This session, we have a momentous opportunity in the Legislature to enhance Maine’s care infrastructure. A statewide paid family and medical leave program would support our working families, make our economy more competitive and set us on a better path to improved health and well-being, both now and well into the future.

As maternity options dwindle for families, collaboration across our region — with public officials, employers, government and private payors and other health care organizations — will be more important than ever to continue providing the necessary care in our communities.

One thing seems certain. The post-secondary years will be different, whether grads are going straight to work or to career training or higher education. This may be an opportunity for Maine to grab the initiative and start designing the post-secondary world of tomorrow.

Although mass killings have become commonplace — the one at Michigan State University was the 67th this year, and we’re only in February — something feels different this time.

I have always sung it and heard it the way my schoolteacher grandmother taught it, not just as a vehicle for us to sing the blues about our suffering and victimization as a people, but as a rallying cry to our resilience and determination.