The twin strains of lengthy wars and our country's climb out of an economic hole can make for trying times, but family reminds us of the ideals worth fighting for.

Colorado families have been tightening their belts throughout this economic downturn and it is time Congress did the same.

As Congress shifts back into gear, my sights are focused on Coloradans' priorities: creating jobs and speeding our economic recovery. My first goal as Senator has been to help our state's economy rebound, and over the last two years, I've taken every opportunity to visit with Coloradans across the state to learn how I can best fight in Washington, D.C., for our communities back home.

I led an eight-day congressional delegation visit to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Every country we visited poses a unique and daunting set of challenges, but one thing provided a consistent source of optimism: the men and women in our armed services.

I led a eight-day congressional delegation visit to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Read my strategic assessment of our progress in the region.

As Congress adjourned last month, I found myself reflecting on my short time in the U.S. Senate and the saying that has guided my political career: "One can disagree without being disagreeable." I believe that a great public servant is one who spends most of his or her time listening, and that's why I have reached across the aisle on every major piece of legislation I've introduced.

Like many Coloradans, I’ve been frustrated by the increasingly slow process of moving legislation through the Senate over the past year.

Yesterday, I sent a letter to Elizabeth Warren, President Obama’s newly appointed adviser in charge of setting up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, urging her to make free access to credit scores a priority for this new agency.

We have to unleash innovation to help our economy continue to recover, and that's one reason I've traveled around the state to listen to Coloradans' ideas for how to create jobs. I have already acted on several of them. But I know there are many more untapped ideas that can help us maintain our leadership in the clean energy revolution, and I need your help to find them.

Earlier this week I joined a bipartisan group of Senators in introducing a bill (S.3813) to create the first-ever national renewable electricity standard (RES). This bill would be an important step toward ending our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, creating thousands of jobs nationwide and setting us on the path to addressing climate change.

In August 2009, I heard the story of now second-grader Thomas Wilkes from Englewood, whose family must spend - because of his hemophilia - $40,000 dollars a month to pay for life-sustaining medication. Because of annual limits imposed by insurance companies on benefits, Thomas' parents faced bankruptcy and the inability to pay for his care.

While we’ve been making steady progress toward passing the Charlie Wolf bill, the process is frustratingly slow. Time is a resource many sick Cold War workers cannot afford to waste. So today, I offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would take an intermediate step to improve the program.

Last year Congress authorized special compensation for service members whose tours of duty were involuntarily extended under stop loss between September 11th, 2001 and September 30th, 2009.

My thoughts and prayers today are with the Coloradans battling the effects of the two major fires in Boulder and Loveland. The fires have impacted thousands of people and remind us all about the serious threat wildfires pose to our communities.

Colorado is gifted with some spectacular landscapes, but when our natural resources are not taken care of, our state as a whole suffers. With that in mind, I spent my Labor Day visiting with Colorado National Monument's superintendent and park crewmembers.

I want to thank the firefighters and emergency personnel who have been fighting one of the largest and most destructive wildfires Boulder County has ever seen.

We can’t overstate the importance of ensuring Colorado’s seniors have the services and support they need to continue leading healthy and productive lives. As a member of the U.S. Senate’s Special Committee on Aging, I take this responsibility to heart, especially when the largest generation our country has ever seen - the baby boomers - is about to enter retirement.

From the snow-capped Rocky Mountain National Park to the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, and many parks in between, we are blessed to live in a state filled with some of nature's most spectacular landscapes. In what documentary filmmaker Ken Burns describes as "America's best idea," generations of Americans have worked to preserve these unique places in Colorado and across the nation.