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<h5 style="padding-left: 420px;">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tmaull/">tmaull</a></h5>
<strong>I've been thinking a lot about working together—you know, joining forces to make even better things happen. </strong>"Collaboration" is the buzz word I could use, but I'm a little weary of it.

This post won't be a complete thought, as much as it is a sharing of ideas, hopes, and some frustrations. I'm sure you'll have many to add.
<h4>A senator who made working across the aisle more than just an empty promise</h4>
When the radio alarm sounded this morning, the <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90557651&amp;ps=rs">headline story</a> was about the life of Senator Ted Kennedy, who died last night. Jason and I stayed in bed, to listen to the inspiring tribute (NPR likes to refer to "driveway moments"—when you sit in your car in the driveway to listen to the rest of a story; I'm a big fan of NPR "bed moments," too).

As a senator since 1962, Kennedy was the third-longest-serving senator in history, so his legacy—particularly around issues of health care, civil rights and the economic well-being of individual Americans—is enormous. <strong>But what struck me most about this morning's news coverage, was his willingness to be open to those who saw issues differently from him, and to find common ground, never compromising what he stood for in the process.</strong>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was a Democrat's Democrat, so much so that he became a rallying point for those in his party and an object of derision for Republican opponents. Yet his affability and capability to span the partisan divide on an array of legislative matters prompted an outpouring of condolences from those in the GOP as well as the Democratic Party following his death Tuesday at age 77 from brain cancer.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left: 210px;">From <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112233439&amp;ps=rs">"Republicans Join Democrats in Mourning Kennedy"</a></p>

<h4>An organization that sees an opportunity to do even more good, by choosing to work with others</h4>
Last Friday, while in Grand Rapids, I had the opportunity to chat with an colleague of mine from a decade ago, who now works for <a href="http://www.habitatkent.org/">Habitat of Humanity Kent County</a>. Sandy has been an inspiring person to be around since the day I met her, and I've long admired the work of Habitat, an organization our church is particularly committed to and involved with.

I was surprised, though, to hear Sandy get all excited not just about helping families get into homes, but also about their most recent project: job training and development.

This is how it works: Kent County's Habitat has become the number one green/sustainable builder in the state—all of the homes they build are LEED-certified. These green building sites are becoming training labs for people who have various barriers to employment, who are identified by Goodwill. Grand Rapids Community College is doing the training, and Habitat homes are getting built (and foreclosed homes are getting rehabed) in the process. How cool is that?
<h4>Involving the very people we want to help makes all the difference</h4>
Yesterday I interviewed Jenn, a neighborhood revitalization expert at a Grand Rapids organization called <a href="http://www.dwellingplacegr.org/">Dwelling Place</a>. I was inspired by the multiple ways they serve the homeless population (and recently homeless, thanks to the 900 units of housing Dwelling Place has created in the neighborhood known as Heartside). <strong>It's not just about providing services like food and shelter, it's about pride and ownership, business development and opportunities to get involved and have a voice.</strong>

Jenn said the most important thing they do is work to make connections—between the homeless population and local businesses, between existing populations and people moving into the neighborhood, and between the local government and the people in need. Involving the homeless community in the conversation and the process is huge, when it comes to working together to make their lives better.
<h4>Public schools work for all kids only when all parties work together</h4>
This morning we took my girls to their first day of school. It was the traditional first-day entourage, that I <a href="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/?p=32">posted about</a> two years ago: me, Jason, my ex-husband, and his wife, and this year the addition of our pup, Maeve.

I'm a big believer of public schools, and I really love our neighborhood elementary school. One of the things I love most about it is the diversity of kids it serves, from ethnic and racial diversity to socioeconomic diversity, and a variety of academic skill levels.

But it's that very community strength, of course, that makes serving all kids a challenge. I don't mean just getting them through the school year and advancing them to the next grade level. I'm talking about inspiring and exciting them, and truly pushing them to be the best they can be.

I respect the challenges facing the teachers and principals; I also get frustrated when I see which kids are getting lost along the way, in one respect or another, on both sides of the spectrum and in between. <strong>Working together is the only way we're going to make it happen—parents working with the schools, kids working with other kids who are like them as well as those who are different, parents working with their kids, at home.</strong>

In our family, we have even more people to work with: two sets of ex-spouses and step parents. So in the spirit of working together, here's to a year of sharing visions, seeing possibilities, working "across the aisle," and making the most of all we can bring to a shared table.