Thursday, November 10, 2016

More Election Talk... I Know You're Thrilled

I have pretty much experienced aaaallll of the emotions these last couple of days.  Disbelief.  Fear.  Embarrassment.  Defensiveness.  Sorrow.  Pride.  Determination. 

It’s all been very overwhelming for someone who usually tries to stay out of politics.  I went back and forth about whether or not to post on this topic because a) social media and the internet are already oversaturated with millions of people’s opinions, and b) I usually try to keep this space positive and light-hearted… an escape from all of the negativity in the world.

However, I decided that continuing with my regularly scheduled programming would be a lie, and one thing that I’ve always promised to you is that I would be honest in this little space of mine.  My original post idea for today was not really what I’ve been feeling in my heart these last couple of days and it wouldn’t have been authentic for me to carry on as though none of this turmoil was going on all around us. 

So to keep my brain from exploding, I decided to discuss some random observations and thoughts today.



These last couple of days since the election several phrases have been dancing around in my mind nonstop…

Is this real life? 
Have I inadvertently stepped into the Twilight Zone? 
Maybe we’re just all being Punk’d?

Did we really just elect Donald Trump to be the 45th president of the United States of America??

Donald Trump??

Some random things weighing on my mind about this whole situation…

… Out of the millions of people in the United States, how in the world did we end up with these two candidates to choose from anyway?  How did we let it come to this?

… I am legitimately scared for our country.  With Hillary, at the very most, we would have had to worry about another bad four years with another less than stellar president, but with Donald, we actually have to worry about another bad four years plus we also have to worry about him saying something explosive and getting our entire nation into World War III.  It’s terrifying to think about.  Was it really the best idea to elect a president with such a volatile personality?  It is time to start praying.  Praying for guidance for our new leader.  Praying for support from our nation.  Praying for support from the rest of the world.

... Did I want to vote for Hillary?  Nope.  Did I think she would do the least damage?  Yep.

… Apparently, all you need to be the leader of the free world is to have a lot of money.  You don’t actually need to be qualified.  I’ve heard a lot of people say that it will be refreshing to have someone in office who has not been in politics because it will allow someone with a different perspective to come in and revamp American politics as we know them.  Well, in my humble opinion, allowing someone with zero experience (ie: Donald Trump) to be the leader of the United States of America is a lot like taking your kids to swimming lessons with an instructor who doesn’t know how to swim.  #YouShouldntDoIt 

… I wish that people would stop voting strictly in their party lines and vote for the actual candidate who they think will do the better job.  You don’t have to vote for the Democrat just because you tend to lean to the left and you don’t have to vote for the Republican just because you tend to lean toward the right.  Sometimes the candidate from the other party is more qualified and it’s okay to vote for them if that’s what your heart is telling you to do.

… I actually know several people who voted for Donald Trump (thinking he wouldn’t actually win) just to be able to say that they didn’t vote for Hillary when she won.  Well guys, the joke’s on you. 

… A part of me is a little relieved that Hillary wasn’t elected for POTUS, simply because of the fact that I’m hoping that the first woman president will be elected because she’s really great and because people really want her there… not because she’s the lesser of two evils.    

… America as a whole seems to have lost its moral compass and it’s disheartening.  The hatred on social media HAS TO STOP.  It’s one thing to voice your opinion, but it’s another to spew hate while doing it.  If you are one of those people, then you are part of the problem.  If you’re tearing everybody down, then you’re no better than they are.  It is now our job to be beacons of light in an otherwise dim situation.  And I’ll admit, that’s hard.  I have a tendency to be a Negative Nancy in times of struggle, but now is the time for us to rise above, support each other, and trust that the new administration has our best interests at heart.  I will try if you will.

… We have our work cut out for us as parents.  More than ever, we need to teach our kids kindness and humility.  We need to teach them compassion and tolerance.  We need to teach them that love and success have no color or race or creed.  We need to teach our kids that love is the most important thing of all. 

… Wouldn’t it be wonderful if electing Donald Trump turned out to be the very best thing ever?  What if the controversy caused all of us to band together to stand up for all of the things that we believe just to make up for his lack of morals?  What if it caused all of us to do something that actually makes a difference in the world?  What if change for the better actually happened because of this?  For every negative comment I’ve seen on Facebook, I’ve seen at least two positive ones.  That lets me know that there is still kindness in the world.  That allows me to believe that people are still mostly good.  And that means that if we all stand united, then we can do good things.  BIG things.  

