20,000 posts!
All my other posting milestones have slipped by me unnoticed, but I was paying attention this time. 
If I'd been here since the early days like some of my fellow DUers, the number would be a lot higher. Alas, I did not discover DU until 2013, and didn't start posting actively until much later. Fortunately, I found my way back here sometime in the summer (I think) of 2020, when I was desperately looking for support getting through that year's election. I found that support here, and have been active at DU ever since:
We all know how the 2020 election turned out. Wasn't it GREAT? When Joe was inaugurated, I was on top of the world, even with covid19 still raging. If anyone had tried to tell me that in early 2025, we'd be in the throes of a second Trump administration that's even worse than the first one, I would not have believed it. Maybe I should have, but I wouldn't have, because that's the kind of cockeyed optimist I am.
But here we are, and I'm finding that I need DU more than ever in these troubled times. I am deeply grateful to those who created this place and to all the work to keep it going, and to all my DU friends who keep ME going. I love you all! 💙 
💙
I'd like to close with a quote someone shared with me recently. The source given here is simply The Talmud, but I've since learned that this is actually a paraphrase of a saying in the Talmud by Rabbi Tarfon, a second-century Jewish sage who fled the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. I can't get over how profoundly apropos it feels today.
For those who enjoy digging into the background of things, here's a link to some background on this quote: https://ordinaryzenlutheran.com/2021/10/29/talmudic-paraphrase-hits-home/
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Excellent post for your 20K milestone.
We wouldn't be the same without you here.
It's so great that you're here! I love seeing you in the Photo Group!
And congratulations on your milestone!
To twenty thousand more