Readers are imagining or wondering about the value of this column given its title “Think about It.” So am I.

I woke up Friday morning with the phrase “every day do love” in my mind. I had not been dreaming, at least not that I recalled, nor had I fallen asleep with the words in my mind.

Frankly, the phrase felt like an intentional message I sent to myself and, if I really got serious, I thought it was more a command than a statement.

In that spirit, I decided it was a message for the good and that I am fortunate to receive it instead of “all is lost,” considering this was a year of loss.

A year of loss

The year has been one of losses, and as readers know, the greatest for me is the loss of my husband Paul.

As all those who have lost life partners know, his loss brought about the loss of a beloved way of life.

But it is a loss.

I attend a grief group, walk with a friend, and complain that I cannot see the future. I struggle with my future not in a way to fight the future but rather to define it.

In my heart I know the future is there except it is empty of spirit, my spirit.

I know too my spirit will return once I have grieved sufficiently to make room for it, but I need more time.

I am already trying to make space, but it is not working too well.

It is too soon.

But increasingly each day I can and do feel the love Paul left me and the love that seeped into and still lives in the walls of our home for 26 years.

I am not ready to fully take in the sentiment behind “every day do love.” I will, however, pass it along to the next president of the United States of America.

Lost the national election

Although hardly comparable in personal magnitude of losing Paul, a big loss for me and my party was the national election. Readers of this column know that I did not appreciate, nor did I vote for soon-to-be President Trump.

My preferred candidate for president lost as did the Democratic Party which will become the minority party in the Senate and House next year.

It is inescapable that more people voted for Trump than voted for Harris. I and the rest of America have no choice other than to accept the results.

I cannot change the fact that more American voters chose Republicans which gave them dominance to govern at the national or federal level.

Here is what the new president and his party can do.

I am critical of many of Republican policies but am more troubled by Trump’s rhetoric and the party’s silent support of division and retribution instead of unification of a fractured electorate.

First, soon-to-be President Trump, stand down. Please. I know it will be hard and feel odd, but you can stand by for inner security.

Now elected, you and your party can work to unite people around your views even though it involves some compromise. You can lean away from instead of toward punishing or name-calling those that do not agree with or criticize your views.

Soon-to-be President Trump, you do not need to do that anymore and will still fulfill many of your campaign promises in a new dimension. As the layers of anger, hate, and fear drop off, you will begin to feel love, a sign of strength not weakness as many of your followers of faith know.

A bright future?

I am watching for the signs from soon-to-be President Trump that he will refine his rhetoric to more purposeful communication and leadership. He has a lot of room to do so since he does not have to run again.

Trump no longer must prove anything. He is the winner.

Trump could accomplish important objectives with Republican majorities in the Senate and House. He could accomplish the kind of progress from which legacies are made.

Trump could establish government efficiencies without throwing the service out with the bath water. He could save money and spend the savings for the benefit of American people for family services that would in fact increase productivity and grow the economy as well as tax revenues.

Reliable and affordable childcare is an example that encourages young couples to start a family. Think about it – we need children; it is good for all of America!

I know some readers are shaking their heads in disbelief and wondering if I have taken up drugs or alcohol to anesthetize my grief. Or had a mental breakdown or serious head injury.

None of the above.

I will admit that it is a reach, but not impossible if instead of beating the “other,” we develop policies that support American work and productivity.

Family, independence, productivity, innovation, purpose, and community happiness occur more in an environment of sufficiency than one of deprivation and fear.

That is the message of “every day do love.”

Thanksgiving gratitude

I wish to write of my gratitude this Thanksgiving for all the kind support I have received during this very difficult time of grief including my readers who manifest “every day do love.” I am especially grateful to my very close friends who check on me every day and ride with me the tumultuous waves of grief to their very depth. It is not an easy ride.

Bertha Cooper, an award-winning featured columnist with the Sequim Gazette, spent her career years in health care administration, program development and consultation and is the author of the award-winning “Women, We’re Only Old Once.” Cooper and her husband have lived in Sequim more than 25 years. Reach her at columnists@sequimgazette.com.