I really want to tell you the story of Molly Woods, would be whistleblower, turned super-villain.

But I can’t, as another origin story is unfolding before our very eyes.

I am watching the rebirth of a nation.  It is as frightening as it sounds.  I am watching as a fledgling democracy struggles and tries to find its way out of the darkness it was created in.  Childbirth is a traumatic experience for all involved.

The nation is adjusting to the change in temperature, the brightness of the lights.  We are struggling to figure out how to breathe in this new environment.

We are all (okay, definitely not all of us, but hopefully most of us) are striving toward a more perfect union.

The process is dizzying, even painful, as the world we thought we knew evolved into something we didn’t know enough about.  There was no way to prepare for it.

This, like childbirth, is exhausting. Many of you are expending every bit of energy you have in order to preserve the rights of others.  I thank you.

Many of you are defending our freedoms on the frontlines. Others still are fighting for them in courtrooms, and some of you are writing (righting) and hashing out details of policy in congressional cloakrooms.  You are to be commended.

This experiment of ours is on the verge of breakthrough.  Unlike mothers on the delivery table, we actually get to choose what we take home.

Today, as a nation, we get to decide who we are.

It is my sincere prayer that at the end of this, we can all look in the mirror and despite the exhaustion, be proud of what we created.  Sure, we might all want our baby to look  certain way, but in the end, we just want it to be healthy.  Let the same be said for our democracy.

Mama Radford

Keep pushing!