The president’s trip to Scotland and the reaction of the people there reminds me that we who disapprove of administration activities are not isolated from the world. Europeans are as unhappy with the way things are in the U.S. as many of us are. Most events seem to be spur of the moment ideas that are activated without much thought of consequences. So many billions are spent on whims. We are just 7 months from the beginning of the year. Already countless jobs have been eliminated, departments are left with few if any experts to see to business. So many competent people are unemployed, many with specialized skills that are needed that aren’t being used. Entire departments, once essential to the effectiveness of the government have been shuttered.

I tried to stay away from the news, take a break to focus on things I can control. I spent time on the garden and family. We held a reunion and visited with many relatives we’d not seen for years. It was pleasant and stimulated memories that brought us joy. Long ago the relatives on my father’s side of the family gathered for a week each summer at a resort on Lake Bertha in the Whitefish chain of lakes. We took over the entire resort, and we younger folks were in and out of the cabins as we again became acquainted  with the family. I learned to play bridge that summer, and we had shuffleboard tournaments, attended the summer theater nearby, swam, fished, waterskied; we became close to family we saw once a year. Those memories are special, and for a time as we reminisced, we returned to a carefree feeling of safety and belonging.

What comes next? Can we weather the drama with ourselves intact? Will resistance accomplish anything or will it just roil the waters?  I don’t want our children and grandchildren to be faced with a world that is dramatically altered. I want to see kindness and compassion motivate those who make decisions. Concentration camps like Alligator Alcatraz are not part of a country I love and respect. As many have said, we are a nation of immigrants. Will we survive?