Every dinner table holds its own political conversations and amongst every occasion are listening ears. In our case, three small children hear and see what we represent as we pass one opinion after another across the table. We drive around town and my same three small children can pick out the signs seen from one neighborhood to the next. And when I take my children with me to see me vote and experience the freedom to choose our best candidate, I know they have been watching, listening, and paying close attention to our actions towards all those on that ballot form.
But beyond the names we see plastered everywhere these days, are real people. Beyond the words that come out of our mouths in our home about our candidates, are fathers and mothers and somebody else's son or daughter...just like us. And beyond the ballot forms are local community members brave enough to put their name on that list. So when I walk my children into that voting booth on election day, I want them to know that there is more then a name we are choosing or not choosing.
As we greet contenders at our door, we show our children we welcome each one onto our doorstep with the same respect for what they are doing...because they are more then a name. And when we pass another yard sign, we picture our local running mates standing next to their sign. A real person, not just a name. When another commercial comes on TV, we try to remember that the face we see is doing their best to represent themselves and their community. Why? Because we believe in our country and what our everyday people can do for their communities. Because past every political piece of paper that lands in our mailbox is a real person.
Our family has had the great privilege of seeing firsthand some of our local community members and even better, dear friends, throw their name into the pool of people willing to stand up and serve us through our governmental system. As our family has watched Walt Rogers and Matt Reisetter give all they can to representing our community and serving a greater purpose, we have found great respect for what the political world could be...for everyone. Here are two very intentional, God fearing, Truth telling, family focused, honest and integrity filled men fighting a good fight all the way to the end.
When I watch these guys walk in strides with all the critical and negative things that come their way as they walk through some hard days in the political world, I hope our children are catching some of their core examples of being more then a name. These two men have shown our children that truth matters and accepting the golden rule as a way to live matters and that representing more then a name matters at the end of the day. It is being that person on that ballot, standing next to those signs, and coming through the papers that matters more then hurting the next person's name. These guys are truly being who they say they are and they are showing my family that their intentions to represent us hold the highest respect in how they handle their jobs as a political candidate.
I hope my children have learned on voting day, that while we are choosing one over the other, that we respect that all names on that ballot are more then a name... they are our everyday people who deserve the same respect from us as the guy getting our votes. And my hope is that all those names on that ballot would do the same...remember, there is more behind a name on a sign then your actions sometimes let on. Speak slowly and gently and show our children that truth truly matters and the golden rule still exists. Because our children are paying attention to more then just your name.
