Yesterday and today a few lines from an old John Denver song have been going through my head. My brain seems to have selectively chosen a few lines because most of it doesn’t apply to our country on this day. The mournful tone and a few lines such as “I’m sorry things ain’t what they used to be” do for me right now.

I am sorry for our little girls because this country chose to elect a known misogynist and sexual predator. I am sorry for our little boys because he mocks those who are not healthy or 100% Caucasian. I am sorry for them in so many other ways because his hateful and not well thought out campaign promises have the power to change this country and world. We need to resist those intentions each in our own way. To paraphrase Michelle Obama, when someone goes lower, we must go higher.

He was elected by an America that I don’t know anymore. Those who voted for him and those who chose to vote for someone other than Hillary said it was ok that a person of this character and intent was elected. I understand voting on principle however the stakes were really big this time and I think the principle was to keep a person of this character out. I know there is a lot of disagreement about that. Others opinions don’t shape my outlook on life.

Be that as it may each of us of whatever political affiliation or none at all who are caring people now must figure out how to live our lives in ways that counter his proposals and views that he models about other human beings. The manner in which we do that is very individual and takes soul searching. It can be action in small ways or on a larger scale.

We must show our little boys and little girls that not everyone values hatefulness. Not everyone bullies and takes advantage of others whenever they can so that they feel better about themselves.

I am sorry. Yesterday felt like a day of mourning. Today for me feels like a day to gently begin to reflect on what we can do for our world, each other and especially our children to help them to develop kindness and a positive inner resourcefulness that will not be modeled by the leader of the free world.Working through grief over the loss of what we had is a slow process. But each of us who do not value mocking the disabled, mocking a mother about her stricken reaction in public because her son had died, and who do not want to purge those who do not look like us can figure out what to do in whatever way we feel fits us. That is how we will make America great again.