We have to come together with respect, love

Our country, the United States of America, is grieving. The country we all love is going through the grieving process.

Some of us are in the first stage of grief, which is denial. Many of us are in denial about the last five years of chaos and sickness and death. Many Americans are denying the facts and events of these past five years.

The second stage of grief is anger. Anger at forces that are beyond our control. Anger at others. Anger looking for someone to blame. The third stage of grief is bargaining. Attempting to justify and rationalize our loss, our pain, our absolute aloneness. The fourth stage of grief is depression. The sense of hopelessness and despair and nowhere to turn and  no one to help.

We all seem to be at different stages at different times in our communal and national grieving. Each of us, and all of us try to cope with these intense and personal emotions.

Eventually, most of us will get to the fifth stage of grieving, which is acceptance. We can accept the changes, the progress we have made through upheaval and dysfunction and hurtful mistakes we have all made. Acceptance of the Hope that we must continually maintain. Acceptance that puts our faith and trust in each other. The country we all Love is at stake and it is up to all of us to come together and arrive at That place where we believe in each other, respect each other and love each other.

STEVE JOHNSON

Sagle