"We Are All Going To Die."

 

"We are all going to die." - Joni Ernst.

I was ten years old when my Mormor died. When I needed to run away from home, there was no other thought except to run to her. She was not a demonstrative woman, but I hugged her anyway. She pulled me in and let me wrap my arms around her. I remember clearly the day of her funeral. My father motioned me to walk with him, then kneel before the casket. I can still recall the overwhelming scent of flowers mingling with the sickly sweet odor of chemicals. My grandmother, my anchor, was gone. I turned to leave but just as I reached the door, the reality of never seeing her again washed over me. I stood in front of the door, wailing, until my father took my hand and led me away.

My Great Aunty was a woman before her time. Widowed when young she raised her only son who was gay, always providing him love and a safe place when he needed to come home. Her summer cottage by the lake was our refuge during heat waves. Together we discussed books, listened to Frank Sinatra on the stereo console as she bested me in another game of Scrabble. Her nasally loud laugh was infectious. She was 95 years old when she died. Her church was packed with her many friends and family on the day of her memorial. As we sat and listened to the priest talk about Alice, her only child bowed his head and cried out for his mom. There was not one person in that room who walked away unmoved by his grief.

My grandfather taught me how to build birdhouses, walk the yo-yo, watch an eclipse, listen to the wind talk, worm a fish hook and make a decent cup of coffee.

They matter to us, Senator Ernst. 

 I have heard so many shocking comments from the Trump regime, I start to tune out the rhetoric because I know it's garbage. When I read the quote by Joni Ernst, a United States senator, defending massive cuts to Medicaid and being so flippant about people who will most assuredly die without Medicaid, I thought of the most important people who were in my life, who I will forever miss, and wonder how anyone can be so callous, so hard hearted to say such despicable things? 

I will never be able to comprehend their coldness, their lack of empathy or compassion. I could try to walk in their shoes for a thousand miles and still not understand the mindset of these people. Never.