There’s no place like home. This month, my husband, Bruce, and I have been driving our beautiful state, meeting with Nebraska families, and hearing firsthand their concerns and ideas on how to carry our country forward.

It is the best part of my job.

Since the August state work period began, I have hosted community coffees in Omaha, Lincoln, Scottsbluff, Kimball, Sidney, Bridgeport, Chadron, and Thedford. I have also held nearly 20 more of these events across the state this year. These informal gatherings are a wonderful way to offer updates on my work in the U.S. Senate. Through them, I hear common sense solutions from Nebraska’s farmers, ranchers, small business owners, teachers, veterans, and many others.

Whatever the issue, I hear a common theme: you cannot fix a problem from afar. You must be right up alongside of it. As ranchers, Bruce and I certainly understand this attitude. It also describes some of the actions I have taken this month as your U.S. senator.

To help the federal government better understand challenges facing our entrepreneurs, I brought the U.S. Senate to UNL’s Innovation Campus. I invited Nebraska’s entrepreneurial community to explain problems, like lack of access to capital or excessive regulation, in a field hearing of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. Our startup leaders have sown the seeds of industry across our state. Who better than these same pathbreakers to identify prudent actions for government to take?

Likewise, I welcomed VA Secretary Bob McDonald to Omaha’s VA hospital. Omaha’s civic and business community has developed several innovative ideas to modernize the aging hospital campus, and they are ready to assist with the planning, design, and construction. I am happy to report Secretary McDonald has embraced this community partnership idea. This is just another example of the willingness of Nebraskans to roll up their sleeves, get a job done, and do it well.

When it comes to difficult jobs, there are none more so than the defense of our homeland. This August, it was my honor to participate in a departure ceremony for members of our National Guard. At Lincoln’s Saltdogs Stadium, I met with these service members and their families. I made sure they knew of the resources my office provides to their spouses, children, and relatives while they serve overseas. I also made sure they knew just how proud we are of their dedicated service to our country and that we are praying for their safe return home.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have seen firsthand the incredible professionalism of our Nebraska soldiers when I visited them in Afghanistan and bases throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. They may be far from home; they are never far from our hearts.

Before the Senate convenes again in September, I will continue traveling our state and meeting with the many people who make Nebraska such an extraordinary place. Nebraska has no shortage of honest, hardworking, and industrial people. I have long believed the best ideas in Washington come from outside of it - from our states and local communities. My time traveling our state makes me even surer of that.

Thank you for taking part in our democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.