I’m home from visiting 4 lovely guilds in the greater Kansas City area. I lectured and taught all day and into the evening for 3 days. I enjoyed all of the people I met and I hope they enjoyed me.

Because I was working so much, I missed much of the news coverage of the election. No talking heads, no in-depth analysis, I got the results. I was surprised, as you may have been, because the polls were so wrong. (Note to self: Ignore polls in the future.)

I’m not going to veer into a discussion of politics. Donald Trump was legally elected. He’s our president. I truly, sincerely, want him to be a good one. Our fates are tied to his — how can we wish the worst for him?

Lastly, I had an opportunity to visit with a woman who voted differently than I did. It was wonderful to have a conversation without rancor. Neither of us butted in with ‘well, but….” We had a series of conversations over the course of the day and I am better for it. I believe that most of the people in our country are good at heart and will, when exposed to hate, speak up in favor of love and tolerance.

I have been guilty of thinking that if those on the ‘other side’ knew what I did, they would surely think differently. That’s wrong because we each view the world from a different perspective. Understanding our differences is the first step toward figuring out how to live together in peace. I am going to seek out people who think differently than me and who are willing to have a friendly conversation about the issues.

Tomorrow Steve and I will clean house (because it’s Saturday), and work in the yard (because we can’t ignore it any more). I need to work on the computer and then, if I am very lucky, there will be time to work on the quilt I am in the middle of quilting. In short, it will be a normal weekend day… I can’t wait!

Fall, Kansas City, 2016