Venice Williams on How We Get Through the Next Four Years

You are awakening to the
same country you fell asleep to.
The very same country.
Pull yourself together.

And,
when you see me,
do not ask me
“What do we do now?
How do we get through
the next four years?”

Some of my Ancestors dealt with
at least 400 years of this
under worse conditions.

Continue to do the good work.
Continue to build bridges not walls.
Continue to lead with compassion.
Continue the demanding work
of liberation for all.
Continue to dismantle broken systems,
large and small.
Continue to set the best example
for the children.
Continue to be a vessel of nourishing joy.

Continue right where you are.
Right where you live into your days.

Do so in the name of
The Creator who expects
nothing less from each of us.

And if you are not “continuing”
ALL of the above,
in community, partnership, collaboration?
What is it you have been doing?
What is it you are waiting for?

~ Venice Williams
“Here’s How We Get Through the Next Four Years”
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
November 6, 2024

Related Off-site Links:
10 Ways to Be Prepared and Grounded Now That Trump Has Won – Daniel Hunter (Waging Nonviolence, November 6, 2024).
Forging a Coalition of Conscience: This Isn’t the End. It’s the Beginning – Marianne Williamson (Transform, November 6, 2024).
This Is Not the End of America – McKay Coppins (The Atlantic, November 1, 2024).
After the Election: A Call to Unity, Justice and Bold Action – Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (November 8, 2024).
Here’s What We Do Now: A Personal Note – Greg Palast (GregPalast.com, November 6, 2024).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Active Hope
• Why “Revolutionary Love” Gives Michelle Alexander Hope
• Something We Dare Call Hope
• “I Came Alive With Hope”
• Resilience and Hope
• Clarity and Hope
• In the Eye of the Storm . . . A Tree of Living Flame
• Cultivating Stillness
• Aligning With the Living Light
• In the Garden of Spirituality – Judy Cannato
• Carrying It On . . . Into the New Year
• Hope and Beauty in the Midst of the Global Coronavirus Pandemic

Image: Venice Williams, director of Alice’s Garden and The Table. She is also a lay minister, teacher, healer and facilitator. (Photo: Adam Carr)