Looking for the Light Today

My friend Stephanie wrote a beautiful blog post today entitled, “Looking for the Light Today”. She points out the many things we can be grateful for today in light of a devastating Presidential election result. We are not upset because she lost, but rather because he won. He stands firmly against so many of my friends and family that I cannot rightly shrug this off.

That said, we cannot dwell in the past. We must move forward, and today I am affirming my resolve to do so.

I live just around the corner from a large supermarket. Without much food at home, I decided to make a run and fetch some needed supplies. The people I encountered, while somber, were friendly and full of love for their neighbors – just as always. I have that to be thankful for.

My Twitter and Facebook feeds were full of affirmations today: your lives matter. Your safety matters. You matter. There was an overwhelming amount of love being sent from all corners of the globe today to say that no matter who our President is, I see you and you matter. I have that to be thankful for.

The leadership of Oakland, Alameda County, and California is darker-skinned, and more gender-diverse. We elected Kamala Harris to represent us in Washington, D.C. as on of our Senators. Barbara Lee was re-elected to the House of Representatives. Both are African-American women. Nancy Skinner and Tony Thurmond will be representing this district at the state level. All are people whose values and ideals I feel I can believe in. I have that to be thankful for.

I will never stop affirming the worth of all of you. Thank you for being your authentic self. I will defend you with every breath in my body. I have that to be thankful for.