Andrew Yang, The Yang Gang & A Culture of Kindness

January 1, 2020 Andrew Yang Finding The Good Musings

Long-time, no “see” blog friends! Blogging kind of fell off my radar due to parenting and life in general, but I feel the need to share today…so I’m back!

Those of you that are connected to me on other platforms know that I’ve been kind of…obsessed with Andrew Yang’s 2020 Presidential bid over the last 6 months or so. For those of you who just said “Wait, who’s Andrew Yang?”, please go visit his website at yang2020.com now!

#SaysYang "The point is that we need to rewrite the rules so that everyone has value, regardless of whether they are making the business more money or not. [...] if we continue to confuse economic value and human value, we are going to lose at an epic, catastrophic scale."
#SaysYang “The point is that we need to rewrite the rules so that everyone has value, regardless of whether they are making the business more money or not. […] if we continue to confuse economic value and human value, we are going to lose at an epic, catastrophic scale.”

I first saw Andrew Yang speak during the Democratic Presidential Debates last June. While he was only given a few minutes, he certainly caught my attention… I went on to read and listen to everything I could find about this longshot candidate and I was HOOKED! I’ve never been a politics aficionado and generally pay the minimal amount of attention required to make the “better of bad choices” votes. Suddenly, there is this candidate who speaks to almost everything I care about and almost everything I worry about… He actually speaks authentically and empathetically about how to fix the REAL problems that plague our country. He digs deep into the issues, analyzes the data, and shares them in a detailed but easy to understand format, then provides pragmatic solutions on how to fix them! While he’s a lifelong Democrat himself, he sees the importance of all opinions and draws in supporters from all world views – from fellow Democrats, from Independents, Libertarians, Republicans, and former Trump voters, and from those who have been disenfranchised from the political process in general. Most of all, he sees the intrinsic value of ALL people and lives a Humanity First vision. This vision is truly what resonates with me so deeply…

Supporters of Andrew Yang are known as members of the Yang Gang, the nicest gang in the country. I’ve met a few Yang Gang in person, although the majority of contacts I’ve made have been online through social media. The most dedicated of the Yang Gang spend their days and nights volunteering for the campaign, canvassing for Andrew Yang, making phone calls and sending texts to spread his message, establish events, write songs and create other art in support of the campaign, send letters and cards to potential voters, follow the campaign and share YouTube videos with the latest news, blanket social media with pro-Yang content, and so much more… What struck me most about the Yang Gang is the kindness…Andrew Yang and his followers have created a culture of kindness! Sure, as with any group of passionate people, there are a few bad apples or simple angry expressions of frustration, but for the most part, the Yang Gang is a lesson in respect and goodwill. They gently remind each other “Humanity First” when anyone acts poorly, freely support each other financially so those with more time but less money can be equally involved, and perform many acts of service and volunteerism in the name of the campaign and humanity itself. This is my type of gang!

I woke up late this morning – after a big night of catching a couple streaming movies with my two younger girls, watching a live-streamed Yang event in New Hampshire around 10pm-midnight eastern, snoozing on the couch until midnight while my youngest watched bad TV, waking up to wish my daughters “Happy New Year”, send a quick Facebook post and text to husband & oldest daughter out at a party, and then stumble up to bed…grumbling a bit about the neighbor’s fireworks freaking out the pets. That’s my life these days! Anyway, I woke up to discover three of my Yang Gang friends sharing stories of personal attacks on social media in our discussion group basically for the “crime” of being YangGang. This is such a sad reflection on the hate in our culture today. But these friends have embraced the culture of kindness that permeates the YangGang and did not rise to the bait. They ask for support from others which is quickly dispatched. They respond to anger with facts and civility. They understood that the folks spewing toxicity may be fighting their own battles that cause them to spray their hurt on others that don’t share the same views. Can you imagine what our world would be like if the majority of society reflected the Humanity First values that Andrew Yang preaches and his supporters share?

Want to learn more?

