Sitting across me at the table I couldn’t help but notice the scratch marks and scar near his elbow and under his arm. I didn’t want to be rude, but they were noticeable enough to distract my focus when I turned his way.

As our meeting continued this week he shared that those physical blemishes were the reminders of his belly crawl to shelter that fateful day a month ago — June 14th to be exact — when a sniper opened up fire on he and a contingent of GOP lawmakers practicing baseball for an upcoming charity game.

At a time when politics has left me frustrated and upset, I admit I wasn’t sure what to expect after his office called to set-up the meeting. As an editor and publisher, I knew it was the right thing to do. But, at a time when I felt wasted by how uncivil people have become regarding politics, truthfully I thought I would rather puke than carry on yet another political debate.

Which is astounding, given such debates usually fuel my “fire” and I enjoy the interaction with politicians.

As we sat and talked Monday morning, I realized Jack Bergman definitely wasn’t there just for me, but the effect he was having on me was indeed very personal. I couldn’t help but be aware of how Bergman was restoring back into me a faith, a hope and a trust that I hadn’t experienced since last year’s election. I was listening to a real person again. I was hearing real concerns, understanding perceptive insights and finding his passion sincerely simple, yet contagious.

When I first met Bergman in my office over a year ago, before he won the GOP nomination for the 1st Congressional District, I listened and I remember sharing with him this simple truth: “Jack, you seem like a ‘no-nonsense’ type of guy, a man of integrity and one well versed on the issues. I wish you well, for you’re the type of person we need representing us.”

Which was true then and it remains so today.

Last month on the baseball field Bergman was swinging a bat in the batter’s cage, next up to hit, when the first shot rang out, then another. As a former Marine lieutenant he made a quick assessment of the situation and crawled for cover after hitting the ground. As the shots and assailant moved, so did he, all the time analyzing his options. When the assailant eventually was taken down Bergman was among the first to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. He and another placed a belt around Scalise’s leg to stop the bleeding, then Bergman did a scan of the surroundings, taking in the setting, to ascertain whether there was a threat from anywhere else.

Such an experience might leave some shaken, hesitant to return to work or disillusioned.

While I’m sure Bergman experienced a lot of emotion that day and since, his professional demeanor doesn’t show it.

He, like the rest of us, is tired of how venomous politics have become. He hates the tone, the uncivility and the lack of respect. But he maintains those who practice such anarchy represent the fringes of the bell curve of America. In between those two points resides a lot of good people who still believe in justice, decency and doing what’s right.

When I point out I can’t remember a more divisive time in our history, not even the protests of the 60’s, he stopped me and asked the question “yes, but what we were protesting then?”

I answered just about everything – women’s rights, civil rights, the Vietnam War and the environment.

He said exactly, there were causes, many of them. He said he was talking to someone recently who made the point that the protests today are much more nebulous and without focus.

And Bergman is quick to point to the apathy that has become all too prevalent across America as another reason for today’s tone. He said many people have allowed themselves to become “disengaged” in the process.

Despite all that Bergman has been through this year, he still believes that good always will triumph over evil and that ultimately, he and his fellow legislators still can make a difference in Washington. He was proud of a pledge his fellow freshmen legislators made to each other to treat each other with respect and dignity, regardless of political differences.

There is one thing Bergman does intend to change moving forward, and that is town halls. Several he held in his first six months were met with protests, heckling and disruptions inside the hall.

Moving forward, he is doing away with them, replacing them with community meetings, which he hopes will be a kinder and gentler version. As host of the meetings, attendees will have to adhere to the policies and procedures he has in place, and security will have a much greater appearance for the safety of the people.

Bergman hopes people will exchange ideas freely at the meetings, without fear of retaliation for their viewpoints.

In the congressman’s world there are “a lot of bright people in Washington” trying to make a difference. That is what helps to motivate him each morning.

If he can maintain that perspective after what he’s been through, then I owe it to him to also try to believe it as well.