I recently attended the New Mexico Children’s Roadmap held at the Santa Fe Children’s Museum. I was struck by two (2) things. First, elected officials put in way more time than what poeple think they do. Second, New Mexico is getting some things very right. Both thoughts provided me with both confidence and hope. It was a great event and I look forward to working on the solutions.

The first thought hit me because not only was I there, but also, Santa Fe School Board Vice President Sarah Boses was there and she was diligently taking notes and listening as though her life depended on it. I watched as she talked with people with care and concern

Furthermore, Teresa Leger Fernandez not only attended; but provided the keynote speech. She was vibrant and interesting. Really, though, she inspired me and the rest of the audience to do more. Her words were not only about the positive ways New Mexico is fighting childhood poverty. She also spoke about ways that we can all do more to improve our state and local communities. Although I had never heard her speak in person, in all honesty, I am happy that she is my Representative in Washington.

While the report did indicate that New Mexico is way behind the rest of the US in median income, it also highlighted that NM finds ways to counter poverty. Through Universal Child Care, the state will take the lead in reducing challenges that many parents face. Also, federal cuts to health care could have really negatively impacted New Mexicans, but our state leaders found ways to counter those cuts and fund BeWell in spite in cuts.

We have a long way to go in finding solutions to rural health care access and childhood poverty. However, in attending the event, I left feeling as though healing has begun. My colleagues and I put in time behind the scenes and are working towards solutions. While there’s a ton of work to do, I believe that ALL New Mexicans can find ways to solve problems, even though we may not always agree. We are in the same boat and should try to find ways to shore together. Our elected officials are actually trying…