Day 2

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
10/30/2010

Today I am grateful for the ability to vote, to demonstrate, to voice my opinion. But more than that-- I am grateful for the ability to get along with those who do not agree with me.

For those who know my parents, especially my mother, you know that she is of the conservative persuasion. For those who know me, you know that I tend to be a little bit (a lot) more liberal. Despite this difference, I'm the first to say that my mother is absolutely one of the most incredible people I know. She's dedicated to her family, her work and her community. She loves EVERYONE. And when I say everyone, I mean, EVERYONE. Seriously. I can count the number of times she has mentioned that she didn't like someone-- and those times were all in response to a person being unkind to a member of her family. She's loyal. She's intelligent.

See, I could go on and on. Despite our differences in opinion when political topics arise, my mother and father spent the past weekend watching our children so that Peter and I could attend a rally. A rally that was hosted by someone who she would probably disagree with the majority of the time. But I never once heard a criticism. Never.once.

If only more Americans could get along that way.

Today, I'm grateful that my mother taught me to respect people, no matter what. I'm grateful it's a lesson she started when I was young, because it's a hard lesson to learn, one I'm still working on.

But I'm grateful for it nonetheless.