“Across The Pond”  30″X 30″ Acrylic on 1 1/2″ gallery wrap canvas

After a week of disappointment, grief and anger I had felt alienated from those I love. Our America divided feels somehow worse than a week ago.  Even with a divisive election campaign I still had felt that the majority of us wanted to see the America that I envisioned.

Now I come to see that my vision my have been tinted by those I never stopped to listen to.  The silent ones that I left behind.  They found their voice in our new president-elect.

I have always felt I was a caring and compassionate person, Christ driven to do my best by others. But now I see that I left some of the others behind.  I had not listened to the disenfranchised poor rural white people,  their privilege was not as white as my priviledge their opportunities where not as high as mine.  My fault has been that I did not listen to their plight as I did to the other disenfranchied; immigrants, people of color, urban poor.

Maybe it was the media, we never saw the other side. Maybe it was me not opening my eyes.

I still feel dishearten that a man such as our new president-elect will lead us the next 4 years. Crude and spewing hate, he became a whole segment of the nation’s mouth piece for those that were angry with my white privilege, my truth and my blindness to their needs.

I will find something good from this learning experience, my eyes are wide open now.  I will become a better listener.  I will continue to fight for the rights of others and be welcoming to all.  I will learn to tolerate our new president-elect, and pray that he finds his footing to lead this great nation.

I will continue to paint Positive-Energy into all my art, for that is one thing that our whole nation needs. We must continue to live positively, knowing that through loving each other, and listening to each other we will work with each other to make a new America inclusive to all people even those I have not heard.

“Across the pond ” the painting above is a vision of my home, my rural experience, my dream of hope, happiness and joy.  I share it with others and pray that all America finds their own vision of hope, happiness and joy.