Politics has become an incredibly divisive force in our country. Yet, many of the people I know treat others with respect and kindness regardless of political affiliation. I am one of those people. I don't have to agree with you to be your friend.
My youngest grandson, Luca, turned four years old today. We celebrated at an indoor playground yesterday. There were all kinds of people in attendance. We all have one big thing in common: our love for Luca. Family and friends ranging in age from elderly to toddler were there with smiles on their faces to let a precious little boy know that he is loved.
I don't know the political views of everyone who attended the party, but I know the views of many. I didn't isolate myself from those folks from the opposing party. In fact, I made it a point to visit with as many of the attendees as I could, sharing smiles and good vibes. Not once did someone ask me for whom I voted. I didn't ask, either.
From extreme left to extreme right and those in the middle, we sat together and sang "Happy Birthday" while the kids eyed the cupcakes. Snacks were distributed, and we all watched as Luca opened gift after gift, expressing excitement with each one.
My granddaughter, Madison, sat next to Luca and assisted in opening his gifts. I originally thought it was her idea, but I soon learned my mistake. Thinking all the gifts had been opened, Madison ran off to play. When Luca's daddy told him he had one more, the child looked around the room instead of tearing into the package.
"Where's Madison? I need her help," he said.
Several adults scrambled to find her, but the family finally persuaded Luca to open the gift without her. He ripped into it slowly. Before long, Madison came running into the room and reclaimed her seat beside the birthday boy.
"You needed me?" she asked.
She was just in time to remove the last scrap of paper and express delight at Luca's last gift. She is a very good cousin, and she made us proud.
My oldest grandchild, Rye, offered his own wisdom to the others, but he was laser focused on getting as much play time as possible. Watching my three grandchildren play together and with the other kids made me realize how fast they're growing up. Rye, especially, blows me away with his conversational skills. He is only in second grade! I often wonder what the world will be by the time they are old enough to vote.
After the party, my husband and I went to the hardware store to collect the grill he bought a few days ago. He had the store assemble the grill, so it was loaded into his pickup bed in one piece. We tied it down with ratchet straps and brought it home. He leapt into the bed, which is far too tall for me to even attempt, and freed our new grill.
As he pushed it to the tailgate, I asked how heavy it was. He assured me that the two of us could handle it as I stretched my arms to grasp the bottom rail.
We were considering the best way to lift the grill out of the truck when we heard a voice holler, "Wait! Hold on a minute!"
We looked around and saw our neighbor, Glen, from across the street hurrying over. My first thought was something was wrong.
Glen smiled and said, "I'll help you. More hands make less work."
Indeed, they do. Good neighbors make life better, too. Through the past several years that we have known him, Glen has never once asked about our politics or who we support. We both tend to keep to ourselves, but more than once we have come together to tackle a task. It's an example of good people showing kindness. Being Americans.
I have two rules for when I'm in polite company. The first one is that I don't discuss politics or religion. The second one is that I try to treat others the way I would like to be treated. We are, after all, sharing this world and should share love, happiness, and kindness freely to make it a better place.
Thank you for reading Ozarks Maven! If you’ve enjoyed my little seeds of wisdom and joy, please join me again next week for more Ozarks Maven.
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