An open letter to Hillary Clinton.

Dear Hillary,

I don’t know where to start with this because there is so much I want to say to you.

I am sitting on my bed flanked by my two cats, who have appointed themselves my emotional support animals as of today, feeling as if all of the happiness in the world has been sucked out. Just like a kiss from a dementor. It feels like there is no hope. Our future is gone. And there is only darkness in our path. And while I pray this is not true, there is one thing I really want to say you to, Hillary. And that is thank you.

Thank you for giving me hope. You have proved that perseverance in the face of the largest obstacles can push you farther than you thought you could go. You have showed that getting knocked down in no way means that you are out, but that you instead come back with more strength and grace than you had before.

Thank you for showing me how to handle myself in the face of hate. This lesson is harder practiced than preached. I admit that last night I gave in to anger after holding it in too long. As you have demonstrated, there are proper ways to handle this emotion that leave a positive impact on society. You never take the bait and give in to attacks on you. You manage to stand tall and proud and stay true to yourself without faltering. That is a characteristic that I love and will work on to make myself a stronger person.

Thank you for giving me a role model to follow as an adult. Your perseverance, strength, grace, and determination have helped me get through difficult times. There have been times over the past few months when I have found myself in tough professional situations when I wanted to give up. Instead, I asked myself, “what would Hillary do?” The answer was clear. Hillary would buckle down and keep pushing no matter how hard the situation. She wouldn't let anyone stand in the way of her doing her job and what she needed to do to move forward. So I would take a deep breath and forge ahead. And I did it knowing that it is what you have done many times before.

You have been a distant mentor to me. A beam of strength in tough times. As you are going through tough times yourself, I want you to know how much you have meant to me and to thousands of other men and women in the world. You may not have won the election, but you have won the hearts of so many of us. That is a win that cannot be taken away by anyone.

Thank you.