My husband and I toasted in the New Year with a prayer that 2026 would be a better year than 2025 for our country. So far, our prayers have not been answered with the invasion of Venezuela, the threats against other sovereign nations, brutal ICE raids, more lies, the defunding of childcare in five blue states. and the shooting of protesting Americans by under-trained thinned-skinned ICE agents.
It’s difficult to escape the angst and anger coming from everyday people. I walked into a local store the day after Renee Nicole Good was murdered by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Five or six unrelated customers at the checkout stand were engaged in a collective venting of their anger and frustration with the actions of the current administration. From the store entrance, I could hear them clearly. They called for the removal of Trump and replacing him with almost anyone. One guy said he would be happier to have Honey Bo Bo as president. In that same store, a gentleman shared his story of how an ICE agent turned his gun on him and his friends at a protest. Another said that his wife is a childcare provider and she is expected to work without pay because the president just cut off childcare funding.
The outrage is everywhere, including inside me. I’m furious at the gaslighting that followed what every video and eyewitness account proves was an unjustified murder by ICE. True to form, this administration hired incompetent, inexperienced, unethical, and cruel people to terrorize immigrants, black and brown people, and anyone who dares to confront their lawlessness. And Vice President Vance adds fuel to the fire by claiming that these lawless ICE agents who are violently tackling people in the streets, denying basic civil rights, kidnapping folks, destroying personal property, trespassing, and now killing people have “absolute immunity”. That cannot be true, and his dangerous claim is already being challenged by the attorney general in Minnesota.
I’m thankful there are protests breaking out all over the country. I’m glad people are speaking up in the stores, at the senior center, and at all sorts of social gatherings. Americans are finally waking up to the reality that the threats to our lives and livelihoods are real. The Epstein Files was a rude awakening for many. But they are also realizing that our tax dollars are funding masked thugs parading as ICE agents rounding up men, women and children and disappearing them without regard to their legal right to be in this country. People are waking up to the fact that the Republicans have no plan to provide affordable health insurance, protect our freedoms, or to defend the rule of law. People are seeing an out-of-control outbreak of measles and the flu and the defunding of critical health research. They are watching the co-opting of news outlets and the frightened by the promise that AI is going to take their jobs. The fact that tariffs have driven prices up, that some goods are disappearing from our store shelves, and that job growth has slowed while the social safety net is being destroyed is finally becoming apparent. Women are experiencing a health care dessert as OBGYNs flee red states. Other women are finding it impossible to get the healthcare they need in an emergency. And no one except defense contractors and the tech companies benefit from our country invading weaker countries to steal their oil and rare earth minerals under the guise of drug trafficking or national security.
I predict that 2026 will be the year of revolution. And revolutions are never pretty. I feel the temperature rising to the boiling point among everyday people. Some political historians say it only takes 3.5% of a population to rise up to overthrow a government. I predict that we are getting there pretty fast. I hope the protests remain peaceful, but with the level of outrage bubbling up, I doubt that will be possible much longer.
In 2026, I will remain peaceful. I will support competent candidates who defend the Constitution, adhere to the rule of law, work on behalf of the American people, and who vow to hold these bad actors accountable. I will keep funding organizations that file lawsuits in defense of our democracy and the rule of law. These include the ACLU, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Democracy Forward, and the Democracy Defenders Fund. I will also continue to donate to Indivisible and Women’s March Network because I support citizen resistance efforts.
Above all else, I will follow the teachings of Jesus. I will love my family and neighbors more fiercely than ever. I will be kind to strangers. I will keep doing my part to protect the environment by composting, recycling, conserving energy, and using reusable shopping bags. I will continue to volunteer and to donate to organizations that feed the hungry, address healthcare needs, provide micro-finance, assist women, and provide scholarships to students. The organizations I donate to as a monthly commitment include Unicef, Doctors Without Borders, St. Jude, Black Mammas Matter Alliance, World Food Program, FINCA, and Women for Women International. Others I give to in response to the ask include the Red Cross, The Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, World Central Kitchen, and various scholarship funds. My husband also donates to the American Cancer Society.
Anger takes a lot of energy. It must be channeled. I have my moments of ranting on social media and writing letters to lawmakers, but mostly I channel my energy by praying and loving others around me by being kind and being present with them. I take walks, crochet, and donating funds to those on the front lines. When there is a boycott or a peaceful protest, I’ll participate. Allowing my anger to fester and eat me up isn’t a healthy option. Left unchanneled, anger disrupts sleep and causes stress. I share what I’m doing to inspire my readers to find positive ways to channel their own angst and anger. If everyone contributes a little, the movement toward accountability and the end of this lawlessness will be faster. Â
I’m still praying that 2026 will be a better year for our country. But I am also doing what I can to make that happen.