the mourning after

 

Many Wisconsin hearts were broken, including mine, late in the evening of August 9, when we heard the results of our recall election. After a hard-fought campaign and high hopes, we came up just one seat short of the 3 seats we needed to gain a majority in the Senate.

I felt so sad (heartsick that so many of my fellow Wisconsinites would vote to continue the dismaying policies and tactics of the Walker administration) and so weary (do I have the stamina to keep fighting for change?)

What did I do to help my heart recover from a major disappointment? The morning after, I joined over a hundred others for the daily Solidarity Sing Along in the Capitol rotunda. The singing was beautiful. We started a new lilting chant: “One Day Longer, One Day Stronger”. I felt the truth of that. So many strugglers in the past have sung to keep their hope alive. They lost many battles before they finally won their war. It will not be easy to win in Wisconsin.

During the Sing Along we celebrated the fact that our Fab 14 Democratic Senators are now the SWEET16. We wrote messages (“Good bye! Good luck with the job hunt!”) on the cardboard packing boxes that were delivered to Randy Hopper and Randy Kapanke to send them packing.

Leslie Amsterdam arrived with a huge bouquet of heart balloons. I carried one home and let it drift up to my kitchen ceiling where it will remind me to stay strong, one day at a time.

Tomorrow, August 16, the last of our four recall elections will take place. In two districts, we will vote to show our thanks to Democratic Senators Wirch and Holperin of the Fab 14 for risking their careers to represent Wisconsin voters. They did not run from that responsibility when they ran for Illinois. I’ll always be grateful.

Carrie Scherpelz is a freelance graphic designer here in Madison. She’s always asking the question: “What motivates people to take action?” Her keen observations of human behavior help her create compelling communication that gets results. As a designer, photographer, and writer, she has an integrated approach that will help you increase your direct marketing response rates.

Contact her for graphic design and copywriting services that will improve the effectiveness of your website, logo, direct mail and other print communications.