A dream denied.

I took yesterday to be stunned and sad. For me as a woman, coming so close to shattering the highest glass ceiling in our country and falling short was a heartbreaking loss. Hillary and the movement around her inspired me to be a better mom and really a better person. I’m grateful for that.

I wrote the journal entry in the photo to Henley on the day we voted. There are so many reasons why I voted for Hillary, but one that was close to my heart was about creating a better future for Henley, my daughter. I wanted to be part of creating a world that values kindness and individuality. A world that protects the rights of all human beings to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I want to raise my daughter in a world where a woman can be president, in a world that treats women with respect in their words and actions. It’s disappointing to know that the person holding the highest office in our land won’t model those traits, but I can and will. There are so many things I fear right now, but I’m going to try to take the advice of a woman I’ve been fascinated by and admired for years, Hillary Clinton, and I’m going to work harder to build an inclusive and big-hearted America. I’m going to be hopeful and I’m going to do more. And when I go back to that journal entry to write in the space I so carefully saved to write the results, I’m just going to share this quote from my girl Hil instead,

“To all the little girls, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”

I know you won’t all agree, which is why I have kept my beliefs to a select few in the past. But these words were in my head and in my heart. I felt like I needed to get them out or they would swallow me. Hopefully, by sharing these words you’ll understand me better and hold me accountable to my promise.