On Tuesday night my daughter texted me. “So scared 4 the election 
”
On Wednesday morning I woke to the news that Donald Trump had won. After the initial shock, I mostly felt sad, tremendously sad. My daughter messaged me again:
We texted back and forth, sharing our disbelief and sorrow, and shortly afterward I headed off to work…to the first child in the door who yelled, “We’re all going to be dead in four years!” as he entered. To another who came in fist pumping and bellowing, “Trump! Trump! Trump!” To a story shared by a coworker about a kindergartener who said, “Hillary Clinton won’t be President. That’s good because she wants to take babies out of their mommy’s bodies before they’re ready.” To a fourth grader who literally shook every time someone started talking about the election. I wanted to sit and bury my face in my hands.
And then my daughter texted me this:
My eyes filled with tears and my heart burst with pride. These two young women, deeply distraught by the election results, went out of their way to create something positive for those around them. They put aside their sorrow and worry and handed out donuts and coffee, encouraging people to write each other messages of support and encouragement.
This may seem like a small thing–coffee and donuts– but it is not. There is tremendous power in choosing to reach out and in turning fear and sorrow into a positive force.
The sign at their table read, “Love Will Win.” Dear God, I hope so. And in the meantime, there is certainly solace to be found in the words of Mary Oliver and Emily Dickinson.
Nix the comfort zone 
What a beautiful daughter you have nurtured and supported. She, like many young people, offer hope to a broken world.
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[…] when browsing through some past posts, I rediscovered this one from the Thursday after the election. Yeah. That election. It features my then college-aged […]
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