
Gratitude for the TIME to be on retreat.

Gratitude for the TIME to be on retreat.
Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day when we take account and remember those transgender people who have died, and been murdered, disproportionately trans women of color.
Today is also the day that Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina sponsored a procedure/rule banning trans women from using the women’s restrooms at the Capitol. I’m not sure if this includes tourists visiting the nation’s capital and its Capitol Building or just the ONE trans member of Congress who was just elected from Delaware. Either way, Nancy Mace has been using vulgar, transphobic, and bigoted language, and creating a hostile work environment, and creating potential hate attacks on others including youth in and out of schools.
Today is the day that Nancy Mace decided that THIS is the one issue that needs to be addressed in the last few weeks of the Congressional session.
On the other hand, Representative-Elect Sarah McBride of Delaware issued her own statement that she will abide by the rules set forth by the Speaker of the House (Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana), and she is in Congress to work for the people she represents in her district.
The difference between that reaction from Congressperson-Elect McBride and Rep. Mace tells you all you need to know about the morals of both of them and Mace’s lack of any.
Nancy Mace is a bigot; we know that. She is also a bully. This rule change won’t affect Ms. McBride as much as it will affect the hundreds of trans and non-binary kids who are getting bullied in classrooms from students their own age AND from teachers and staff.
I am disgusted with Republicans like Nancy Mace who should have better things to do than attack a fellow (soon-to-be) colleague.
I would say “shame on her,” but she clearly has no shame.
All of my well wishes go to Sarah Mc Bride.
SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES OF ARMAND GAMACHE MYSTERY BOOKS BY LOUISE PENNY, EXCEPT FOR THE MOST RECENT BOOK, THE GREY WOLF.
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As I teased yesterday on Instagram, I am still wearing my Harris/Walz bracelets. No, I am not delusional. I know that the election is over, and I know that Harris/Walz did not win. They are not going to the White House. That is something that I am processing.
However, I am still wearing them for the next few weeks at least. I honestly don’t know how long I’ll keep them on. I imagine one day I will wake up, and not reach for them, pulling them loose and sliding them onto my wrist. It won’t be today or tomorrow, or the next day.
Time will tell as it moves forward and heals.
So, why do I keep wearing them?
I want a reminder of not only what could have been, but what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and their families brought to us; what they gave us:
Hope and Joy.
Tim talked about hope in every one of his speeches. His daughter is named Hope. Everything he’s done for his family, his students, and his state has been in a hopeful, happy way.
Kamala has been full of joy since I’ve seen her debut on the political stage. She is a joyful warrior. When I hear her laugh, I can’t help but smile. When she is with citizens, when she is cooking, when she is talking about this country and our potential, she is full of joy.
Those bracelets remind me of what good can come, what could have been, but also what can be as we remember these two beautiful souls and what they gave us for a few short weeks. I also know they will continue to bring Hope and Joy to whatever they do, and I am happy to be part of their team.