Tom Morse died this month. 

It’s a tragedy. Unthinkable for those who loved him. 

His loss reminds us of the importance of community and connection, which in the face of COVID and climate catastrophe, is all we really have. 

Dear New York,

It was good to see you. We took a few trips to visit you recently. Dad died in September and Mom needed some attention.

“Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change.’’ Robert F. Kennedy - 1966

Two weeks ago, after parking and plugging in my Prius, I walked across the Statehouse lawn in Montpelier to one of the many meetings that take up a day. Very important. Gotta be on time. Serious business.

We are not returning to normal.

Almost two years since the start of the COVID pandemic. What have we learned? And what is to come?

I think we have learned that the bones of American democracy are brittle from years of neglect and under investment. Not just roads, bridges, and water pipes. But voting, civic education, trust, and empathy.