From 'Hard Choices' by Hillary Clinton: Updated Epilogue

Hillary has penned a revised epilogue for the paperback edition of Hard Choices.  Here is an excerpt.

Becoming a grandmother has made me think deeply about the responsibility we all share as stewards of the world we inherit and will one day pass on. Rather than make me want to slow down, it has spurred me to speed up. As Margaret Mead said, children keep our imaginations fresh and our hearts young, and they drive us to work for a better future. I've also returned again and again to this question of universality - how much we all have in common even if the circumstances of our lives may be different. As you've seen throughout this book, one of the defining themes of my time as Secretary of State was our increasing global interdependence. Despite all the division and discord in the world, which sometimes can seem overwhelming, the basic fact of the 21st century is that we're more connected than ever. If the United States continues to lead the world in the years ahead, as I believe it can and must, it will be because we have learned how to define the terms of our interdependence to promote more cooperation and shared prosperity and less conflict and inequality. As we've seen since the first edition of this book was published in June 2014, the negative side of interdependence remains potent -- whether it was the spread of virulent new strands of extremism in the Middle East or old-style nationalism in Europe or a deadly epidemic in Africa. Our job is to build up the positive side. The United States and the other great democracies have to redouble our efforts to empower moderates and marginalize extremists everywhere, and to stand firmly and united in pursuit of a more just, free, and peaceful world. That's the world I want for Charlotte and for all our kids.
Among all the gifts and cards that arrived not long after Charlotte did was a package from a woman who had watched her 83-year old mother stitch together beautiful quilts for many years and wanted to give it a shot. "This is my first and only attempt to sew a memory quilt for anyone," she explained. Inside I found a red, white, and black patchwork that included panels with inspiring inscriptions and famous photos of Chelsea through the years. I held it up to the light and had to smile at the familiar images. A "memory quilt" was a good name for it. It was hard to believe that the baby girl I was holding in one photo could be the same poised and lovely woman being married in another. Yet there she was. I wondered for a moment what a quilt of my own life would look like. There were so many people who had taught me so much. And now I had one more. In just a few months, Charlotte had already helped me see the world in new ways. There was so much more to do. So many more panels waiting to be filled in. I folded up the quilt and got back to work.
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