By Sherry Hopkins, Columnist

To answer the many questions from all of you who have taken the time to follow our story and have lifted us up in prayer, no, we have not yet heard from disability on Don’s hearing. It has been a month today.

Our SUV has been in the shop and friends, and neighbors thought we had gotten a favorable decision and took off on a vacation. Sadly, that is not the truth.

I will get my car back after one week and $1,500 worth of repairs. Lots of things decided to stop working on the same day. Unlikely, but true. I would have preferred to have those things spread out over a period of years and not hours. Que sera sera.

I don’t usually use this space that I have been given to espouse my political views, or rarely do I remark on current events. I have often though shared with you that I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a believer.

I have developed a very personal relationship with Him over my lifetime. It has served me well.

He has loved me, supported me, carried me, pushed me, held me, chastised me, inspired me and has called me one of His own. Despite myself. I have never, nor could I ever, do anything to earn His love. It is not about me it is about Him and the mercy and grace He bestows on me that I am blessed.

The wonderful part of this is that it is yours, too. For the asking. I have never been completely comfortable talking about this, but I try to do the very best I can. That is a result of my belief. That comes after the mercy and grace. Ask any believer and they will tell you the same.

However, I have become weary after the days and weeks and many months of political fodder that has become more than that. It is now cruel and venomous.

I don’t understand when and where exactly we got off the rail.

Why is everyone so angry?

Why are we treating each other so badly?

Why do some have an agenda and feel entitled to run over others with that agenda?

What happened to lively discussions and varying opinions?

What happened to agreeing to disagree?

Where is civility?

Where is kindness and understanding?

Folks, I have learned the hard way that we don’t have to say everything we think. We should never bully anyone into submission, agreement or silence.

Stop talking for a moment and listen.

Very possibly, you might learn something. You could even find that if you take off your boxing gloves and lay them aside, and look someone in their eyes, you would hear their story. You could even be empathetic to them.

It would be a start.

There is an important question floating around us now, “Do you want to be right, or do you want to have peace?”

As for me, I’m going for peace every time, even if it means walking away from relationships.

One of my favorite bands, The Eagles, have a great line from their song The Last Resort, from Hotel California. It says simply, “There is no more new frontier, we have got to make it here.”

It is a very relevant truth.

We don’t have anywhere else to go – this is all we have been given. We HAVE to make it here.

Remember words matter, use nicer ones.

We all have a constitutional right to disagree but should we do it in such an ugly way?

I believe we are better than that.

Elections are coming in November. Make informed choices, VOTE and make yourself heard.

Stop talking and just listen.

Stay tuned.