John, thank you not only for this piece, but for your faithfulness in writing throughout this arduous year. For me personally, the year had a couple of great moments, but also some truly low points. We celebrated our fiftieth anniversary of marriage, and spent some amazing times together and with our family. On the other side, my sister died unexpectedly, injuries slowed me, and, of course, I watched, wept, and resisted as the putrid rot within our beloved country was exposed and remains unabated. We must—all of us with strength and a different vision of America—continue to speak, to write, and to stand in the breach this rot threatens to invade. God bless and keep you in the new year!
Absolutely love how you acknowledge our struggles but acknowledge our strength and survival. My great great great Grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War. He was 17 years old and joined Washington in Battle of New York in 1776. Four months in , he was taken prisoner and spent a year on a prison ship! Did he survive, of course or I wouldn't be writing to you! He had grit for sure! In fact that phrase has been passed down to all of us who came after him. This year of despicable Trump has been so painful. My Grandfather's name was Hezekiah Wadsworth and my siblings and I were always told "Remember you have Wadsworth Grit". I can't believe the coming Anniversary of 1776 is just ahead . I think about my GGG Grandfather and hear him say you have Wadsworth Grit! John you too have "Grit" . Thanks for helping us heal and for helping us to strive to make the world a better place! May God Bless you and all of us.
How many years was 2025? It sure felt much longer than a regular year. There was so much loss, betrayal, grief and orange atrocity. Your voice, John, has brought me such comfort. Thank you. Happy New Year and I wish you peace in 2026.
It’s been a year of progress for me. I suffered a spinal cord injury in September 2024 and lost the use of my legs. I went through inpatient rehab, in home therapy and started 2025 with outpatient therapy. I was released from that in May to practice at home. Gradually from January to May I saw the assistive devices leave (wheelchair and ramp, hospital bed and Hoyer (hydraulic lift). I still need a walker to get around but my New Year resolution is to be free of that by the spring. Also I have just started driving again!
Thank you for all of the “Likes”, folks however in retrospect I think my comment was a little self absorbed in that I did not mention Trump and all he had been doing. The thing is, I am quite confident that the midterms will go against him. He failed to heed what his supporters were looking for and that’s an improvement in the economy. He even said that “affordability “ was something made up by the Democrats. That shows how out of touch he is with his base and will be his downfall.
I’m sure I’m not alone: I am an active, happily recently retired K/1st grade teacher with 47 years of service, the last 18 to children who didn’t speak English (until they met me.) I’ve moved with my loving husband to a beautiful town on the Chesapeake Bay, started an English school for Latino adults, exercise every day, yearly bloodwork is stellar. And on August 27 I had a massive coronary. I recovered quickly, medically, but obviously the pain of witnessing the debacle in DC has dug deep into my physical wellbeing. Take care of yourselves, friends, we can’t do this without you.
No, you are not alone. There are a lot of us. You are admirable, which is no comfort, I know. But you are. And you stand your ground, we stand the same ground with you, however small our contributions, mine, anyway, may be.
For my husband and me, 2025 was the best of times and the worst of times. He was accepted into Duke’s lung transplant program in March; we moved to Durham at the end of March so he could complete the education and rehab necessary, then he was put on the list. After six weeks on the list, we got the call. (Meanwhile, my 90-year-old mother, who lived about an hour from Durham, still needed my help, so I was driving back and forth.) His surgery took place in June and lasted 11 hours. Due to complications, they were unable to completely close his chest for three days. He was in a medically induced coma. Sometime during those three days he suffered a small stroke which affected his right side and his speech. Through perseverance and lots of support from the team at Duke, we finally moved back home just after Labor Day. He was back in the hospital for a week in October with kidney failure, and dodged the Grim Reaper once again last month when he had an acute massive pulmonary embolism. And of course, there was the nastiness of our pedophile-in-chief and his evil heart on top of everything. I am so tired. But I have to believe that tomorrow will be better. And I hope it is for all of you, too.
I am mostly troubled by the political/governmental situation which, if that were all i focused on, I would be deeply depressed. But, although 92, I live in a sr housing apartment and my building is filled with folks willing to do their thing to stop DT. We have demonstrations, we write postcards, we listen to our local senators and reps, we make sure our immigrant employees are safe and all that activity makes me so optimistic I can't feel anything but hope ---- mostly. Thanks for your words.
