This morning as I was sitting out in the Adirondack chairs with my coffee, something told me to look behind me. The sun was shining through the clouds and Old Glory caught some of her rays. It kinda took my breath away.

It seemed to say, “There’s hope in America.”

I believe that’s true.

But hoping doesn’t make anything so.

Now is not the time to wring our hands, tire of the rhetoric and tune out, look the other way, wish it were different, blame someone else that it’s not, sit this one out, or simply give up because it feels too big, too scary, and too, well, hopeless.

We are the only ones that can embody that hope. and bring it alive.

Now is the time to use our hands and feet and hearts and voices and resources for good. Now is the time to cast our votes, not just for our good, but for the good of all. Now is the time to gather our strength, turn toward one another, and do what we can to nurture, tend, and love the hell out of our little corners of this country we love.

Will we all agree on what that means?

No.

But that is part of the magic of our great experiment.

Differing views. Same country.