This week,
we remember former president
George H. W. Bush.

He was a remarkable man
who wore many hats
in a lifetime of service to our nation.

You could disagree with his politics,
but you could not question his character. 

He called on us all to create a kinder, gentler America.

He urged us to volunteer our time and our talents
to our local communities.

He wanted us to be part of what he called,
"a thousand points of light...
community organizations
​that are spread like stars
throughout the Nation,
doing good."

Let's take a page from
his chapter
in our nation's history.

Let's seek to fill our lives 
and our country
with
hopefulness and meaning...

While working 
together
to create a
kinder,
gentler
America.

One of our focus issues at
The Purple Living Room Project
is
"Guns in America".

This week, 
several people posted in
our facebook group
about the recent announcement by
TOMS founder, Blake Mycoskie, 
that the company would donate
​5 million dollars 
to causes that are working to end gun violence.

TOMS also started a postcard-writing campaign called,
"End Gun Violence Together".

They developed a web tool that allows anyone who feels
that there should be universal background checks
to quickly send a postcard to Congress.

(You can learn more about it at www.toms.com.)

Over 500,000 cards have been sent already!

According to Mycoskie,
TOMS' customer base is roughly
half Republican and half Democrat. 

TOMS is a business committed
to making positive social change
so it is trying to
take action on issues
that unite us all as citizens...

 Purple Points!

 Here is a message from the TOMS website...

Sound familiar?

It's encouraging to see corporate America thinking purple.

Let's keep moving forward together! 
​

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

As we spend time with
our friends and family
this Thanksgiving,
let's remember this wisdom
from President Kennedy.

We can say we are grateful for many things,
but we need to act in way that shows
the truth and depth of our gratitude.

This Thanksgiving,

Let's tell each other
how grateful we are for...
 our lives,
 our blessings,
our nation,
 our planet,
and
ONE ANOTHER

then,

Let's show our gratitude through...
our conversations,
our service,
our daily interactions,
our acts of kindness,
and
our commitment to positive action
TOGETHER
 

We are entering a season of gratitude...

We gave thanks this week
to our Veterans
for their service to our nation.

Next week,
we will join together with
friends and family 
to show our gratitude
at Thanksgiving meals
all across the country.

At the
Purple Living Room Project, 
we'd just like to say...

Thank You!

Thank you for opening your ears.

Thank you for opening your hearts.

Thank you for trying to find
the purple points
of common ground.

In this season of gratitude, 
We have TWO challenges for YOU!

Thanksgiving Challenge #1

Think of someone who has helped you
look at an issue in a new way...

Find a way to THANK that person!

Each time we take the time to listen to one another,
Each time we open our ears to a different perspective,
We take a little step toward healing our nation.

Let's show our gratitude to one another
for taking those steps together!

Thanksgiving Challenge #2

Think of ALL the reasons
​you are grateful to be an American...

Parks?
Arts?
Sports?
Beaches?
Mountains?
Innovation?
Freedom of Expression?

What are we grateful for, America?   

​Let's find out!

We asked this same question LAST year at this time.

We'd like to make this our own 
 Purple Living Room Project  
Thanksgiving tradition.

Share your
grateful thoughts
in the comment section,
with our facebook group,
or
via email.

We'll share your ideas in a
special Thanksgiving Week
​post next Wednesday
@
Meet in the Middle.

THANK YOU!

The votes have all been cast...

Representatives
have once again
been chosen
by
"We the People"

Let's leave
the name-calling
and mudslinging
of the campaign season
well and truly
behind us.

Each election cycle
brings the promise
of a fresh start...

We have a new cohort of
representatives
ready to govern.

Let's hold them accountable.

Let's each do our own part
to bridge the partisan divide...

and

Let's tell our representatives
we expect them to join us.

Time for us to get
back to work
TOGETHER!

Happy Halloween!

It’s the time of year when ghosts and ghouls roam our streets.

On Halloween night, it’s all in good fun…

But when the monsters come out again in the morning,
it's scary.

Our political discourse these days seems to unleash
the inner goblin in many Americans.

Distrust and hatred ferment like a potent witches’ brew.

Ghastly thoughts are spewed in comment sections.

Ghoulish memes spread like wildfire.

And sometimes, the monsters are truly terrible....

Acts of violence strike real-life terror in our hearts.

What drives this monstrous frenzy?

Our fears…

We fear for our personal safety.
We fear for our financial security.
We fear for our personal rights.
We fear for our health.
We fear for our planet.
We fear for our families.
We fear for our future.

Political campaigns capitalize on these fears.

The closer we get to Election Day,
the scarier the political messages become.

Let’s remember FDR’s words,
“The only thing we have to fear is...fear itself.”

If we give into our worst fears,
we will be torn apart.

If we understand,
instead,
that many of
our fears are
SHARED,
we can work
together
to find solutions.

This Halloween,
how do we chase
​the monsters away?

We talk.

We listen.

We VOTE.

We work together.

We offer light to 
one another
in the darkness.

Election Day is right around the corner.

Are you ready?

If you have a mail-in ballot sitting on your table,
fill it out and send it today!

If you’re planning to vote in person,
take a friend with you!

If you have friends who are not planning to vote,
convince them to go to the polls!

Also,
let’s remember that as we get closer to
Election Day, 
the media messages we see are 
intended to stoke the fires of division.

It’s easy to get caught in the flames.

This election cycle…

Let’s support our causes
and our candidates
with all our hearts.


Let’s be grateful that we have
the right to speak our minds
and vote our conscience.

AND

Let’s keep a purple perspective.

Let's remember that...

Win or lose

We’re all in this together.

Now,

Get Ready...

Get Set...

VOTE!

​

The recent Supreme Court confirmation process
should be a wake-up call for our country.

We look to the
Supreme Court
for neutrality.

We look to the
Senate
for respectful discourse.

We look to the 
White House 
 for unifying leadership.

How are we doing?

Seems like we have plenty of room for improvement.

Fortunately,
we have two
important tools
to help us
FIX
our problems...
our
VOICE
and
our
VOTE!

At the Purple Living Room Project,
 "Guns in America"
has been our focus issue this year.

This week,
we're adding
"Supreme Court Nominations and Confirmations"
as an additional
​focus issue.

How do we make sure we don't repeat
the rancorous debacle of the past few weeks
the next time there's an open seat on the Supreme Court?

We can't allow ourselves
to be
divided
as a nation
again and again and again.

There must be a better way forward. 

Let's work
together
to find a solution
​to the problem.

What changes can we make in the system to get
politics out of the Supreme Court confirmation process?

Talk to your friends.
Talk to your neighbors.
Talk to your family.
Talk to your colleagues.
Talk to anyone who is ready to join the conversation!

​What are the possible solutions?

Let's wake-up and find them.

Then let's get to work using our tools...

We can use our 
VOICES
to tell 
our senators we want 
a change.

AND...

We can use our
VOTES
to make sure
that change finally
​happens.

​The confirmation process for the
Supreme Court nominee
is on pause this week
as the Senate
awaits the findings
of an FBI investigation.

Unfortunately,
it looks like
no matter what
the investigation finds,
half of the country
is going to be
crying foul.

It feels like an impossible situation.

What can we do about it?

We can TALK to one another.

Is anyone happy with the way this is unfolding?

How can we fix the confirmation process?

How do we change the system
so we don't wind up in this
dysfunctional place again in the future?

We need to trust that our Supreme Court is unbiased.

It's hard to do that when the
confirmation process has become
so politically charged.

What can we do to make sure
Supreme Court nominees have overwhelming
support from both parties?

How do we restore the balance in the system?

What are your thoughts?