*   *   *

After some of this you might be thinking that I am judging you because you voted for Donald Trump.  Am I?  No. 

Am I accusing you of being racist or sexist because you voted for Donald Trump?  Absolutely not.

At the end of the day, I believe that political affiliation doesn’t determine the character of a person.  It's words and actions and how a person acts in times of despair that determine their character.  I’m sure that many of my extended family members voted for Trump, and I'm sure that some of you readers did as well, but that certainly doesn’t mean that I love you or respect you any less.  We all have the freedom to vote whichever way we want, and no matter how you voted, I respect your opinions.  And the fact that we have the right to do that... that is what makes America great. 

Finally, one more thing before I go –

To Mr. Trump,

I hope you prove me wrong. 
I PRAY you prove me wrong. 
Please PLEASE keep your promise to “Make America Great Again..."

… even though I already thought that it was pretty great to begin with.

*Linking up with Sparkles and Lattes for Confessional Thursday and Home of Malones for Thoughts for Thursday.



17 comments:

  1. This is such a hard topic to discus! Like I told my kids on Monday, the good Lord already knew the outcome of Tuesday's election. All we can do know is PRAY and then PRAY some more!
    Happy Thursday Friend!

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    1. Yes, yes He did. And yes, pray pray pray. That's all we can do now.

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  2. It's going to be an interesting four years that's for sure. I think now that the shock has worn off we need to all start thinking about how we can take things from worry and fear to making America the amazing place we know it is. And that starts with us and our children.

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  3. I know a lot of people who voted for Trump because they did not believe in all of the things Hillary stood for. People had to weight their options and what was at stake (like SC justices). I pray that he surrounds himself with wise people that will help him make the best choices.

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  4. It IS such a hard topic. For me it came down to not only looking at the next four years, but looking at the next 40 years seeing that their is one supreme court seat to fill and will likely be more as the next 4 years pass. Whoever goes into those seats is CRUCIAL for ours and our children's and even our grandchildren's future. I simply could not imagine her being the one to fill those seats with people who believe things I just can't. So I unashamedly say that I voted for him. I also admit that I had/have those exact same thoughts about it as you mentioned. I LOVE what you said in the wouldn't it be great column. That is what I am hoping and praying for friend. Venting thoughts is so good, especially when everyone can act like adults (unlike Facebook right now) Baha ha!

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  5. Politics is such a hard topic to discuss calmly, people always get into a tizzy! I tend to stay out of it for the most part, but I do agree with you, it's how a person acts in time of despair that determines their character and right now there are alot of Hilary supporters showing not their best character. Let's just hope and pray Donald knows what he is doing.

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  6. I prayed so hard over this and politics are hard to discuss online. I did express my thoughts on the subject the best way I knew how. I'll share with you here so maybe you can get some insight on why someone would vote for him.


    I've really tried to avoid responding to all of this election talk. I really have. But it's been weighing heavily on my heart all day, and I just have to get it off my chest. I understand politics to be a touchy subject, but I'm hoping we can all sit aside our differences for just a minute. I know I'll lose friends over this, and while that makes me sad, I hope you understand why I have to get this off my chest today.

    Donald Trump is president of the United States of America. It's a fact.

    When Obama won the election, although I did not agree with it, I sat back and accepted it. Even though I haven't agreed with much of anything he's done. I never protested it, I never stood and burned my flag because I was angry and being childish over it. I dealt with it like an adult.

    Disrespecting your country by disrespecting your President makes you no better then the hateful people that you talk about. It makes you a hypocrite. It divides people. It encourages hate. It turns best friends into enemies.

    No good will come from denying reality. It is time we all grow up, get over our differences and come together as a nation. 8 years ago, we were asked to elect an little known senator from Chicago. He promised change for America. Some will say he changed it for the better, others will say he made it worse. It doesn't matter where you stand on the side of that fence, because his time is over.

