more 🙂 ). I hope that what has happened in this election is a wake up call to realize our votes really don’t count, it’s only the few members of the electoral collage who are allowed to choose for us. (Although, it does make me feel a little better to know that Hillary won the popular vote by nearly a million votes). Thank you for pointing out how the media leads, lies and distorts our perceptions. To get through the next four years we will all need to see with clear eyes and speak the truth with a firm, but respectful voice. Thank you again for this post, it has lifted my heart to see in the comments that there are so many like-minded girlfriends! Wishing you and Joe a safe journey home….Love always, Victoria
OMG people he is not a king…He has checks and balances. He is one part of a 3 part government. If you all are so outraged about him talking about grabbing the private parts of a woman, maybe you should be as equally as outraged about those performer’s on stage, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry grabbing their own in front of thousands of people. Very hypocritical !!! He has not spent one day in an elected office and you are all ready to crucify him. I’ve lost my house, my retirement, under years of democratic taxation policies. I’m glad Hillary did not win. I’m ready for a change !!!!
Yeah, I didn’t like that either, bad manners, but at least it was their own. The banks stole our money the last year of the Bush administration, 2008. I agree, we needed a change.
The bush administration had very little to do with the HOUSING crisis. It was democrat policies. Everyone deserves a house bull weather they could afford it or not. Go on you tube and watch a bush regulator talking with barney frank about frannie mae and freddie mac. He was put in his place very quickly by frank. Plus the public is responsinle for buying houses they could not afford.
It was the BANKS policies, making money on our backs and getting caught doing it. It’s up to the banks to decide if someone qualifies, don’t blame the victims. We were taken for a long ride off a short pier.
Yes, the housing bubble started with Bill Clinton and Bush expanded on it. Not a good plan.
Clinton had been out of office for 8 years when it happened. If they had wanted to change it, they had plenty of time. It’s old news, and the outcome was that WE the people, all of us, right and left, were screwed once again. But we are so divided we can’t do anything about it. Everyone is too busy saying, It was Bush’s Fault. It was Obama’s Fault. It was Clinton’s fault…and while we argue about it, and blame each other, they dance off into the sunset with all our money. We are being used.
The change you seek though is a gamble. And so far the gamble isn’t working. I would rather have status quo than to see a man that has shown us who he is. Believe them the first time they show you who they are – Maya Angelo.
My comment is for Patti’s response – this showed up under yours, Susan – sorry 🙂
How do you know it isn’working, he isn’t even the POTUS yet !!! Really it’s still run by the Democrats !!!
Hi Susan, I’m going to take your advice and get my blanky, some tea and snacks and have a movie marathon…It’s seriously been a horrible year !!! I lost my father, my home, yadayadayada…I’m not looking for any sympathy, I’m just say’n it’s been rough. Hoping for better things in 2017. Going to see my boys this Thanksgiving. I married a PoliSci nut from Northwestern 37 years ago and I haven’t been the same since. Blessings Mz. Susan <3 …
Very sorry to hear that you lost so much. You must be very strapped financially to have felt the need to actually vote Donald Trump into the highest office in the land and the most powerful position in the world. The President is not just a policymaker, but an example of what is done with power. He has told us that when you’re famous, women want you to molest them (as long as you have a mouth full of Tic Tacs.) We actually did not vote for Madonna, Miley Cyrus or Katy Perry. I hope the financial change you seek is worth the increase in racial slurs and misogyny that will deeply hurt many people. Sleep well.
sorry. if you think, for a mini-minute that THIS man will abide by “checks & balances”…..wow…..I pray you, think again. wait & see is not really an option here….they tried that in 1933.
I agree patti
~The change is called 3rd Party~
Susan,
I love your in depth explanation and summation of the recent history that has led up to this place in our history. I’m an optimist by nature and can only hope and pray that the pendulum that has taken us to place will swing the other way and that good will prevail over the nasty tone the country has taken. Like one of your other readers, I am trying harder to pay kindness forward in hopes that there will be more civil discourse and consideration for our fellow man than currently exists.
I’m happy you shared this with us…isn’t that what girlfriend’s are for? We must share some of the bad when it impacts us all.
xo,
Karen
I do not know anyone who could explain what is going on in our country better than your words in this blog. I dismissed Trump when he mocked a disabled reporter. I have a mentally challenged daughter and my grandparents were deaf. As more and more came out, it was beyond me how anyone could vote for such a person. I tried talking to friends who supported him and it seemed he had done nothing was wrong with the things he had said and done. He has been like the Pied Piper leading us to the edge of an abyss. I am afraid for my biracial grandsons and for our country’s future. I have to admit I have thought of leaving and moving to Canada. We all need to pray for our country for healing but I do not believe Trump will let us do that since it will be counterproductive. Thank you dear friend for putting the truth out there for our thought and consideration. I agree with everything you said, especially about Hillary and her husband who was an excellent president. God bless you and your family and our amazing country.
YOU’VE LOST ME! I HAVE BEEN REAING YOUR BLOGS AND BUYING YOUR BOOKS FOR YEARS. NO MORE. HILLARY CLINTON IS CORRUPT. WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO VOTE FOR TRUMP, EVEN AFTER HIS UNFORTUNATE COMMENTS. NO ONE THAT I KNOW WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP IS RACIST. BUT WE ARE ALSO TIRED OF HAVING LIBERAL IDEALS SHOVED DOWN OUR THROATS BY OBAMA’S MANDATES. BTW THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE I KNOW WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP HAVE COLLEGE DEGREES OR ADVANCED DEGREES. WE ARE ALREADY
READING PROFUSELY AND WATCHING C-SPAN.
Dearest Susan,
I completely agree with everything you have written. I am 65 years old, the mother of two daughters (23 yrs. and 20 yrs.) and I am so frightened of the future they face. The middle-class has disappeared in the most terrible fashion. Our world is being polluted and our citizens have lost so much in the way of rights and protections. Many people don’t even say Merry Christmas any more; it is “Happy Holidays” for fear of offending someone….WHAT?! I have Jewish friends and Muslim friends and, as far as I know, they have never been offended by my Merry Christmas greetings or our family Christmas card which is always of a Christmas/Christian bent (and often homemade).
I have said for many, many years that our world is in the mess it is because it is run by MALES. And I have been married for 29 years to a man, so I am not anti-male. Men in a position of power are competitive and aggressive. Most women will feed and take care of any child they happen to meet who needs help. I don’t know any women who would send their sons and daughters off to war over a patch of oil in a desert. We would SHARE the oil. The same with food. Women don’t starve the children of their neighbors or of people who disagree with them. Most females just don’t have the hardness of heart to turn their backs on others in need.
Our country alone could probably feed most of the world when we are in full production. If all of the food was shared, boom, the end of starvation. No need for warlords confiscating deliveries of food to poor nations. It goes on and on and, unfortunately, it all comes back to the fact that MEN rule the world. They run the corporations, the banks, the SEC, the “Justice” department, you name it. And they are aggressive and greedy. Our planet produces enough of everything for everyone one, if we would just share and work together. I doubt it will ever happen. And you are right, the media is insane. AND run by men!
I love your work Susan and have all of your books. Keep speaking the truth and if anyone doesn’t like it, TOUGH S@%T!