As different as we each are, my siblings and I truly enjoy spending time with one another.

Three of us recently traveled to Utah for our niece’s wedding and we had a fabulous time filled with much laughter, minor overconsumption of food and an awe-inspiring adventure — zip lining at Sundance Mountain Resort.

I realize we are extremely blessed to be at this stage in our lives. Our folks have passed on, and I hope they can see the fruits of their parental labor when we get together in good times and sad. They raised us to be there for one another, and we are. We are each other’s cheerleaders and listening ears.

We also are comfortable with sharing opinions and what we believe to be true. Each of us believes differently when it comes to politics and religion. One might be confounded by the other, who doesn’t think or believe the same. We don’t dwell on it and move beyond that, looking to a greater good. As we take different paths, our respect remains on course as we continue to support each other.

As we enter another election season and the holidays, I’ve been thinking about the positive attributes of relationships with family and friends and how our communities and nation would benefit when we practice the same treatment. My thoughts boil down to two themes: integrity and thankfulness.

May we collectively work at being better in social arenas with sharing ideas and advancements to improve. Rather than constant criticism and negativity, approach with ideas and solutions. Or maybe it’s your turn to simply listen and seek understanding. Your actions and words define you. May we all think before we speak, text or post — a lost art these days.

Maybe it would help to keep in mind the Christianity-based “reason for the season” in late December and act accordingly.

And let’s cultivate a rich, thankful heart.

Really, living where we do and how deserves more than simple thanks. We take it for granted and as the ultimate consumers, expect whatever we want when we want it.

Thank you, Amazon.

Not.

May we humbly look beyond the "stuff" and be grateful for where we are today, for those things we cannot assign a price. For me, that’s life, peace, loved ones, empathy.

When I was a young teen, one Thanksgiving before the big meal our mom handed paper and pencils and asked us to write down what we were thankful for. After some initial grumbling, we set about our task. The dining room grew quiet as my parents and us four kids worked on our task. When we were done, we went around the table and shared what we wrote. It was a heart-opening experience for me. There were items on each person’s list that were touching, funny and insightful.

Life does get back to the basics, doesn’t it? Relationships, comfort, safety, shelter, food.

We all want the same things.

Let us remember that this election season.