We've come a long way since the 80s. I was my parent's daughter then, doing what statistically most offspring do–vote their parent's persuasion. That made me a Republican then. In the political landscape of my memory, it was during the rein of Reagan–"The Great Communicator"–that we began such a radical polarization from one another with politics and religion driving the wedge. It was also the era of Newt's first political incarnation and name-calling, nasty-branding politics were set as the norm ever since.

Three decades later, last month I returned to the campus from which I graduated in the early 80s. Facebook would not be invented for another two more decades and social media wasn't taught at my college when I studied communications there. It wasn't invented yet either. But, my, has the medium shaped our culture and relationships. Friends are too often "unfriended" when religious, moral and political issues are introduced into newsfeeds and personal pages. I've experienced such riffs.

Two friends and I experienced such a Facebook moment during our reunion lunch. I brought up a football jersey I'd seen sported on campus by a co-ed that morning. I couldn't help notice the color–our school's– screaming orange, trimmed in blue. It was a football jersey and on the center of the back it proclaimed "300" in large numerals. Underneath it: "All for the glory of God." I kept reading with incredulity as the co-ed continued to walk away and up a hill. Something about the football team's winning record. What? I was standing by a particularly irreverent and beloved professor and questioned him about it. Yes, it was controversial. But, just as many people who found it offensive, like me, there were many who appreciated the sentiment behind the screaming jersey, he said. (My alma mater is a religious institution.)

I knew that one of my friends would share my sentiments. So during our reunion chit chat,while still scratching my head over it, I shared what I had seen. There was another friend present and I didn't stop to consider what her reaction might be to the topic. One friend reacted in the manner that I knew she would and went on to dramatically opine her disagreement. But, it was quickly obvious that our other friend didn't exactly share our status of offense. I applaud our maturity, however. After an awkward three seconds of silence, we said nothing further about the jersey/issue and moved on in our banter.

What I think each of us knew–or maybe I should stop with assigning my friends with any thoughts and focus on mine–our friendships, our respect for one another, was too valuable and precious for us to introduce differing religious or political views into our reunion. And that is what Facebook and all of our acrid national rhetoric and banter forgets. There, on "the other side" is another human being who has the same universal needs and wants as all of us do, although our life experiences and strategies may be different. What matters? Our differences or what unites us?

For my two old running buddies, I'm glad we remembered what, at least, that day, was uniting us, what we came for and what was important in that moment to us as a whole.