And I’d be grateful to be able to use my talents for our wider village - to help continue our collective history of working to offer people grace and dignity from corner to corner.

I’m asking you to be cautious of media intent and impact. Because, as it says in the AMLA Core Principles: “Media and media messages can influence beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, and the democratic process.”

We’ve got midterms for our national elections in November. And our municipal elections in April will be here quickly too. All along the way, there will be commercials and op-eds regarding national, regional, and local issues and candidates. And it’s going to take a level of discernment to wade through it all.

What I ask of all of us is to lean in and learn. And dig into media literacy education supported by organizations such as the AMLA to “develop the habits of inquiry and skills of expression that we need to be critical thinkers, effective communicators, and active citizens in today’s world.