Finding Hope in Hard Times
A Call for Community and Courage
This is a departure from my normal herb filled love fest, but given the week, it felt appropriate. Wherever you are on the election, please know I send love, and wishes for unity and peace….
Well..I’ve been on the phone all day. Not surprising really…Half of America is in shock. At around 3:00 I was beside myself, but I suddenly remembered…we have been here before.
I have been here before.
In times like these, when divisive politics and the violent rhetoric of intolerance cast a shadow over our nation, it’s easy to feel disheartened about the future. Many—especially young people, LGBTQ+ individuals, transgender communities, women, and immigrant communities—are questioning the safety and stability of their rights now that for many of us the unthinkable has happened.
But history reminds us that we’ve faced similar challenges before. The 1960s and early 1970s saw an America divided by war, racial injustice, and violent suppression of voices seeking change. Leaders like John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were taken from us in acts of hatred meant to silence their calls for unity, peace and racial justice. Women were sent away in shame and died needlessly before Roe became law. Four students at Kent State paid a terrible price for raising their voices against the Vietnam War after Ohio Governor James Rhodes recklessly called in the National Guard. Even further back, during World War II, 120,000 innocent Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps—a dark chapter of American history we cannot forget.
Yet, through these periods of relentless struggle and grief, people found a way forward. The strength of our country has always come from its people. Ordinary citizens bonded together, shared stories, and spoke their truths, refusing to let their voices be silenced. They stood up not by demonizing each other but by building coalitions and communities, even across disagreements. The Civil Rights Movement, the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and the protests and eventual end of the Vietnam war and the resignation of RIchard NIxon were all led by people who believed that, by standing together, they could turn unfathomable despair into progress.
We can do it again.
Today, we are once again at a crossroads, and we have a choice. We can let fear and anger divide us, or we can choose to create communities that uplift one another, standing together against forces that seek to take us backward. This is a moment for open conversations, even with those who may not share our perspectives. It’s a moment to support our neighbors, stand up for the rights of all individuals, and actively create a world where everyone feels safe and valued.
To my younger friends especially, I want to say: Don’t lose hope. America can be whole again. The path forward is in your hands. By holding onto your values, by listening and learning, by showing up for each other, and by continuing the fight for justice, you become the beacon in this darkness. Someone you know is afraid. Someone you know is in despair. Use your energy, your voice, and your time to make a difference for them. Remember, we have been here before, and we found a way through. We can do it again—not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary. We are stronger together, and the future is shaped by those who refuse to let go of hope and engage the energy of change, one conversation at a time.
Grieve today, and tomorrow, get up, dust yourself off, and build your communities!
Someone needs you.
That’s how we all win.
With love,
Beth