Dear Cousin Butchie and Uncle RJ,

I hope it's okay to write to the both of you at one time.  I need all of the encouragement and positivity I can get, and I assume I am not the only one.

I read that this is the first time in 40 years that both Christians and Jews are celebrating holy days at the same basic time.  Is this an omen?  I also have some friends who showed me the prophecies of Saint Malachy which point to Pope Francis as the last pope before the end of the world.

I am bummed out and depressed.  I am scared to death of Donald Trump and the Cabinet of Deplorables  he has chosen.  I had always hoped to marry an awesome dude and adopt a few kids. Now I don't know if there will be any possibility of doing this.  The end may have already wiped us out.

Depressed Dan

Hi, Dan!

I would be a liar if I didn't admit that I am not feeling very good about Donald Trump and his chosen cabinet members.  It was the first time I could vote, and my candidate lost in a very confusing disparity of the popular vote and the Electoral College voting.

    Since Uncle RJ has been around for many years, I'm asking him to share his thoughts with us.

Hi Dan and Butchie and Readers,

There is no doubt that anxiety is running high for many people this holiday/holy day season.  We have the terrorist attacks which threaten to occur at almost any place we can imagine.  We also have President-elect Donald Trump who doesn't exactly inspire trust and credibility.  The people he has chosen for his Cabinet are also fairly questionable.  ISIS is continuing its campaign to threaten the existence of happiness and security Americans (and many others) have cherished for so long.

Now, let's look at the other viewpoints.  Hillary Clinton, whom I voted for without a second thought.  However there have been more than a few reasons to not trust her.  In all honesty, I would be more comfortable if she had won the election in totality. 

The people who warn others that the world is ending are not to be believed.  Jehovah's Witnesses have set a specific date for the Battle of Armageddon and all of these dates have passed without any calamity.  The prophecies of Saint Malachy are not believed by Catholic scholars and theologians.  The "warnings" are always identifying a pope with a phrase or word which could be credited to almost anyone. 

The theme of many sacred books is BE NOT AFRAID.  We need to live the best lives we can and not let the doomsday people depress us.  There is certainly enough to deal with in society as LGBTQ people. I suggest that we all start taking better care of our brothers and sisters in the LGBT community. 

How can we care for them better?  Do you know of anyone who is not welcome at a family gathering at this time a year or any other time?  Do you know an older LGBT person who lives alone or is the survivor of a relationship? Instead of making any of our brothers and sisters invisible, we can remember them as best we can.  Invite them for dinner.  Buy them a present.  Visit one who is in a nursing home.  We can also take the time to listen to our LGBT youth who aren't sure that being different is a positive thing.

Butchie and I wish all of you a Merry Christmas or a Happy Hanukkah or a Happy Kwanzaa.... Our future will be as happy and safe as we work to make it. 

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If there is anyone who feels totally depressed and losing it, there is a 24/7 helpline you can call at:

                                 1-800-273-TALK   1-800-273-8255