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In these last hours before the election results I am chewing the insides of my mouth and furrowing my brows in anxiety.

As my son sleeps I know he must dream of things he likes, such as whales, elephants, bananas, water, Sesame Street, blocks, dancing, and laughing.

I also know he dreams of things like compassion, communication, fairness and equality, because those are some of the things he knows about life; that is what Gabe and I teach him. I know of his dreams because I can see the person he's becoming, and he's wonderful.

Liam came with us today when we voted.

He was in his dad's arms as Gabe cast his vote. He smiled at me when I was done, and we walked outside into the warm, golden November afternoon. He doesn't know it yet but he was involved of this day, part of Gabe and I doing our part to make our change. He won't remember it, but I'll remember running into one of my oldest friends, and Liam sitting in the grass with his son, the two little boys smiling shyly together and sharing handfuls of grass because that's what they know: sweetness, kindness, fairness. Openness.

He found a leaf today that was almost as big as he is. To him, that leaf was the world until he had lunch.


I can't believe today is already today, Election Day. Things are about to change, and I hope it's for the better, because I know Liam isn't the only one: There are so many other kids out there who deserve better than the future we're heading toward.

The past eight years have done little good, and I hope tonight sets into motion the next eight years of everything getting better.