Happy Inauguration Day!

It's HERE! Trump's reign is finally over and I say, REJOICE!

The past two weeks have been nothing short of bizarre. I'm still baffled by everything and it's difficult to believe this has happened in the U.S. But, then again, this is what Trump has done to America, so I shouldn't be surprised. He's caused more division, destruction and death than almost any tyrannical leader in history (sans maybe Hitler and Mousolini, but he's definitely in camp with them). And, I pray we see him put in handcuffs at some point so he can spend the rest of his miserable life in jail. He deserves worse, but that's all we can do here on earth...

So grateful this reign of terror is over. Unfortunately, the division that Trump has brought to the nation, to families and friendships, may be too deep to repair. Or, will take a very long time. My prayer is, as we move forward, with competent leaders FINALLY in place, that we can move past all the derision incited by that hateful man and his cronies. His actions look nothing like Christ. He is not a follower of Jesus and that shows in many of his actions over the years and especially in the past two months. Politics isn't just about one issue (abortion) that some Christians like to tote in their Pharisee-like self-righteousness. We need to also consider how these so-called leaders vote for things like health care, education, equality, taking care of "the widows and orphans", how they treat the homeless and those with disease (and, yes, this includes mental health issues). And, I'm sorry (not sorry), but Trump and his cronies (and, yes, probably the majority of his supporters) do not care about these things and that speaks volumes. While I've never considered myself affiliated with any political party, I have been voting for more Democrats in the past decade or so. Does that make me a bad Christian? Nope. Actually, in my opinion, it makes me a better one. Because I am voting for policies that allow me to love my neighbor as myself.

There's a reason I left the Church almost 4 years ago now. I cannot and will not be associated with people who display the kinds of actions and words we've seen since Trump was elected or who could support an administration like Trump's. It is an absolute disgrace. I am not talking about Republicans in general. I have voted for Republicans in the past and will likely vote for some in the future (go Ben Sasse!), but, no, much to everyone's dismay, the Republican Party is not the Christian Party. Jesus doesn't have a political affiliation. He just wants us to love God and love each other. Not in words, but in actions. And, the behavior we've seen in the past four years (and especially the past two weeks), does not demonstrate the love of Jesus. I voted blue across the board this time and until we see more respectful Republicans such as Ben Sasse, Susan Collins and others like them who weren't hoodwinked by Trump and McConnell, I won't be voting red too often anymore. Because, I care about people. And, I want to see better for our country. Not a really bad episode of Tiger King we've been in for the past four years.

While Biden was not my first choice for President, it is safe to say just about anyone would be better than the hateful, divisive, racist, misogynistic, bigoted and dangerous narcissist that is FINALLY gone. And, Biden has his work cut out for him. Similar to 2008, he has inherited an absolute mess. A mess that has to be cleaned up, a divided country that needs reuniting, a broken democracy that needs to be repaired and, let's face it, a broken people who need healing. He has a long road ahead of him. But, as he's appointing his cabinet and outlining his first 100 days, I'm optimistic he's up for this difficult task.

So, Happy Inauguration, Mr. President Biden and Vice President Harris! I'm grateful already for what you've done and will do for our great nation!