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When I was about five years old, I started lying on the floor under the Christmas tree in the evenings. Coincidentally (or maybe my parents did it on purpose), every year, the same ornaments were hung on the same lowest branches. I loved how the ligh…
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A thoughtful note, a card, a gift lifts the spirit. Whether recovering from surgery, celebrating a birthday, or a big event, knowing someone is thinking of you is a balm for the soul. When it comes time to wish others well, these St. Paul people crea…
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In the Library Commons, bright circles carry messages of need and hope from the Food Oasis. What is a food desert or a food oasis? A food desert is an area that has limited access to food that is plentiful, affordable, or nutritious especially fresh…
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I just returned from a wedding in Asheville, N.C., and it’s got me thinking about trees. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, you know that trees are plentiful. It’s the abundance of oak trees in the…
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I am a reader and always have been. As a child, I recall luxuriating in the feeling of being curled up on a couch with a book, absorbed in a story and a world far removed from my actual surroundings. Anything and everything could simply pass me by –…
“When we were working (Ellen as a recruiter for Genesis Health System and Charlie as an educator, coach, principal, and then superintendent of Wheatland Community School District), our professions kept us busy. Now, being retired since 2011, we get t…
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It’s Advent, the time of waiting and preparing for Christmas, for Christ’s birth. Traditionally, each week of Advent carries a particular perspective, leaning into one characteristic of faith which is essential to the Christian life. This first week…
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A few weeks ago, I was driving home when I noticed something somewhat unique: a man riding a unicycle down the sidewalk. I have no idea where he was going or how far he planned to travel. As I sat at a red light, I marveled a bit at how he was able t…
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St. Paul’s new Resident Pastor begins her 18-month residency in January. The background basics. I was born and raised in Chicago. I’ve always been a city person. In the family home, it was my mom and dad, my younger sibling, Charlie, and two cats. I…
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Some days I feel like I have officially gotten old. I mean, 41 is not old by many standards, but some days I feel it. Luckily, not in my physical self as I am fortunate to be in good health, and putting my feet on the ground every morning is neither…
Finding peace “I love the idea that joy can be found in simple moments. Joy is ever-present. Joy is connection. I feel it when my kids look at the sky and question why the moon looks broken. It’s in the classroom when students sing “I am Yoga” in uni…
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I knew a pastor who had a small, framed painting of a mail carrier on her office wall. It wasn’t a particularly unique piece of art, it looked like a postcard set into a frame. It clearly meant something to her, so I asked her about it. In res…