Losing my father in July knocked all our worlds asunder. As we began to recover, my mother and I were buoyed by a very small number of things - one of them was the prospect of a @hillaryclinton presidency. We got our Woman cards, donated money, and watched (sobbing) as she accepted the nomination at the DNC. It was so bittersweet that Dad wasn't watching there with us. The night of the election, at two in the morning, I was hysterical. As my friends lamented not knowing how to explain the results to their children, I had no idea how to justify them to my mother - a retired corporate writer, a feminist, a democrat, a woman, a grandmother, and a widow for four months to the day. We'd been quietly trying to move forward, with a modicum of success, when this arrived - a certificate signed by @barackobama, thanking my father for his service to our country. Suddenly, I knew exactly how to justify the election results to my mother. We all move forward - by remembering the infrastructure in place that allows us to function, but knowing that the big important changes take time and are hard won. By understanding that the American colonists, the abolishers of slavery, the suffragettes, the civil rights leaders and everyone in between had MOSTLY failures for decades and even centuries, but very small incremental successes until their triumphs. But we still honor our soldiers and kiss our children and cheer for our candidates. We still stand, hat in hand, for a song hundreds of years older than any of us at every sporting event from peewee to pro. We still vote. We always, always know that the mantles we wear that weigh us down don't define our hearts but only strengthen our resolve. Thank you, Mr. President, for this beautiful tribute to my father. Thank you, Secretary Clinton, for giving me something to believe in when I lost him. I am thankful, truly, for both of you. #Thanksgiving2016
amandla
2087
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dailybridgerton
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