As I watched the outgoing president board Marine One to leave the White House, I experienced conflicting feelings about the day. I was, of course, happy knowing that there would soon be a new president in place who promises peace and honesty. But mostly, my feelings were of sadness.
Today I can only feel sadness for our country having to experience the last four years, and I worry what the immediate future will bring for our democracy. I think of all the people who have been hurt by the selfish antics of the president and his enablers. The carnage has been unprecedented and sometimes unspeakable.
I see the faces of the Mexicans at the border, the Black Lives Matter protesters, the maligned and disgraced government officials who didn’t toe the line, and the staffers and others who were simply dismissed as unimportant. I think of the politicians—Democrats and Republicans—who paid a price for their honesty and integrity.
On a personal level I feel a sadness for friends and family whose votes helped bring about this sad chapter in our history. I feel sadness for the white supremacists who feel only rage about their country. I feel sorry for those among us who can only focus on our grievances rather than our successes.
I can’t help but feel that somewhere tears are being shed by our Founding Fathers about what has happened.