As I listen to all the political commentary on the upcoming election, I begin to think that we get way too caught up on the terms "liberal" and "conservative". We think in terms of our own agendas as it relates to the labels of liberal or conservative without giving the individual worth or merit, especially if that individual opposes our political belief system.

An interesting dynamic played out at our family Thanksgiving dinner. We have an ultra-conservative in our family as well as someone who is pretty liberal. He does not take the paper because it is to liberal and he refuses to read it, she turns off the news because she didn't agree with the conservative views being presented. The two joke about it, but that is where it stops because they love each other and they know that there are many other things in life to discuss that have nothing to do with politics.

Relationships are the core important factor in any family and when love is present, the differences don't matter. We're a people who want someone to blame and if we would just quit playing the blame game and realize that each of us has something to offer, we'd be a happier and more content society.

It is amazing how early in life we start learning to shift the blame from ourselves to someone else. At the gathering, my niece had been given a new toy and she broke a small piece of it that could easily be fixed. When she announced that she broke it, she was asked if she broke it, and she shook her head no. It turned into a game as we asked her if each family member had broken it and she continued to shake her head no. Finally, she was asked if the dog broke it and, as she began to respond, it was as if a light came on. Her face changed radically as she realized she could place blame on the dog because the dog could not defend herself. She slowly started to shake her head "yes". In her little 3-year-old brain, she realized she could totally avoid being in trouble.

Merry Christmas.