We are family!

"I told the group I put that yard art in the middle of the event for a purpose - because we are a circle of friends."

Back in the day, there was a vocal group called Sister Sledge. One of their hit songs was We are Family. A favorite of mine.

Last night we hosted a political event at our house. It was a high honor to do so. Many friends came, as well as our United States Congressman, a State Senator, A State Representative, an officer from MN GOP, city council members, a County Board Representative, and candidates for mayoral and representation seats. Whew!

The night started and ended with the same theme - unity. And throughout the night, that song from Sister Sledge kept going though by head. Yes, we are family! When I welcomed folks to the event, I wanted to say a couple things before I turned the mic over to the Master of Ceremonies. First, I pointed out that part of our back yard decorations was a Mexican made yard art called the Circle of Friends. It is a group of people, standing in a circle with their arms around each other. I told the group I put that yard art in the middle of the event for a purpose - because we are a circle of friends.

I also told the folks when I was changing out of my sweaty clothes (yes, we did work a bit to get the joint ready for the event), I had a decision to make. Do I put on a red shirt, yellow shirt, or blue shirt. You see, four of the people who showed up last night we facing either tough primary contests or must win general election contests. I have t-shirts from three of the campaigns. All are different colors. Then it dawned on me. It did not matter which color for which campaign I wore. Why? Again, we are family! We are all in this together. ALL races are important to win!

A part of winning is having the winning message. Another part is one heck of a lot of hard work. And money. Money is the grease which keeps the gears going in campaigns - even the local ones. But the hidden ingredient that many forget about is this - unity. People liking each other. Believing in each other. Trusting each other. And that is what I saw last night. With each and every candidate which came up to the mic to speak. 

After the last person left last night, my wife and I kind of melted into our chairs in our sun room. The glow of the evening was still burning within us as we debriefed. The night went so well, so much above our highest expectations, it was hard to quit talking about it. It reminded me of a wonderful family Christmas event which would leave everyone feeling totally fulfilled once it was over. Not just from gifts exchanged, but also the gifts of family and fellowship.

Tonight we will attend another event in another town. This time we will just be part of the crowd. Enjoying the fellowship of the like minded, and offering financial support to the candidate. It will also be a chance to touch base with the guest hosts who I have not seen for a while. Mostly however, it is to once again experience what we experienced last night.

To change things, to really and truly change the trajectory of our country, it starts with the grass roots. At the local level. With real people who are friends and neighbors. To win the day, we need to be, and stay united.

Not that we can't respectfully disagree with each other from time to time, but we also can't allow our circle of friends to turn into a circular firing squad. That will only serve the other side. As for me, I will stick with my circle of friends.