    It is time for America to realize that the hardworking average american is tired. We're tired of being told where to spend our paychecks, tired of being told how to educate our children, tired of a slacking economy and tired of a GODLESS society. The reason Trump won the presidency is because he is the messenger of hope for many. Some of you may not agree, but this is fact. Middle America is tired of fighting and tired of our current government. They may not even like Trump, but they don't agree with the path America is on currently. This does not make them racist and this does not make them heartless.This makes them desperate. This is just even more proof that our country is more divided then ever. Of course a Trump presidency will make this worse, but only if we let it. STOP falling into political traps. STOP falling for media propaganda. START being informed instead of just opinionated.

    I strongly believe, that Trump wants to bring us together. I really do. You can mock me, call me names, delete me if you choose. That is your right as an american. I will never judge someone based on their political views or where they stand. There is a reason they stand for them. I'm certainly not one to tell anyone what to think or why to think it.

    Trump may not be the best person to be president, but he was the messenger of a message so many of us so desperately needed to hear.

    It is time- time for us to come together, regardless of our views on politics, it is time for us to heal. It is time for us to Make America Great Again. No one single person sitting in a pretty well decorated room in a giant white house can do that for us, only we can.<3 God Bless America! And all of you, my friends.

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    1. I could not agree with you more about the fact that people need to stop being so disrespectful. All of the backlash and hateful words on social media needs to stop. It has just been over the top during this entire election, probably because both candidates were so controversial. It is definitely time for everyone to unite and change things for the better.

      Did I want to vote for Hillary? Absolutely not. But I stand by my vote. I just couldn’t bring myself to vote for Trump because his arrogance and his lack of filter SCARES me. The president of the United States is the face of the country to the rest of the world. He represents ALL of us, so in my opinion, he or she should present him or herself with a certain decorum. Unfortunately, history has shown time and time again that Trump often pushes etiquette to the side and he doesn’t think before he speaks. Or maybe worse, he thinks before he speaks, and he STILL says what’s on his mind regardless of how hateful it is. THAT is why I couldn’t bring myself to vote for him. Morally, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

      That said, I’m hopeful that he will be now more aware of the things he says given his new status. And his acceptance speech was fantastic. Am I going to support him? Absolutely. I hope and pray every single day that he proves me wrong and I hope for all of our sakes that he ends up being great!

      Thank you for voicing your opinion today, friend! It’s interesting to hear the reasons why people voted the way that they did. We should all be proud to live in a country where we have the freedom to choose our own leader and have our own opinions!

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  7. Thank you for being so open and honest with your feelings Lindsay! I think all of America is shocked regardless of what way you voted. It's definitely time to unite as one nation and move forward to better our country!

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  8. I remember looking at my ballot and thinking "Seriously, these are our options!" I totally agree, I hope if anything comes out of the next four years, it's unity! Our country seems a little fractured right now.

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  9. Well said friend. You are a class act, in so many ways!!!! This blew me away, and I agree on all fronts!!! Time to band together, be better parents and raise our kids to be accepting and kind no matter what, and make America great again on the homefront. :-) I love all of this. xoxoxo

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  10. So well said Linds. I've seen this Martin Luther King, Jr. quote a lot lately: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Love and hope are so important, and helping each other and understanding one another is key.

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  11. We have been praying a ton in this season. I just have to remind myself that Jesus has it all under control!!

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    1. Yes He does! You are so right about that! I think I prayed more about this election than all others combined!

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  12. I am so glad the election is over, but I am saddened by people's actions. People are saying things that are worse than what Trump said prior to being elected and I am scared. I am scared that people will do awful things. My dad was in the military (retired) and he said you don't have to like our president, but you must support him. So true. And another thing I saw that stuck with me was "I hope Donald Trump is a good president. Wanting him to fail, is like wanting the pilot to crash the airplane that we are ALL on." I just wish we had better candidates to choose from.

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  13. This post is so beautifully written! My eyes are bleeding from reading all the hate (and lots of uninformed opinions) on social media. It was definitely an election where we voted for the lesser of two evils, and the president bubble was the last one I filled in at the polls because it killed me to have to choose either of them. The world is watching us, and we are just making fools out of ourselves especially with all the continued hate and protests. So sad :(

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  14. This is such a thoughtful post. I totally agree....we have lost our moral compass for sure. I said it over and over....how did we end up with these two candidates?? And I apologized over and over to my 14 and 11 year old that this was the first example they have a presidential campaign.

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