I know now, I did a good job!

This morning my phone rang around 11:00 a.m. It was my daughter and there is nothing unusual about her calling me. She calls me every day. Some days multiple times. We're very close and so when I saw her name on the caller ID I figured she was just saying hi and checking in.

But today she had a question. "Mom, do I need to drive home and vote?" My answer was no. You see we have nothing to vote on this November in my county. No candidates being elected this year and no referendums to vote on this year. It was one of those moments where I sat back and said... my daughter turned out great. She is still quite young, just 21. She is also on of the most responsible young women I know. She has fabulous work ethic and genuinely cares about her fellow man. And obviously she feels voting is a responsibility, not a right or a privilege.

It reminded me of November 3 years ago. I had of course arranged for my daughter to get a ballot at college so she could vote for the governor of our state. Some of her dorm mates had laughed at her as she studied her ballot and looked up information on candidates and reforendums. She called me that day too, with an outrage in her voice because she couldn't believe that other 18 year old girls on her hall had no intention of voting and didn't really care.

I'm very proud of my daughter. I have to sit back and think that she must have been listening to me at some point when she was pretending to do something else.

So did you have an election where you live today? And if you did, did you vote? And if you have children, are you teaching them the importance of voting? It is our voice. It is the only way we are heard.

And if you are buying a home, it's equally important to have a buyer's agent to guide you through the process. You should listen, not let them make your decision, but thoughtfully listen to their advice before you make a decision.