Traveling abroad reminded me how fortunate we are here at home

This past month, I had the incredible opportunity to go on a cruise with my husband, Gary, that visited four European countries: Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, and Greece. It was truly a trip of a lifetime!

We learned so much about the rich history of that part of the world from our knowledgeable tour guides. One guide shared a particularly poignant story about his grandmother. When she was 20 years old, she moved to a small town in what is now Croatia. She lived in the same house for 70 years, but during that time, the country around her changed six times! Imagine the upheaval – her savings disappearing because the new government wouldn't accept the old currency, and for much of her life, she didn't even have the right to vote.

It's stories like these that remind me how fortunate we are to live in a country with the freedoms we often take for granted. We have the right to express ourselves, and the right to vote is a crucial part of that. So, if you've already voted, that's fantastic! If not, please remember that your vote absolutely counts. It's at the very heart of our democracy.