Friend, in life, just as in the heat of a high-pressure political campaign, it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture.

As a mom to three small children, balancing everyday life with running for office is as overwhelming as it sounds. I know that I need to cherish every small moment of chaos, since one day the kids will be grown and the house will be empty. But it is really tough to remember that when the laundry has taken over the kitchen, the dishes are in the bathroom, and I just stepped on a Lego for the third time in an hour.

Sometimes it’s hard to stop, step back, and be grateful—and to remember why we are here to begin with. Especially when the news coming out of Washington, D.C. focuses on bitterness and partisan divides. This Thanksgiving, however, I have been given a clear reminder.

I am honored to be on this campaign trail with so many of you. I think back to the many hands that I have shaken, the stories that I have heard, and the dreams that I have been entrusted with by citizens across our great commonwealth.

For every mile I walk, phone call I make, and night I spend away from my family, I get to connect with people like Hope, a Kentucky teacher who works three jobs to pay her bills.

Or Pam, a retired county clerk who reached out to me to share her struggles getting VA benefits for her veteran father.

Or out-of-work miners who had to protest for weeks to get paychecks that were withheld.

These stories of persistence remind me again and again of what a gift democracy is and how important it is to practice it. And they inspire me to work hard every day to get our state and our country back on the right track.

I am so proud to stand with my fellow Kentuckians and call for change in Washington. I am grateful for the opportunity and trust that I have been given by you.

Thank you for believing in me.

Now let's go do this.

Amy