For The Love Of Old Glory Remember That We The People Make This Nation Great

By now, many of us have voiced our thoughts on the election, both Americans and our international friends as well. Most of my feed is filled with everyone's anger, disappointment, despair, fear, shock, hope, an eagerness to stay positive, and many personal stories. I myself have experienced a roller-coaster of emotions I did not expect. Disbelief and outrage were the first to set in, but still I stayed hopeful and positive. Then Thursday morning I started to feel very sad. I caught myself tearing up every now and then and felt a little silly--I never thought a presidential election would bring me to tears. But I felt hurt. I felt betrayed by many of my countrymen and women. I felt sorrow over how broken our nation is, because some of us live in such a beautiful America, while others live in an America full of deep seeded hate. Racism, bigotry, misogyny, none of that is new to any of us, but as a nation, that we would elect someone who is such a deplorable sack of human flesh, shows that we the people need to try harder to create a more hospitable home for ALL our people. Trump is racist, misogynistic, sexist, narcissistic, and blatantly ignorant--he's like every horrible tyrant that has ever ruled a nation rolled into one loose cannon ball. How could we elect someone who preys on people's fears and ignorance to gain power? My question for Trump is, how do you feel when you see people are tagging your name along with swastikas? Does that not trouble you?

While I have felt a lot of emotions over the last few days and even over the last 18 months, the one thing I haven't felt is fear. I understand people's fears, and it makes me angry that they should ever feel fearful in their own home; and it makes me angry that anyone should cause such fear. However, my faith in God is stronger than my fear of the ignorant. I remembered a time about six and a half years ago, when I had been so broken and lost that only when I had sunk to my lowest did I finally figure out how to crawl out of that dark abyss. When I woke up I knew God was with me all along, and he led me through that time knowing that I'd survive it. I had to lose myself before I could be found. So as I prayed the other night, I thought that maybe this is what our nation needs in order for all of us to come together and move forward again.

The scary troubling part of all this is not Trump though, it's many of his supporters who have expressed extreme hate. That being said, there are people I love and respect who voted for Trump, who are not racist, not sexist, not uneducated, not cold-hearted, and not homophopbic; but for reasons I still have trouble bridging in my mind--and I went to law school, so I'm usually pretty good at seeing and understanding all sides--they felt in their heart Trump was the better choice. Something I can understand is that people wanted change and Hillary wasn't going to provide enough change, so they chose Trump who proposed a lot of change, a lot of frightening change, but change nonetheless. I agree, change was needed, but this kind of change...

No matter how I disagree with their choice, that is the beauty of our nation. We each get a voice, and we are one nation who all (or most) want the best for our families and our future. We may have different ideas about how to get there, but our ultimate goal is the same. We want to feel safe. We want to have good and affordable healthcare. We want to be able to provide for our families. We are one beautiful nation that has always been a home for refugees, a home of great diversity, a home that defines liberty, a home of opportunity, a home of charity, and a home where everyone has a voice. That is what we will always be.

My parents immigrated to the US in the early 80's, and thanks to that decision, I was born and raised here, and grew up in a melting pot like no other. My dad always told me I could be anything I wanted to be as long as I worked hard, and that is the American mentality. It is also the American reality. Someone told me yesterday that the American dream has long been dead, but I've witnessed it in my own life so how can it be dead? When my parents came here they hardly had a penny to their name, but they worked their asses off, put two kids through university and a lot of extra-curricular activities to get there. As a result of my parents hard work, love, and values, I got myself through law school (with the help of free rent and nourishment from my parents), and remembered that my dad always said I could be anything I wanted to be. So now I have a day job, which often bleeds into the night as well, that I love; but he said I could be ANYTHING I wanted to be so I am being anything I want to be and am making music, writing, and working on various other projects, too. This kind of beautiful life filled with all kinds of opportunity doesn't happen just anywhere.

My husband is French, and he chose to move here and live here for those reasons, because as beautiful a country as France is, rich in history and culture, France can't offer him the kinds of opportunities he's able to get and work hard for here.

There is a lot of uncertainty ahead of us. What will Trump actually do as president? We don't know yet, but what we do know is that we are still the United States of America. We are still and always will be ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. It is We the people who make this nation what it is, and it is up to us shape our future. America's greatness does not lie in Trump's hands, but ours. The American spirit is strong and will only get stronger. Having a lot of friends and family around the world, I know that that's what people love about us--our spirit and our compassion.

So, Jesus take the wheel and please guide our leader, our lawmakers, and decision makers so that we may continue to show the world what the American spirit really looks like...one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

BIG LOVE & HUGS

Love,

​Justine