During the Tucscon shootings, 9 year old Christina-Taylor Green was killed. The President reminded us of her ideal of democracy and asked us to look at our actions through her eyes. As well, the loss of her life just left me deeply saddened.

As a mother of a child the same age, I could not imagine the loss of this little girl to her family. They are in my thoughts. Though they must be incredibly proud, they will feel the absence of their child every day for the rest of their lives. And the poor neighbor who took her to the rally – hoping to introduce her to the Congresswoman. The devastation of this loss is more than some people can handle.

And yet, the President’s comment touched me in a way that I had not considered. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I can be a little bit cynical, satirical and even sarcastic sometimes, regarding our political systems.

But when I think of Christina, I think of my own childhood. When I was 8 years old, my parents took me on a tour of the State Capital. I was already interested in government and politics. The Capital was very different in those days. We were passing the room that said Office of the Governor, and I insisted to my parents that I wanted to “meet the Governor”. They didn’t think it was a good idea but asked someone in the hall if we could go in and they said it would be fine.

We were standing in the reception area, looking around and learning history when Governor Preston Smith walked into the room. His staff asked me if I wanted my picture with him and we took a great picture. I still treasure the picture as a reminder of the moment my career was shaped.

From that point forward, I had an insatiable interest in politics and government. By 13, I was glued to the Watergate hearings during the summer and idolizing Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. In the 8th grade, I wrote a paper on how to become the first woman President and I rode my bike to interview my State Senator.

By about 16, I was volunteering with my State Representative, riding my bike to his state and campaign offices to do whatever grunt work was needed.

I believed in democracy with all of my heart and soul. I really believed at a younger age that I could change the world by being involved in the system.

As time progressed, my beliefs strengthened. I worked on campaigns from Justice of the Peace to President. I worked in Congress, the State Legislature and at City Hall. I started my own business with the goal of “changing the face of politics.”

While I became more cynical along the way, I have continued to work to make the world better throughout my life and career. I’ve just learned through hard knocks that it is a lot harder than it seems or needs to be.

So, thank you Christina, for reminding me of the 8 year old Nancy who looks so adoringly at the Governor of Texas and beliefs that democracy really does work!

I encourage everyone involved in the big business of politics and government to pause and think about the moment that inspired them to become involved.

God Bless Christina.