Joan Smith Grey’s birthday provides the perfect time to acknowledge how deeply we all still miss her and how all of us in the ‘best friends’ club’ channel her vision to guide us – especially in tough times.

Probably because of that rapidly approaching birthday, I feel particularly bereft of her wisdom and her great sense of humor.

As I try to focus on some way to articulate my many observations of life after a loved one moves on to their just rewards, my blog keeps getting hijacked by my horror at our current state of political chaos. I am actually glad she is not here to witness the millions of lives disrupted by Trump’s stupidity and ego, not to mention the lives lost, nor the international embarrassment of his Presidency.

But Joan has left us the legacy of her blogs. Her words are as full of wisdom and as relevant as when she first published them.

I found consolation in these words, for a start:

• Pray: Keep the faith. That which doesn’t kill, makes us stronger.
• Love: We’re all in this together.

“Recognize that POTUS-Covfefe-45 (now 45/47) can afflict some of the nicest people. Don’t assume malice. But know – your life, our way of life, and the great experiment in democracy is at stake.

Let us stand united for truth, justice, and the American Constitution.”

I know no one wants to read a political rant, but I can’t help but feel that I must do something more than pray.

Yes, I will pray that true, moral leaders will materialize and help mitigate some of this damage. But this total disruption of world order by one man who says he doesn’t have to restrain himself from waging war now because he didn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize – there must be some way I can help stop this madness!

Joan would not have hesitated to speak her opinion. She already warned about Trump many times during his first term. She would have organized some response to this convicted criminal President – empowered us all to help combat his inability to tell the truth, his expansion of presidential power and his bullying modus operandi that strips us of our rights and our dignity.

In Give Them Heaven, in the face of Trump’s 2019 degradation of his political foes by childish name calling, Joan again urges us to pray:

“Here’s one suggestion: PRAY. There’s no downside to prayer. Prayer to demons is like throwing water on the Wicked Witch of the West.

Like the women of Liberia, who faced thugs, armed only with prayer and shielded with white shirts, our efforts will take unity, perseverance, and sacrifice. Are we up to the challenge? Can we act on the courage of our convictions? Can we mobilize for peace in our divided country? Let’s pray the devil out of politics and bring back civil discourse. Fighting fire with fire will only lead to an unpleasant outcome: “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”** Instead, to counter the current cult of “beautiful wickedness,” give them heaven.”

I will start here to form a plan to change our country’s terrible path. I will arm myself with Joan’s (now divine) guidance and focus on Love. I will “Give them Heaven” while searching her other writing to formulate a more concrete strategy for combating this dictator.

Don’t forget Joan’s words in On the Basis of Truth, In Service to Trust “That responsibility (to accept and speak the objective truth) belongs to all of us because ‘Our Nation is only as strong as the virtue and character of our citizenry [which includes its leadership].'”

©Jane F. Collen January 26, 2026 IndexCardCure™ Joan’s Legacy of Wisdom