Fear. Believe. Hope.

As I sit down to write this, I pray that my my words have meaning, and that I am understood by everyone who reads this. I am not asking for everyone to agree with me, I am not trying to change any minds. I simply hope to be understood and respected just as I am trying to understand and respect others.

I am not happy that Donald Trump has been elected President. I am not whining because my candidate did not win. I am not going to attend a protest (although I am not judging people who are). I am not angry at my friends who voted for Trump, nor am I angry at my friends who voted for 3rd party candidates.

I accept that he is going to be our next President. It's not any easy thing to say, or do, but I accept it. I accept it, though, with fears. Today, I thought I would share my fears, my beliefs, and my hope.

I fear that the progress we've made toward LGBQT equality will move backwards. I fear that hardworking immigrants and refugees will be deported and families will be torn apart. I fear that Muslims will be assumed to be terrorists. I fear that thousands upon thousands of people will not have access to health insurance. I fear that other countries will not trust us. I fear that Trump's attitude towards women and minorities will rub off onto others. I fear that too many people will feel targeted and unsafe in their own homes and workplaces. I fear that Donald Trump will be too quick to judge, that he will be irrational, and that he will be, in essence, a bully. I fear that some of the people who stand by him are not thinking of the poor and marginalized.

Yesterday, a video went viral of middle school students yelling "build that wall" at students of Hispanic descent. This is disgusting, disturbing, and wrong. The message to those kids? "You aren't welcome here, get out". How did we become this way? How did we let our fears of the unknown, our fears of people who are different than us, allow us to become hateful, angry people? I don't know, but I don't think Donald Trump is going to be able to reverse that. That's scary.

As a blanket statement, I believe that every human person, no matter their stage in life, their sex, their national origin, their economic status, their sexual orientation deserves love, respect and care...and equal rights.

When it comes to what I believe in, I align nearly perfectly with the Sisters of Mercy and what they stand for:

You can read more about the Sisters of Mercy here: http://www.sistersofmercy.org/about-us/mission-values/

So what do I hope? I hope that I am wrong about Donald Trump. I hope that he can lead our country in a peaceful, united way. I hope that we can ALL feel safe. I hope that we can come together, address concerns and fight for a better and brighter future. I hope that we can truly be united. I hope we can treat every single human being with the exact kindness we would treat our loved ones.

And I am not just going to sit back and see what happens. I am going to continue to be someone who  embraces others and who stands up for what I believe is right. I am going to stand next to those who are standing alone. I am going to support the Sisters of Mercy and their ministries, I am not going to engage in violent conversations. I am going to love so, so loudly.