What is my responsibility? This is the question I’ve been asking myself for the last few years. If I vote, will my voice be heard? Is it possible that simply voting isn’t enough and further action might be needed?

Though the questions arose from a deep sense of love and passion for the world around me, they also have consumed me for the last two years. If apathy and “sticking your head in the sand” are caustic to the human soul, living with constant anger and angst is cancerous to a person’s spirit.

This wasn’t healthy for me. I even went so far as to purchase 500 vuvuzela horns that I planned to march around Trump properties like I was an Israelite marching around Jericho. I was going to go biblical on Trump and his walls would fall, I told myself. Trump would be no match for my loud and annoying horns!

At the root of my concern over the current political craziness, is that I wanted my kids to know that we are collectively part of something much bigger than ourselves. Kindness, honesty, integrity, bringing joy to others, and taking care of the poor and the powerless are not just Christian ideals for the Christmas season, but rather, they are what make life worth living year-round.

I think I’ve learned that when we privately fume, we allow corruption, dishonesty, greed and abuse of power to continue to thrive. Thus, I’ll raise my voice to bring hope, to remind us of our better virtues, to call others to overwhelm evil with unselfishness, generosity, empathy and tireless advocacy for the defenseless.

I’m asking you to join me in overwhelming evil with good. Join me in raising our voices to advocate for justice, goodness, and hope. Let’s encourage each other, and work together to see good in others and bring out the best in those around us!

By the way, I still have those vuvuzela horns and perhaps I might use them someday if the need arises, but until that day comes, I’ll continue to raise my voice and vote! And, I sincerely hope you will too.

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