My Thank You Note to the President

Dear Mr. President,

     In my never-ending, PollyAnna search for ponies, I am writing today to sincerely thank you for the good that is resulting from your having been elected.

     To be clear, I did not vote for you. I had my reasons. You reminded me of people who had hurt me in the past and who callously hurts others without thinking and that concerned me more than anything else as I cast my vote, but I'm not writing about that now. I am writing to say thank you as you have set me on a mission, the likes of which I have never felt so passionate about in Lord knows when...I'm on a mission to feverishly to find the good in each and every thing you're so boldly placing your signature on, which you alone have made your priorities in this, your first week in office. (For the record, I have had a VERY good first week as well, but mine took some effort.) Turns out, there's lots of good to be found in your actions; I wanted to take a few minutes before we launch into the next to say "Thank you."

     Thank you for doing what no one man, (president or otherwise) has done in recent history by engaging, really engaging the American public in politics once again. Used to be you'd ask folks "You follow politics?" as if it was polo or hockey. Some did; some didn't. I used to do a political talk show and we had a small, but politically influential audience. Still, it had nowhere near the ratings of the other shows. All I can say is never have more people, including me, become SO interested in so many things in such a short window. We're now educating ourselves on everything from the electoral college to what exactly an emolument is...I'm just saying...We're wearing that Google thing out.

     Never have more people educated themselves (period) in the American language. (Thank you Merriam Webster!) I myself did not know the subtle difference between a falsehood and a lie. (I'm not being snarky here. It was downright enlightening.) We're educating ourselves in far more than politics. We're searching, searching, searching in other areas as well...Scientific areas, legal areas, agriculture areas...What a beautiful day to be in the information age! Are we blessed or what to have access to all these things and endless resources for knowing more? I have been on learning overdrive and my friends have too, so thank you for lifting the conversation.

     To the spiritual side of things, (where my true interests lie)...Thank you for this revival of passion I am witnessing in my fellow Americans (and feeling it in wave after wave after wave myself). To my studies and observation, what is happening today is on par with that first Great Awakening that swept our country --that spiritual revival that triggered this deep, internal spirit-caught-fire in folks...sparking enlightenment in everyday common folk as they received the Spirit, then sweeping like wildfire across our baby nation ...forever to change the face of traditional hierarchical institutions of religion so that everybody felt they had access to the Divine.  Our country needed a wake up call like this and YOU delivered! You said you would! I don't know that you meant to do it this way, but maybe you did. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. But you've definitely been a spark plug for change and while the changes I see coming from your pen could concern me a tad, the changes I'm seeing down here on the ground bring tears to my eyes almost each and every day, and for that, Thank you! I needed that kind of reminder in my day to day. I genuinely and sincerely DO thank you simply for making me feel so alive again!

     Thank you too for dislodging that logjam of a congress of ours, to moving again. While we haven't seen it yet, I predict come voting time, we're going to see all sorts of dogs and cats working together. Call me psychic, but I don't see the teams voting straight party lines on all these many issues you've stirred up. There are smart Democrats and there are smart Republicans. There are passionate players on BOTH sides of the aisle...people with egos, yes, but people with causes, and concerns for their legacies...people with hearts all their own, AND people with constituents! Constituents they haven't heard from in eons, they are now hearing from! Isn't that exciting? You've gotten this country all abuzz again and quite frankly, I think we needed that wake up call, so thank you Mr. President. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

     Never have I seen or felt more passion from this country . . . from individuals that, quite frankly, may not have known they still had it in 'em ~ There is nothing more invigorating than realizing "Hey, I really DO care, and I really CAN make a difference!" Why the thought of scientists being so convicted they're coming out of their labs to rally their own marches...(Ok. That one touched my heart, but it also made me laugh as I envision a bunch of Sheldons in white lab coats, toting perfectly coiffed signs with detailed charts and such), but it's GOOD! It's a good thing! Even those we think have no emotion or limit the expression thereof are starting to emote and I personally find that exhilarating, don't you?

     For me personally you have done more to deepen my own soul's resolve to be a better person each and every day than any one person, place or thing in I don't know how long.  While I admit, I recoiled at this person I once enjoyed watching (on Apprentice...when you were just firing celebrities for fun) I am most sincere when I say you have enhanced my attempts at living the scripture of loving enemies and praying for those who could spitefully use. Not only has this past first week deepened my spiritual journey, it has strengthened my resolve to love my neighbors as well as my enemies. It has forced me to say "Unless you want to lose half your friends or limit 2/3rds of your conversations, you best work on your own tact and civility Evins...and remember: respect, respect, respect when you go to sharing thoughts or opinions."

   In short, this week has had a profound effect on me. YOU have had a profound effect on me. You, a person I do not know and will likely never meet, have made me reach, truly reach into the depths of my being for answers to things so perplexing and so profound...Honestly, I didn't think you had it in you. I didn't think I had it in me.

    All I can say is you have made me a better person, and for this I thank you most of all.

     Sincerely written,

     Karlen R. Evins