I called 2024 my lost year because I spent nearly 10 months housebound due to medical issues. 2025 was worse. Hands down. Much more stressful and depressing.
Barbara - I feel that way about 2025 because despite the physical progress life is still strange and just “different”. I hope very much that 2026 will be better for you.
My 4th year being estranged from my young adult son, this is my ongoing hell. I am learning more how to cope.
But, today, I learned that the chest nodules seen on a recent CT scan may indicate cancer so I have even more diagnostic scans scheduled next week. Totally asymptomatic.
When Kamala lost it felt very akin to a death. I lost my 41 year old daughter a few years earlier and I was amazed that I could feel such a grief over a lost election. But I did and I prayed for President Trump but also freely expressed how dangerous he is. I suppose I still count myself as an evangelical in the sense that I believe Jesus is the Son of God, my Savior and that His Gospel is worth sharing throughout the world. But of course many think Trump is an answer to prayer and I had denied the faith by supporting a woman with her “liberal” policies. As the weeks passed I became active in the local indivisible group and proudly showed up at protests. But I was a member of another group too…a Christian homeschooling group. The screeds on their social media pages were wrong and ugly. The final straw for me with this group was when I was denied fellowship with a nature based educational club. I am a single grandmother raising my then 10 year old daughter alone. I guess the organizers didn’t read the part about caring for the widows and orphans. I think we are in for a rough 2026 but I will be loud and be out causing some good trouble. A big priority this year is doing all I can to keep immigrant families safe.
God bless you. Being rejected by people who have a mandate from their God to care for you is a bitter pill. There are other faith communities that are more open. I hope you find one and both you and your granddaughter again feel you belong.
And yet, you continue to be an inspiration and provide the insight and comfort I have needed many times. When I lived in NC, I was so fortunate to be able to hear you in person many times, so now it's ZOOM, but I still treasure your words. May 2026 bring a better year....
This year has indeed been hell and I can't call myself actually optimistic about the year to come but I do feel a smidgen more hope than I did last year at this time. Last year I couldn't feel anything but dread about the horrors that would be inflicted on the most marginalized folk (self included as member of the LGBTQ community.)
I have done all that I could to be part of this Resistance, as the horrors I've dreaded kept coming true. And I have seen that the Resistance is large and solid. We have made something of a difference. Kept a bit of the worst of their dystopian intentions at bay (though not enough - no way enough!)
So. The battle for the soul of America and what's left of democracy will continue this year. We have staged the largest protests in the history of this country and the next ones will be larger still. Multi millions of us in the streets, saying no to fascism.
This is not the way I wanted to be spending my sixties or my wife to be spending her seventies. I am a dancer and dance teacher as well as an ordained minister. I want to dance and teach and preach inspiring (rather than merely consoling) sermons. I want to officiate joyful weddings and baby blessings. I just want to live my happy life and sometimes (often) I resent the fact that I don't get to.
But we are getting...somewhere. And (no guarantees) but there's some chance that 2026 might see the tide turn toward democracy, equality and mercy. May it be so. Amen.
2025 felt like a mental and physical beating at the hands of crazed maniacs. And yet I am one of the lucky, the "privileged" ones. I will not give up this fight. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" applies to both the good and the bad.
This year! This year has been devastating from top to bottom. I've worked in service to segments of our citizenry and then volunteered after retirement. DOGE affected my family up close and required blending two households. I joined in the demonstrations and with a group fighting for immigrants as I watched the leadership of a successful democracy become obsessed with it's demise. Here are my lessons learned: a government is people, a country is people, laws exist to protect people. If leadership can only recognize any of those as "concepts", it is not sharing the pain.
John, thanks you for your wise words. I live in a rural county in CNY. Our Sheriff now has a contract with ICE: our local farm workers, people of color that have an accent are living in fear!
John, thank you not only for this piece, but for your faithfulness in writing throughout this arduous year. For me personally, the year had a couple of great moments, but also some truly low points. We celebrated our fiftieth anniversary of marriage, and spent some amazing times together and with our family. On the other side, my sister died unexpectedly, injuries slowed me, and, of course, I watched, wept, and resisted as the putrid rot within our beloved country was exposed and remains unabated. We must—all of us with strength and a different vision of America—continue to speak, to write, and to stand in the breach this rot threatens to invade. God bless and keep you in the new year!
