The Grand Canyon says it better than I can. But here's what I mean:
I have so much love for all of you who have worked so hard for so long because you really believe in the values that animate your work. "I see your goodness, your heart. I've seen how hard you've worked in the face of impossible odds." (quoting POTUS just now)
There are those of you who work on the Hill, in the current Administration, on a campaign, as an advocate. It's not about power or status or things that are ultimately meaningless. I can see that you are really about living out the values that lift up each other, that protect the vulnerable, that celebrate what we *can* do.
And those of you who work as writers journalists poets artists.
I see you dedicating your voices to telling stories that would go unheard, to sharing the fullness of stories to get at the truth, to making art that shifts cultural conversations.
There are those of you who have labored under the heaviest of emotional weights, facing personal threats and insults, facing those who are obstinately fact-free and proud of it, but keep putting facts forward the best you can.
You stand up for what's true and noble. You stand up for the least of these. Even when you're tired, even when you're sick of the abuse and cynicism, even when you face down hatred in many forms, you find a way to come back up. And every time you do, you give me and all of us hope that it's possible.
And so this is for you. Going down into the muck is optional, and you chose to do it. Coming up is mandatory because I love you. Thank you.