As I write this, my turkey is in the oven and the table is set. It’s Thanksgiving Day. By the time you read this, you will be creatively finding ways to use the leftovers.
I hope that your Thanksgiving was filled with family and friends and lots of good food. I also hope that you remembered what Thanksgiving is about.
This tradition has been around since the 1500s in some parts of America. Many of us attribute the tradition to the pilgrims after they landed in Massachusetts. They gathered to give thanks to God for their bountiful harvest. That tradition has survived the times.
We look forward to being with our families on Thanksgiving. This year is different for many. There are so many stories (on the internet, so you know they are true) of family members being uninvited for Thanksgiving because they supported Donald Trump.
It is hard to imagine that we have become so polarized that we exclude family members over politics. Political ideologies should not define personal relationships in families. I can understand some people not having much in common with political adversaries and choosing not to spend time with them. But families should be off limits for political exclusion.
I have a few remarkably close family members who are politically the opposite of me. I do not love them any less, and they feel the same way. We even respectfully discuss politics casually without chastising each other.
Now, I also have a family member who has excluded me completely because of my political stance. That is very unfortunate. It tells me she was only pretending to care about me in the first place or politics would not matter.
The exclusions only occur from the liberal side. Social media has exposed the deliberate and hateful actions of these individuals expressing their intent to avoid Trump-supporting family members. Shamefully, they appear to be boasting about it. Some say that sitting down with someone who has conservative views is emotionally unacceptable.
There are stories from Trump voters who feel hurt and ostracized when they are left out of Thanksgiving gatherings. They feel that while their political views are important to them, they do not define their entire identity. There is much more to all of us than our political preferences. and they resent being excluded from family functions because of their vote.
There is an emotional toll from these actions, and it can be significant. Holidays, which are supposed to be a time for unity and making precious memories with your family, have instead become a battleground. Oftentimes, these divisions, which should be nothing more than a tiny spat, become long-term estrangement.
I did talk with someone yesterday who has been ostracized by some family members because of her vote for Trump. She was saddened by it but saw it as childish and pitching a tantrum. She determined that they were the ones with a problem and not her. She is correct.
We should all feel free to support who we like without being afraid of repercussions. Those who are unwilling to accept that premise are the ones with the serious problem.
While some families may just agree to never discuss politics, others may choose to engage in dialogue and reach common ground and agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
We must remember that politicians will come and go, but family will always be family. There is a special bond, and it certainly should never be in jeopardy because of politics.
You all know how important politics is to me. But it is a drop in the bucket compared to the importance of my family. I would never be so arrogant as to think that everyone should see things the same as I do or they are not welcome in my family. To me, that is ludicrous.
In the end, when all is said and done, family should be the most important thing in our life except for faith, if you are a believer. If your political positions are more important to you than your family, please seek the help you need. I say that with love and compassion. It is too important not to take it seriously.
Sen. Joyce Krawiec has represented Forsyth County and the 31st District in the North Carolina Senate since 2014. She lives in Kernersville.