  • Read Andrew Yang’s book “The War on Normal People” or listen to it for FREE on YouTube! This will give you the most in-depth understanding of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the problems our country is facing and how President Yang would address them.
  • Google Andrew Yang! (yang2020.com)
  • YouTube Andrew and devote some time to long-form interviews and Q&As (You can visit the campaign YouTube channel at Andrew Yang for President 2020.)
  • Follow @AndrewYang on Twitter!
  • Most importantly, join the Culture of Kindness and help make the world a better place for all of humanity…

A Little Bit of Love and Kindness…

October 2, 2017 Finding The Good The Difficult Stuff Unexpected Art

My blog has fallen by the wayside over the last few months for a variety of reasons but, after the tragic events in Las Vegas last night, I felt the need to share a bit of love and unexpected art with those who read this blog.  My heart is again breaking at the pain in this world and my thoughts are with all of those directly and indirectly affected by these events…

Earlier this school year, my DD#2 and I noticed this unusual little heart on the side stairway leading to the front door of her school, It wasn’t damp as if created with water. In fact, it stayed visible for a few days before disappearing.  I imagine it was painted on with some sort of semi-permanent substance before the elements washed it away.  I choose to see it as a symbol of love in this world.  Our world certainly needs as much love as we can find.
A Heart on the StairsMy husband and DD#2 made a quick trip to the grocery store yesterday evening and when they returned my husband reported that DD#2 left a small stack of pennies on the coin box for the mechanical horse. While my husband praised her for her actions and mentioned good karma, our daughter explained that she’d done it to see other people happy — as a little boy climbed onto the horse and used one of the pennies for a ride, smiling with joy.

Why not follow my daughter’s lead and do a small act of kindness to give someone else a smile today?  The world is heavy from yet another national tragedy and we all need a little pick me up. While it won’t fix our complex societal problems, a bit of love couldn’t hurt in healing some of that pain.

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions,
and the roots spring up and make new trees.” – Amelia Earhart

Six Years After Adoption Day

June 13, 2017 Finding The Good Simple Blessings The Difficult Stuff

So, six years ago today, this happened:

Our Family's Adoption Day

Our Family Adoption Day (with edits in Fotor & PhotoMania, just because I wanted to be a little creative)

My husband and I officially adopted our three daughters (then ages 5, 4, and a month shy of 3) from our local county foster care system on June 13, 2011. While we spoke to the judge and agreed that these three little pixies would be our legal children and would be granted all the rights of any biological child, our oldest daughter beamed and our younger two ran around the courtroom in wild abandon. We were already a family at this point. The girls had been in our home for nearly 9 months. They were already our daughters and they happily (usually) called us Mommy & Daddy. This image marks the moment permanency was granted.

People often say that our girls are “lucky to have [us]” but that’s an unfair statement. In an ideal world, every child would remain with their first family – loved, safe, and with their biological identity intact. But we do not live in an ideal world and our girls are affected by this reality in a myriad of ways. This is not “lucky”. It’s the messiness of life. My husband and I chose to create a family through adoption and our daughters needed a soft place to land after a traumatic loss. As a family, we learn from each other and grow together. While my husband and I help our daughters navigate growing up, they help us discover so much about ourselves as we grow in our roles as Mom and Dad. The last six years have NOT been easy. There have been a lot of tears, temper tantrums, and unexpected triggers…and not just from the girls! There are times that I’m not sure how I’ll make it through the next year, the next month, the next week, day, hour, sometimes even the next minute. Most of the time, however, the good outweighs the bad and we are treated to fun, giggles, hugs, and love from our daughters. We are family.

If you are inspired by our family, don’t tell me how “lucky” the girls are to have us. Be introspective and use that inspiration to figure out how YOU can make a difference. Some ideas include:

  • Consider becoming a foster parent. Provide a soft spot for a kid in crisis to land. Be open to the reality that, whenever possible, a child’s biological family is the ideal place for him or her to grow up. Be kind and supportive. Be strong, even when your heart is breaking.
  • Open your home and your heart to one (or more) of the more than 100,000 foster kids legally free for adoption and in need of a loving, supportive family.  Web sites such as AdoptUSKids, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and the Adoption Exchange are good places to learn and start the process.
  • Volunteer to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) or seek out other ways to help foster and adopted youth. Support organizations that help adoptive families succeed.
  •  Help first families grow stronger!  Create community, lend a hand, and support organizations that assist people in developing self-sufficiency and fight against the root causes of poverty, homelessness, and addiction.
  • Learn about trauma and how it affects the way children learn and grow. Reframe your attitude toward bad behaviors and addictions. Consider how you can help those who have been hurt.

What will YOU do to make the world a better place?

I am looking for the holes, the holes in your jeans because I want to know:
are they worn out in the seat or are they worn out in the knees?
– Ani DiFranco, “Looking for the Holes”