Thank you, John, for helping us to stay sane. Let’s make 2026 America again!
Absolutely love how you acknowledge our struggles but acknowledge our strength and survival. My great great great Grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War. He was 17 years old and joined Washington in Battle of New York in 1776. Four months in , he was taken prisoner and spent a year on a prison ship! Did he survive, of course or I wouldn't be writing to you! He had grit for sure! In fact that phrase has been passed down to all of us who came after him. This year of despicable Trump has been so painful. My Grandfather's name was Hezekiah Wadsworth and my siblings and I were always told "Remember you have Wadsworth Grit". I can't believe the coming Anniversary of 1776 is just ahead . I think about my GGG Grandfather and hear him say you have Wadsworth Grit! John you too have "Grit" . Thanks for helping us heal and for helping us to strive to make the world a better place! May God Bless you and all of us.
How many years was 2025? It sure felt much longer than a regular year. There was so much loss, betrayal, grief and orange atrocity. Your voice, John, has brought me such comfort. Thank you. Happy New Year and I wish you peace in 2026.
Agreed. To my mind 2025 was stretched and stressful.
It’s been a year of progress for me. I suffered a spinal cord injury in September 2024 and lost the use of my legs. I went through inpatient rehab, in home therapy and started 2025 with outpatient therapy. I was released from that in May to practice at home. Gradually from January to May I saw the assistive devices leave (wheelchair and ramp, hospital bed and Hoyer (hydraulic lift). I still need a walker to get around but my New Year resolution is to be free of that by the spring. Also I have just started driving again!
Thank you for all of the “Likes”, folks however in retrospect I think my comment was a little self absorbed in that I did not mention Trump and all he had been doing. The thing is, I am quite confident that the midterms will go against him. He failed to heed what his supporters were looking for and that’s an improvement in the economy. He even said that “affordability “ was something made up by the Democrats. That shows how out of touch he is with his base and will be his downfall.
Wow. Congratulations, and thank you for sharing.
I’m sure I’m not alone: I am an active, happily recently retired K/1st grade teacher with 47 years of service, the last 18 to children who didn’t speak English (until they met me.) I’ve moved with my loving husband to a beautiful town on the Chesapeake Bay, started an English school for Latino adults, exercise every day, yearly bloodwork is stellar. And on August 27 I had a massive coronary. I recovered quickly, medically, but obviously the pain of witnessing the debacle in DC has dug deep into my physical wellbeing. Take care of yourselves, friends, we can’t do this without you.
No, you are not alone. There are a lot of us. You are admirable, which is no comfort, I know. But you are. And you stand your ground, we stand the same ground with you, however small our contributions, mine, anyway, may be.
For my husband and me, 2025 was the best of times and the worst of times. He was accepted into Duke’s lung transplant program in March; we moved to Durham at the end of March so he could complete the education and rehab necessary, then he was put on the list. After six weeks on the list, we got the call. (Meanwhile, my 90-year-old mother, who lived about an hour from Durham, still needed my help, so I was driving back and forth.) His surgery took place in June and lasted 11 hours. Due to complications, they were unable to completely close his chest for three days. He was in a medically induced coma. Sometime during those three days he suffered a small stroke which affected his right side and his speech. Through perseverance and lots of support from the team at Duke, we finally moved back home just after Labor Day. He was back in the hospital for a week in October with kidney failure, and dodged the Grim Reaper once again last month when he had an acute massive pulmonary embolism. And of course, there was the nastiness of our pedophile-in-chief and his evil heart on top of everything. I am so tired. But I have to believe that tomorrow will be better. And I hope it is for all of you, too.
Best wishes to your husband as he continues to fight to overcome so many medical adversities. And to you for increased strength to deal with it all.
I am mostly troubled by the political/governmental situation which, if that were all i focused on, I would be deeply depressed. But, although 92, I live in a sr housing apartment and my building is filled with folks willing to do their thing to stop DT. We have demonstrations, we write postcards, we listen to our local senators and reps, we make sure our immigrant employees are safe and all that activity makes me so optimistic I can't feel anything but hope ---- mostly. Thanks for your words.
