Dear Mr. Trump,
I have to say that I am surprised and dismayed that you won. Maybe I should not be, but I am.
Before you take office I just felt the need to correspond with you. I have gotten the impression that you don’t really listen to others, but for my own sanity I need to write this.
I am praying for you. I am praying that the person you showed us during the campaign is not the person you will be in office.
I am praying that somehow the people of this country can come together and that you, as a leader, can be a part of that, despite the fact you have been divisive to this point.
I am praying that you will surround yourself with good people who have the experience you lack and who can control your impulses to say and do hurtful things. And I pray that you will listen to them.
I pray that you discover what it means to really have a servant’s heart and not the cold heart of a businessman who only thinks about himself and his bottom line.
I pray that you follow the example of the family that is about to leave the White House. They have been the most respectable family to ever fill that space. I hope that you can remember that that is not your house to put large gold letters on the side of, but a place of history that you will only occupy for a short time.
I pray that the rights of citizens who do not look like you or think like you will not be suspended. I pray that there is a core of humanity in you that will make you a fair and honest person, if not in the past, at least for the next four years.
I pray that somewhere inside of you there is shred of decency that can be awakened to show the younger generation that we as a society did not fail yesterday, but that we just gave a different sort of person a chance. In all honesty, if I had my way you would not have been given this chance. I believe these words- when someone shows you who they are, believe them. And you have shown us a person I am terrified of.
In the spirit of forgiveness and second chances I am going to hope and pray that the person you have shown us can grow to be more kind and gracious in the future than what we’ve seen so far.
I pray for myself that every time I see your face I am not haunted by the image of you ridiculing a disabled man. I pray that every time I hear your voice I won’t remember the hate filled words and nasty language you have used to talk about people of colors and genders different from your own, and I pray that whenever I hear your name I won’t continue to cringe when I think of the world I fear during your leadership.
I pray that you can be the president to ALL Americans. And I pray that our nation can all get through your presidency with some bit of hope and dignity, whether you choose to or not.
May God help us all.
Marietta
