Today the convention will kick off with an Interfaith Gathering. I plan to be there. I’m excited the party has chosen to open the week with an opportunity for spiritual reflection and celebration. Many of us are not Democrats despite our faith, but because of it. During my adult life so many Americans seem to assume that only Republicans care about faith and politics. I grew up in a Southern Baptist tradition where I read my Bible, memorized passages, and understood the message of Jesus to be social responsibility. Feed the poor. Take care of the sick. Give your shirt as well as well as your coat. Turn the other cheek. Judge not. Blessed are the peacemakers. “Do unto others” was not permission to take advantage, but a call to compassion. I no longer hold membership with my Southern Baptist sisters and brothers, although there are many things I still enjoy about a rousing Baptist service and its compellingly singable songs of faith. I do, however, remain a woman of faith. And I do not deny that my faith informs my positions on public policy. So I’m looking forward to this opportunity to join with other Democrats of faith as we launch the 2008 convention.

Every day this week between 10:00 and 4:00 delegates and the public can attend caucuses with others who share their concern about seniors, rural communities, minority groups, women, faith, veterans and military families, labor and/or youth. It’s impossible to attend them all, so I’ve narrowed down my interests to include the Faith Caucus, Rural American Caucus, and Women’s Caucus. Even narrowing the number to three may prove overly ambitious, but we’ll see.

Every evening between 4:00 and 9:00 delegates will gather in the Pepsi Center or Invesco Field for the convention. Each evening has its own theme and slate of speakers. Of course, Thursday evening at Invesco Field is the big night where Obama will accept the nomination and offer his speech carrying on his theme “Change You Can Believe In.” The other three evenings have received less fanfare, but should prove exciting none-the-less. Monday’s program “One Nation” features Michelle Obama, Tuesday’s “Renewing America’s Promise” offers prime-time speakers Hillary Clinton and Mark Warner, and Wednesday’s “Securing America’s Future” will focus on national security and foreign policy issues with a headline speech from VP candidate Joe Biden. Each evening I’ll be joining the other 40+ Kansas delegates for the convention proceedings.

The issue forum I’m most interested in his Health Policy. As some of the blog readers will know, my concern about our nation’s health care crisis has heightened this year as my father has faced a health crisis. I am keenly aware (and if I wasn’t on my own, he takes many opportunities to remind me) that the returned health he is experiencing right now is largely thanks to Democratically sponsored legislation such as Medicare and Social Security. (He likes to remind his doctor that every patient in the dialysis clinic with him is there by virtue of FDR and LBJ.) I worry about the 40 million Americans who, unlike my family, do not have health insurance to see them through the financial difficulties of a catastrophic health issue. So I will be attending a Health Policy Forum on the Monday of the convention.

I would attend a second health care forum on Wednesday, but have decided, instead, to use my morning that day to give back a little. I feel so privileged to be able to attend the convention. It seemed to me the week ought not just include exciting speakers, impassioned caucus meetings, insightful forums, and entertaining celebrations. Shouldn’t it also include some rolling up of the sleeves to serve others? Wednesday’s delegate service day activities provided just the chance to do that. So I have committed that morning to joining some of the delegates from Kansas and across the country in service projects across the city. My team will be stocking a food bank.

I’ve chosen two invitation-only brunches for the week. The first is this morning where I will join the National Federation of Democratic Women for a brunch honoring the nation’s female governors, including Kansas’ own Kathleen Sebelius. Later in the week I plan to join the Kansas delegation as the guests of Union Pacific for a brunch at Union Station.

As time permits, I look forward to using the Big Tent pass Pam has provided to some of us who will be blogging for Everyday Citizen this week. The Big Tent has been set up near the convention forums to accommodate the media. It promises to be a hub of media activity complete with its own line up of speakers, performers, food, drink, and, of course, wifi service so we can fire up our laptops and keep the blogs flowing.

It promises to be an exciting week.