I called 2024 my lost year because I spent nearly 10 months housebound due to medical issues. 2025 was worse. Hands down. Much more stressful and depressing.
I hope 2026 will bring you renewal - from stress and depression. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time.
Thank you. I wish the same for you and your loved ones.
Barbara - I feel that way about 2025 because despite the physical progress life is still strange and just “different”. I hope very much that 2026 will be better for you.
Thank you. I hope the same for you.
My 4th year being estranged from my young adult son, this is my ongoing hell. I am learning more how to cope.
But, today, I learned that the chest nodules seen on a recent CT scan may indicate cancer so I have even more diagnostic scans scheduled next week. Totally asymptomatic.
Happy new year. *groan*
Cheryl... best of luck with both situations. No fun.
I am also estranged from my 40 year old son. Grieving isn’t easy when he lives 10 mins away. I feel your heartbreak.
When Kamala lost it felt very akin to a death. I lost my 41 year old daughter a few years earlier and I was amazed that I could feel such a grief over a lost election. But I did and I prayed for President Trump but also freely expressed how dangerous he is. I suppose I still count myself as an evangelical in the sense that I believe Jesus is the Son of God, my Savior and that His Gospel is worth sharing throughout the world. But of course many think Trump is an answer to prayer and I had denied the faith by supporting a woman with her “liberal” policies. As the weeks passed I became active in the local indivisible group and proudly showed up at protests. But I was a member of another group too…a Christian homeschooling group. The screeds on their social media pages were wrong and ugly. The final straw for me with this group was when I was denied fellowship with a nature based educational club. I am a single grandmother raising my then 10 year old daughter alone. I guess the organizers didn’t read the part about caring for the widows and orphans. I think we are in for a rough 2026 but I will be loud and be out causing some good trouble. A big priority this year is doing all I can to keep immigrant families safe.
God bless you. Being rejected by people who have a mandate from their God to care for you is a bitter pill. There are other faith communities that are more open. I hope you find one and both you and your granddaughter again feel you belong.
And yet, you continue to be an inspiration and provide the insight and comfort I have needed many times. When I lived in NC, I was so fortunate to be able to hear you in person many times, so now it's ZOOM, but I still treasure your words. May 2026 bring a better year....
This year has indeed been hell and I can't call myself actually optimistic about the year to come but I do feel a smidgen more hope than I did last year at this time. Last year I couldn't feel anything but dread about the horrors that would be inflicted on the most marginalized folk (self included as member of the LGBTQ community.)
I have done all that I could to be part of this Resistance, as the horrors I've dreaded kept coming true. And I have seen that the Resistance is large and solid. We have made something of a difference. Kept a bit of the worst of their dystopian intentions at bay (though not enough - no way enough!)
So. The battle for the soul of America and what's left of democracy will continue this year. We have staged the largest protests in the history of this country and the next ones will be larger still. Multi millions of us in the streets, saying no to fascism.
This is not the way I wanted to be spending my sixties or my wife to be spending her seventies. I am a dancer and dance teacher as well as an ordained minister. I want to dance and teach and preach inspiring (rather than merely consoling) sermons. I want to officiate joyful weddings and baby blessings. I just want to live my happy life and sometimes (often) I resent the fact that I don't get to.
But we are getting...somewhere. And (no guarantees) but there's some chance that 2026 might see the tide turn toward democracy, equality and mercy. May it be so. Amen.
2025 felt like a mental and physical beating at the hands of crazed maniacs. And yet I am one of the lucky, the "privileged" ones. I will not give up this fight. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" applies to both the good and the bad.
This year! This year has been devastating from top to bottom. I've worked in service to segments of our citizenry and then volunteered after retirement. DOGE affected my family up close and required blending two households. I joined in the demonstrations and with a group fighting for immigrants as I watched the leadership of a successful democracy become obsessed with it's demise. Here are my lessons learned: a government is people, a country is people, laws exist to protect people. If leadership can only recognize any of those as "concepts", it is not sharing the pain.
John, thanks you for your wise words. I live in a rural county in CNY. Our Sheriff now has a contract with ICE: our local farm workers, people of color that have an accent are living in fear!
In One Peace