Together

It was a sun-lit early November day and the light came through the canopy of the Japanese Maple. It provided shelter, not that it was necessary, given the brilliant November sun. Still, you never know when it might rain, so knowing places to hide from the weather can come in handy.

I’ve felt like hiding often over the past year – the past 8 or 10 years, if I think about it. So much of what has been happening feels like echoes of the emotional climate of my early years – the Holocaust, McCarthy, the Rosenbergs. Those are the signposts of my early distress and they were long ago dealt with or accommodated or some combination of the two. And, truly, hiding wasn’t an option then, and it isn’t an option now.

Our times bring their own fresh horrors. Yet there is reason to be hopeful. The desire to hide – or to pretend that this victory means more than it can sustain – is strong. But for me it’s about keeping on through what may be another scary time. No matter how strong the urge to hide, I know it won’t help.

I want to enjoy this surge of hopefulness, this feeling of community with folks I’ve never met or even considered that we shared a struggle.  While there are battles to come, it feels like a new day. I can savor that before getting back to it!