One of my favorite parts of the job is communicating with you each week. Not just me writing at you, but also hearing back when something I wrote engages you. I appreciate readers who take the time to write an email (and a few times a year, it’s a handwritten letter that takes weeks to find its way to me). I’ve been writing this column for more than four years, and that dialogue is rewarding. We don’t have to agree; I like sharing a connection based in caring about our communities and the role of journalism in them. And I really value some of my “regulars” – Rick, Nancy, Art, Barbara and more, you know who you are – readers who’ve hung in there over the years even when they disagree with me and choose to add to constructive discussion of topics. A point of pride for me is making time each week to respond to those of you who write. Sometimes, if you’ve written something substantive or asked a question, I will write an expansive response. Sometimes I just say, “thank you for reading and taking the time to write.” So, I feel a bit guilty that in the past month I’ve been challenged to keep up with the demand. A combination of work obligations and summer vacation, along with topics that inspired a strong response from readers, has me behind on answering. I wrote three columns that resonated in a way that prompted people to respond – a reverie about my last child leaving the nest; a piece on a public official who intentionally duped the media and the public; and a reaction to baseless accusations that MLive doctored crowd photos at a Kamala Harris rally. When I say respond, I mean hundreds upon hundreds of emails to editor@mlive.com. A normal column might generate a dozen or so emails, so this run of three strong weeks of response put me behind in replying. And I regret that, because these conversations are a genuine part of MLive’s connection to the community. If you wrote to me and didn’t hear back, please know that I read every single email sent to my inbox – even if it’s a day or week after it was sent. Whenever possible, I respond. One exception is when the letters are profane, antagonistic or descend into name-calling. Not surprisingly, most of these are anonymous or behind pseudonyms. We have enough of that in social media these days, and I choose not to participate. That said, I like a good constructive conversation on a topic. Thankfully, most respondents are thoughtful that way. This is another busy week for me. I’m traveling for business, so this week’s column is without a topic. Other than, thank you for investing in a relationship with me, MLive and our journalism. I’m listening, and, even if I can’t get back to you, know that your engagement means a lot to us. # # # | 