by My morning teabag comes with a thought for the day. Yesterday mine read, “Gratitude is not about what you receive; it’s about how you receive what’s there.”
There is a bit of political noise going around that, in essence, says one does not have to be a congressperson to be elected to the position of Speaker of the House. I could be elected Speaker of the House (highly unlikely). Donald Trump could be elected to that position if Republicans win a majority (a horrifying possibility).
This is the kind of news that sends anxiety coursing through my body and my mind on a rollercoaster ride from hell. Could they, would they do that? After the Insurrection of January 6, and the constant and continuing effort to spin that into “just tourists as usual” or “It must be Antifa,” I believe that they might try it. Elect him to the office of Speaker, then impeach Joe Biden — and that would put Trump back in the White House. It is a frightening thought.
When asked pointblank if Biden won the election in November, most Republican politicians say, “He was inaugurated,” but refuse to say he was elected because that goes against Trump’s narrative that the election was stolen, and it makes him the loser. What hold does that man have over all these people? How have lies overshadowed truth? How do all these painful thoughts fit with receiving with gratitude what is there?
We can receive the gift of the awareness of this possibility and acknowledge it with an appropriate thank you. It is important for us to hear what is being talked about, so we can work together to help strengthen right action. In my mind that means to write letters to Republican Senators and Congresspeople and let them know how we feel. Write letters to the editors of our local papers. Most importantly, support the candidates that would fight against this with courage and strength.
This morning, my tea came with this bit of wisdom: “Laughter is the same in all languages.” I took it as a reminder that all can be done with a sense of humor and kindness that delivers our outrage in a way that everyone can hear it and helps to ensure that the biggest ‘clown’ of all does not make fools of us or our country.
May your holidays be filled with grace and laughter and tons of love.
Ruth Neuwald Falcon 
She’s tilting at windmills.
Don.
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Very well expressed. Many, many thanks! Would add that music also has the marvelous capacity to bind and unite across the barriers of language, culture, and idiology.
What hold does that man have over all these people? I may be wrong, but I’ve come to the sad conclusion that too many of them are far more concerned about maintaining their positions of wealth and power and don’t care if that means the end of democracy. They have sold out and have embraced Trump and the rule of the privilged few. We are back to the same battle over which the Civil War was fought.
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It is very hard to recognize how far we have come when the news is so alarming. The vaccines have given some sense of safety to actually be able to see family and friends, for which I am extremely grateful. It is incredibly dispiriting to hear that Republicans can’t even admit, despite overwhelming evidence, that Biden won the election. I think my expectation was for there to be calm after Biden’s victory and a return to some sense of normalcy, which sadly hasn’t come. I think my expectation after being vaccinated I would feel more liberated. However, this year my family is able to all be together and our time together is filled with grace, love and a lot of laughter.
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