Zoe Lawhorn

As I write this column, it is Nov. 4 – the day before Election Day. If we’re all being honest here, I can’t wait for it to be over.

The last few months, I have felt the tension we all feel, and I have teetered alongside the divide none of us can seem to bridge. I have turned the channel to avoid the clanging political ads, so I don’t have to explain inflammatory words to my 8-year-old son, words that are heavy with insinuation, and dripping with conjecture. I have felt hope, dismay, indignation, and indifference.

But what happens on Nov. 6? By the time this column goes to print, it will all be over. (At least, that’s the plan.)

This morning, a friend of mine sent me a post from a speaker who once appeared at the Women’s Fund of Smith County’s Power of the Purse Luncheon, a woman named Becca Stevens. Becca is an Episcopal priest who founded an organization called Thistle Farms that helps women heal and find new life after facing serious trauma and other terrible life experiences.

She writes, “After the election, I will get up and go to work. I will work to help women who are incarcerated, on the streets, trafficked, addicted, and searching for hope. I have done this work under the leadership of Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden.”

“No matter who wins, this work will continue Nov. 6.”

With all the rhetoric and emotionalism of the most recent political campaigns, one could lose sight of the fact that no matter who wins, life goes on. If you are feeling helpless, remember there is a choice we do control – how we will face each new day in our own, powerful and consequential lives.

Sure, the election is important, but so are the ways we all come together to work for the good of our own families and our own communities. That work goes on. We can be kind, we can be generous, and we can care for and love our neighbors after the election is over.

Starting Nov. 6 and beyond, I plan on changing nothing. I plan on going to work to promote the mission of the Women’s Fund of Smith County, an organization that is dedicated to empowering women to transform our community through their own philanthropic giving.

I will seek out and find the ever-present joy that comes from serving alongside other caring, community-minded women, many of whom do not share my political beliefs.

Together, unified by our desire to do what we can, we will continue to make impact grants to Smith County nonprofits, to help equip these incredible organizations to connect with people in need and provide the services and goods they need to live better lives and in turn, do their own work to improve our communities.

There is a truth that is undeniable, and one that is easy to lose sight of, especially with the constant messaging of division. We CAN make a difference in the lives of others; and when we do, we feel good. We feel connected; we understand in those moments that what connects us is stronger than what divides us.

Becca goes on to say, “I will continue to preach that love without judgement is the most radical force for change in this world. No matter what, I will still.”

No matter what, we will still. We will still promote philanthropy and the power of giving together. We will still commit to serving others through volunteerism. And if we have nothing else to give, we will still give grace, the most powerful and transformative gift of all.

If you are feeling lost or weary or angry after an all-consuming, stressful election season; if you have damaged relationships or feel disconnected from others because of the atmosphere of political rhetoric that has engulfed our country and our collective headspace, I want to just give you permission to let it go and shift your focus to something that is guaranteed to improve your mental and emotional health.

Many of us will wake up in the aftermath of this election feeling like we lost something. But we didn’t, because the true tie that binds us all together can’t be lost. On Nov. 6 and beyond, I won’t lick my wounds or gloat. Instead, I will go back to work and remember the joy of giving well.