Fractured but not broken
I’m doing a lot of reflecting today on the last four years. For four years, we watched in shock as our standing in the world crumbled. We cried at the injustices, some days feeling like the dark hole couldn’t possibly get any darker, and yet it did. We taught our children about kindness and bullying, all while watching this nation’s leaders undermine and contradict these lessons. We shuddered as we saw more mass shootings and watched in horror as our Black and Brown neighbors were senselessly murdered. We watched history unfold with two impeachments and an insurrection at our nation’s capitol. We witnessed this country’s highest office operate like a round-the-clock reality show as staff were hired and fired and twitter became the forum for the President’s rants. We saw the erosion of truth as the media and was targeted and seeds of distrust sowed. We endured a pandemic that took hundreds of thousands of lives, paralyzed communities, and bottomed out small businesses.
And while we spent four years witnessing the worst of leadership, we also witnessed the best of humanity. We marched, we ran, we showed up, we spoke up. We embedded ourselves in our communities, lifting up neighbors and giving back. We registered people to vote, encouraged participation in local elections, and built the engine from the ground up. We watched as a a movement grew, with neighbors standing together in towns across this country to say that Black Lives Matter. We saw essential workers do the impossible as they showed up every day to treat the dying, clean our hospitals, teach our children, grow our food, keep our groceries and pharmacies open, and serve the most vulnerable.
Though we are undoubtedly fractured, we are not broken. We are full of bumps and bruises but tomorrow, the sun will rise, new leaders will take office, and we will begin the process of healing under compassionate and knowledgeable leadership. We will continue the work we started — to advocate, connect, and build — because it is our moral imperative to fight day in and day out for a more just and equitable society.
