Earlier in the day my family held a memorial gathering for my Grandmother, Maxie Green, who passed away on August 27th at the age of 94.

In talking about her life I said it's normally taboo to discuss religion and politics at a funeral -- but that's what I think of when I remember her.

When I was young I would regularly go with her to the First Baptist Church of Wilmington. I was always impressed by how many people she knew and how happy they were to see her.

In terms of politics, I talked about going with her to President Bush's Inaugural in 1989. 77 years old at the time, she had the time of her life going from event to event -- proudly showing off her itinerary to Senators she met along the way, like Connie Mack of Florida.

Though I didn't agree with her politics much of the time, there's no doubt I work on campaigns today because of her lifelong interest in elected officials and current events.