'The Space Between US'

The DNC in Chicago this week has clearly been full of some amazing moments but perhaps none more so than Governor Tim Walz’s acceptance speech and the tearful reaction of his beautiful family.

Walz’s son, Gus, in particular seemed to melt the nation’s heart with his exuberant pride in his father.

It was an exquisitely genuine moment that would warm even the most cynical and jaded among us.

It was also a victory of sorts for those of us who have always understood that real men aren’t afraid to show an emotion other than anger.

Anger is easy and cheap - and the coin of the realm for the opposing party.

It’s also boring, destructive and serves no one other than those who wield it for their own personal gain.

There’s no shame in crying when your heart is moved to tears.

In fact, it is the whole point of being here, to FEEL love and pride in our families and those we chose to love.

And WHO we love is nobody’s business but our own - as Tim Walz so eloquently pointed out in his speech which, in my opinion, will go down as one for the ages.

You cannot fake that sort of sincerity and warmth.

I grew up missing a father who was never really around, so my tears fell to a different tune, with many of my earliest years spent crying myself to sleep.

Until I just grew tired of the ache and ran away from caring enough to cry.

That’s no way to live a life of course, so I began the work of excavating my pain and healing the hurt inside.

It’s an ongoing process, a daily chore so to speak - but who wants to spend a life shying away from vulnerabilities?

It’s much better to allow life to soften your heart and use whatever wounds you may have suffered, and we ALL have them, to open your heart and expand your ability to love.

I needn’t have the same father/son bond as Coach Walz and his kids to see and feel the beauty in it.

And in a way it felt like a love so big that it sort of radiated out to the rest of us. Even those with the kind of scars that are hard to heal.

That’s what love and compassion provide - healing.

To bear witness to the joy and expansiveness of that family last night felt like sitting down to a Sunday dinner with folks you have never met before and immediately feeling at home.

It was like a hug from a grandma while being passed a big basket of warm rolls and a bowl of gravy to pour on a suddenly overflowing plate.

You weren’t gonna get up from that table hungry and that is how love ought to be.

You don’t have to have had the same experiences to recognize the good stuff when you see it.

And to be clear I have had a life with more than my share of blessings.

I am also acutely aware that there are far too many children and adults in this land who have not.

And who are we as a people if we don’t do all we can within our power to fix that and use our political capital for the betterment of ALL citizens?

Every speaker I have heard this week seemed to understand that.

A few are amongst the greatest orators of our time but their power does not derive from slick talk or fancy words.

It comes from empathy and holding love in your heart and using your knowledge and skill to move others to action.

‘Faith without works is dead,’ as the adage goes.

The Harris/Walz team understands this; I believe electing them in November is the best chance we have as a nation to move on from the darkness of our recent past into the sunlight of the spirit. To understand there is a place for all of us at the table - at the end of the day, that is what truly makes America great.

Vote Blue.