Dear Hillary

Leave it to a child to model civility in the face of defeat. When I broke the news to Charlotte of Hillary Clinton’s shocking loss, she didn’t get angry; she asked for her stationery. (And her Wonder Woman stamps.) I am sharing Charlotte’s note below, with her permission.

Dear Secretary Clinton,

You just have to try again. It made me happy when you were running for President because you were going to be the first lady President of the United States. It’s all boys now. That makes me feel sad.

Thank you for trying.

Love, Charlotte

It takes, I suppose, a certain privilege and innocence to receive these election results so graciously. Muslim and Mexican-American five year-olds are probably more inclined to hide under their beds right now than reach for their Snoopy stationery. Grown-up women who know what reproductive rights, global warming, and Supreme Court appointments really mean will have a harder time reconciling this loss. I know I am.

But still, Charlotte’s grace in defeat brings me a measure of solace. We just try again. Isn’t that what we tell our kids all the time after falls and failures? Trying can take many forms — greater engagement in midterm elections, letters to your congresspeople, peaceful protest, volunteerism at local organizations advancing the issues most vulnerable under the administration to come.

But try we must. Maybe our efforts will be the greatest thank you note we could ever send to Hillary.

//

If you’d like to pen your own thank you notes to Hillary Clinton, please direct them to the following address:

You can send Hillary a thank you card. I am.
Hillary Clinton
Post Office Box 5256
New York, NY 10185-5256

— heidi heilig ? (@heidiheilig) November 9, 2016