Election Tension and Rain Boots
At 7:10 this morning, feeling around the jacket hooks for an umbrella, I realized that, shoot, instead of getting to the things I’d hoped to get to today, I needed to get out all our winter stuff ASAP.
And then…I had one of those moments. You know what I mean, when you wake up and feel fine until you remember something terrible happened or is about to happen, but you can’t remember what, until you do?
Well, that’s what happened to me this morning. And I remembered it’s finally Election Day, bringing with it headlines such as: “4 out of 5 Americans Nervous about Country’s Future” and “A Country in Turmoil No Matter Who Wins.”
Israel’s been my home for almost 3 decades. But recent months have reminded me to what extent my American passport has always provided me with a sense of subtle security. On a practical (2 passports are better than 1) level, as well as an emotional (Mom, Dad, my childhood home, and America are still right where I left them 30 years ago) level.
But truth is, while my mom and dad and childhood home, b”H, are still right where I left them, America is not.
If I felt as much emuna as I do sometimes, I would now write something like: “But everything’s in Hashem’s hands!” or “But God runs the world!”
But right now I’m not feeling that kind of clarity at all.
So the only thing that is providing some existential comfort as America teeters on the edge of Who-Knows is the mountain of rain boots, sweatshirts, and heavy blankets sitting on my bed this moment.
Cause leaders rise and leaders fall. So do empires (God forbid).
So much is uncertain right now. But the Earth has never and will never stop turning on its axis. Making winter turn into spring, and spring into summer, and winter into fall. Forever and Always.
I just now watched a video from JEM that had clips from the Lubavitcher Rebbe speaking about elections. The powerful lesson that comes across is that a politician is voted in by a majority but once he is elected he represents all of the people and has to be dedicated to the good of all of his constituents and that the purpose of. democracy is “e pluribus unim” to unify the many into one.
here’s the link, very interesting and timely!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8x8nTUrDUU
Great!