Core Democratic value: I am my sister's keeper.

In NC we're a little spoiled. We have Democratic Party leadership that truly respects and appreciates the little guys.

Last year was the first Sanford-Hunt Dinner, a low-dollar fund raiser (30/plate) that honors two outstanding former NC Governors, Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt. According to Jerry Meek, this low-dollar event is now the most profitable fund raiser of the year for the Party. Those who Host and Sponsor and "beFriend" this event -- the big guys -- have their priorities in order. Kudos and Thank you to them all.

But that's not really what I wanted to tell you about.

[Cross-posted at dailyKos.]

Yesterday was a whole day full of state Democratic Party stuff here in NC; training (thank you Kerra and Jerimee), discussions with fellow Democratic Women over lunch on "the art of organizing important-paper piles" (thank you Ann and Bonnie), and of course, resolutions and parliamentary procedure that is an SEC meeting (thank you Resolutions Committee). But without doubt, the capstone of the day was Sanford-Hunt.

It was a wonderful evening among all sorts of NC Democrats -- yellow and blue and green; brown and black and white; big and little and in-between -- in a packed house in Greensboro, NC. Thank you NCDP!!!

Next year Sanford-Hunt will be in New Bern at the Convention Center. There will be plenty of room and dinner & a movie at home would cost you as much as the $30 Sanford-Hunt ticket. It's great. Get there if you can.

And boy was it worth every penny of my $30.

It is so inspiring and refreshing to break bread at table with excellent Democrats from all over the state and talk and listen with them. Me -- little nobody me -- I somehow found myself at a table with Larry Kissell, his fund raiser, his Cumberland Co. campaign manager, and Marshall Adame, Democratic Candidate in NC-03, home of MCB Camp Lejeune and MCAS Cherry Point. I sat next to Marshall and got to talk with him a good bit. This guy has the drive, knowledge and strength to win, and he's got a resume that puts 90% of other current Congressional biographies to shame.

There were also supporters of my fave Pres. candidate at my table and milling about and in line at the cash bar ... including one of my favorite progressive Legislators. It was awesome.

But that's not really what I wanted to tell you about, either.

I'm here writing today because, in the midst of a list of incredible speakers and story tellers: Dan Blue's passion, Ed Turlington's entertaining and enlightening recollections, Betty Ann McCain's crowd pleasing humor, former Governor Jim Hunt's call to action/ call to change -- one moment of utter unadulterated beauty stuck out for me. It hit me in the gut and seared a lifelong memory in my mind.

In a single unscripted instant I felt all the reasons that I am a Democrat.

In the middle of a split second pause between a speaker's two sentences about the core virtues of the Democratic Party v. the other guys (the Greedy Ol' Party) one of our servers at the table just in front of mine said in an firm, emphatic voice from her warm but tired heart,

"amen."

In that pause her simple assent sounded louder than it was. She knew it, caught herself up and giggled an "oops". But it wasn't an "oops" to me. It was real. It was the most poignant word I had heard that day. It was crystal clarity.

She was a youngish woman probably in her thirties, pleasant face and open eyes, blond hair pulled back into a pony tail, a uniform of white shirt, cummerbund and black slacks. This was surely her second job -- serving for a catering company. Back in the early-mid 90's I had friends who did that to make up for cost increases of everything but their 40 hour a week job. I cleaned offices at night for the same reason. I imagined she was standing there in front of me, pouring water for guests with a smile for the same reason.

And I imagined her the next morning, pouring milk into cereal bowls for her kids as they talked excitedly about the upcoming first day of school and going shopping when they get their "lists" from their teachers. And I imagined her thoughts as they silently turned from her children's conversation to the balance sheet in her head,

How much is in my account now? Are all this month's bills paid? When do I get paid next? How many meals and lunches and breakfasts do I have in the cupboards now and how many will I need to get to the next paycheck? Did I wash and clean last year's book bags? Are any notebooks from last year usable? Where did I put those notebook dividers we had left over last August? What can I wait to pay in two weeks?

As she continued on her duties, my attention drifted back to the speaker at the podium. I have never been so sure of why I'm a Democrat in all my life. I suddenly felt the continuum ... the kinship ... the conviction that we all matter, and we're all in this together.

This is the core of what I believe. I was once where she is now. I am my sister's keeper.