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The exhaustion and sense of doom here is overwhelming! It's been a long, hard fight and it's far from over.....FAR from over!
I found myself thinking about my parents a lot today. Both are now gone, and I'm glad of it. My father was a politician and witnessing what is going on in his beloved country would have devastated him. The same goes for my mother, who told me one of the things most upsetting to her knowing that she would soon die of cancer was leaving her children and grandchildren in this country with Shrub at the helm. She died before she saw most of it, shortly before the 2004 election. She knew I was doing everything I could to get a Democrat elected, and for that she was grateful and I did my best to make her hopeful.
They left us with strength, intelligence, perseverance, honor, and all of the skills necessary to live life and stand up for what is good and right in this world.
I've felt bowed many times during the last 7 years, but have always found ways to dig deeper and keep working toward moving our country back to sanity. Days like today make it seem like all is lost and all of the work so many have done has been for naught.
Bullshit.
There's a long road ahead and we damn well need right-thinking people on that road! We need to acknowledge the huge work ahead and keep going.
I have multiple sclerosis and believe me, it ain't always easy -- sometimes I have to fight just to get going during the day. But dammit, I'm worth it, my friends and family are worth it, and my country is worth it.
And there are millions of us out here. We have felt the repeated punches in our guts as our country is turned into something we do recognize, and I'm amazed and proud when folks keep getting up and going back for more. And that's what we HAVE to do.
Dad loved Winston Churchill. At times like this, I find myself turning for inspiration to some of the folks who've had long, hard fights. I found myself reading a little of my saved, favorite Churchill stuff today and these two quotes stood out for me:
“Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”
“Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”
And one of MY personal heroes, Nelson Mandela:
“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have a taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended.”
I say take time to enjoy what you enjoy in your life, take time to remember and enjoy the things/people that you are working so hard to protect, take time to reconnect to this still beautiful world we live in, take a little time to congratulate yourselves for working so hard to save your country and to care for yourself.......and then get the hell back to work!
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