I love having conversations with people who come from other countries! I love hearing their stories, experiences, dreams, and hopes. I am in Calgary, Alberta (Canada) this week and spoke with the Uber driver, who shared some of his stories about coming from Bangladesh and what brought him here. I asked him when he was 'home' the last time and he said seven years, because he gets too sick when he gets home, he is not used to that world any longer, he said "this is home now". I talked with R. whose family came to the USA as refugees after the Vietnam war and heard about what he endured. I talked with V. who was brough here as a child from Eastern Europe so that she could escape the war.

We live in a country where people from all over the world want to be. Not because the USA is perfect, but because people are fleeing terrible situations and suffering. Our poorest of the poorest are still better off than over 70% of the world.

In Merced we too have many diverse cultures, people who come here for a better life, people who work hard to be part of our society, who have left behind everything for a chance at a better life for their children. Not different from the first settlers that came here, many of them too came to escape wars, poverty, persecution. We are all in this together. It is all of us who make America what it is, a melting pot of so many amazing cultures and stories and traditions, all coming here to make a better life for the next generation.

Election is coming up and I am so thankful to live in a country where WE get to choose our leaders, our city council members, our county officials, our state and country leaders. We get to chose the leaders who will lead our country. Most of the men and women who want to lead do it because their hearts are in the same place: to make a better world for the next generation. If you drive around town, you get to see signs of people who care for the community, who want to make a better place, who think they have ideas to change things, like we all have. Maybe it is time to see the name and rejoice in the freedom of democracy, rejoice in the many people who care enough to act, celebrate the diversity we have. Yes, you might not agree with everyone, yes, maybe you totally oppose the person running, and yes, maybe you have some knowledge about the person that makes you crinch. But, we are in this together, like the Uber driver and V and R and so many others, we all want a world that is better for our children and safe for everyone.

We have power! Use it!!!!