I’d like to speak to those of you who at one point embraced Donald Trump

Americans over 80 have lived through more than a third of our nation's 250-year history. We asked them why this moment feels different. Susan, 82, is one of those elders. Here's what she has to say.

Hello! My name is Susan, I’m from Nevada, and I’m 82. That means I have been alive for a third of the time our country has been a nation. Mind-boggling! I was born in 1943 and grew up in a small, Minnesota farming town. Half my relatives were farmers, the other half small town wage-earners. My father fought in the Pacific; I didn’t meet him until I was two.

I know you also have a story of growing up, one that is unique and carries with it the history of your family—of their hard work, choices, sorrows and joys.

I’d like to speak to those of you who at one point embraced Donald Trump and MAGA but now feel that what we’re seeing daily is not who you are and does not reflect your story. Amassing billions and still craving more, having your way with girls in a gold-plated world, sending masked, armed ICE agents into our communities, sending young men to a crazy war, desperate to see your name in great, golden letters—my guess is that is not you and has never been you.

I wanted to talk with you, because I, too, had to examine ideas I once held and later re-thought. For example, at the beginning I supported the Vietnam War. But the time came when I could no longer reconcile that support with pictures of napalmed children, and young men, exactly my age, coming home in body bags. It was a challenge for me to admit I was wrong. But—and here’s the crux—I look back on that and other moments of self-examination as powerfully important turning points in my life. Far from being rejected for past beliefs, I was embraced. Even more rewarding, my life opened up. My world became larger. I hope you have a similar experience.