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Dear 2025,

Dear 2025, I am writing to mark the end of you— not with fireworks, not even with relief, but with honesty. You came heavy. You came loud. You came asking more than I had planned to give. This was the year my life tilted without warning. The year appointments replaced routines. The year my body asked for attention I could no longer postpone. The year I learned that surviving can look like canceling plans, choosing rest, saying no without explaining myself. You taught me how much I carry— and how much of it I have been carrying alone. There were days I felt unrecognizable to myself. Days when exhaustion lived in my bones and hope felt like a language I once spoke fluently but couldn’t quite reach. I smiled when it was expected. I endured when it was required. I kept going because stopping felt scarier than continuing. But here is what you didn’t take from me: My ability to notice light, even when it was small. The twinkle of a tree. The steady flame of a menorah. Quiet moments where not...
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Hello all

 I will be taking a break from my blog due to my mental health. I need to step back.  I need to step back. if you want to know more, I have a CaringBridge account under Suzanne's Thoughts. you can comment
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When Identity Feels Unsafe Again

There is a particular kind of fear that doesn’t announce itself loudly. It settles in quietly, like a hand on your shoulder when you’re not expecting it. It’s the fear of being seen—and the equally heavy fear of being known. Lately, many Jews and immigrants are carrying that fear every day. It shows up in small calculations we make without realizing it: Do I wear this necklace today? Do I say where my family is from? Do I correct the assumption, or let it slide? It’s the pause before answering an innocent question, the instinct to soften an accent, the choice to hide something meaningful because safety feels uncertain. For Jews especially, there is an unsettling familiarity to this moment. History lives close to the surface of our memory. We are taught names, dates, and warnings not to frighten us—but to prepare us. And yet, here we are, recognizing the early signs we were promised we’d never have to see again: rising antisemitism, normalized hate, threats dismissed as isolated incide...
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Another Day, Another Week in the Fire

Every sunrise feels like another step deeper into the fire we call Trump. His words still echo across the country, and people are listening. The more they listen, the more it feels like we are losing—losing trust, losing unity, losing the fragile balance that holds us together. I worry. I worry that the divisions we see every day could ignite into something larger, something darker. Civil war is a phrase that once belonged to history books, yet now it lingers in conversations, headlines, and fears. But here’s the truth: fear alone cannot guide us. If we let it consume us, we surrender to the fire. What we need is resilience—community, compassion, and the courage to speak out. This blog is my attempt to resist despair. To name the fire, but also to remind myself and others that we are not powerless. We can choose to build bridges instead of walls, to listen instead of shout, to nurture instead of destroy. Another day, another week. The fire burns, but so does hope.
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To the Mother Holding It All Together (This is for the Nights You Cry on the Bathroom Floor)

  I’m not writing this from a place of strength. I’m writing this from the nights I sat on the bathroom floor because it was the only place I could fall apart without anyone hearing. From the days I kept moving even though something inside me had already cracked wide open. So let me say this without any polite filter: You are exhausted because this is brutal. Not because you’re weak. Not because you’re failing. Because you are carrying a life on your back while your own hangs by a thread. You are holding the entire mental and emotional load, and that is a superhuman effort no one should attempt alone. The Invisible Load We swallow pain like it’s part of the routine. We bury our fear so no one else feels it. We ignore the ache in our body, the heaviness in our mind, the way our thoughts come undone at the edges—because someone needs us right now . Someone always needs us right now. And we keep telling ourselves, “I’m fine. I’m okay. Later. I’ll take care of me later.” The Lie of "L...
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Who Sold Us Out: Democrats Who Enabled the Shutdown Deal

 After weeks of pain, missed paychecks, and shuttered services, the government shutdown might be ending—but not without betrayal. While millions of Americans suffered, eight Senate Democrats broke ranks and sided with Republicans to push through a temporary funding bill. Let’s name names. 🧾 The Democrats Who Voted to Advance the GOP Deal: Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire) Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire) Angus King (Maine – Independent, caucuses with Democrats) Others have not been confirmed publicly, but these three were among the first to flip. They voted to advance a bill that: Funds the government only through January 30 Leaves SNAP, veterans' benefits, and federal worker protections hanging by a thread Gives Republicans leverage to repeat this chaos in just a few weeks 💬 Why This Matters This wasn’t a compromise—it was capitulation. These Democrats enabled a deal that rewards obstruction and punishes working families. We deserve better than short-term fixes and political th...
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What We Lost in the Shutdown Deal—and Why It Hurts

 After 40+ days of political gridlock, the government has reopened. But for millions of families, caregivers, and disabled Americans, the cost of this compromise is devastating. We didn’t just lose time. We lost protections. We lost food. We lost the chance to build something better. 🧨 The Real Cost SNAP benefits were gutted. The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration, allowing cuts to food aid—even after a lower court ordered full restoration. This isn’t just policy. It’s dinner missing from the table. Health care subsidies vanished. Democrats dropped their demand to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits. That means higher premiums for millions starting in January. Federal workers were left behind. Nearly a million people went unpaid. Many still face uncertainty about back pay or job security. Families lost access to care. Head Start programs closed. TSA and FAA staff went unpaid, causing flight delays and safety risks. 🧷 What We Got A short-term reopening. Gover...
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