My mother died during surgery when I was five years old, the middle child. My siblings were 3 and 8 years old. An aunt and an uncle mostly raised me. We shifted around a lot from one house to another. Life was not easy during those younger years, but…
I was stuck in a forest. As a career counseling professional, I was beside myself. After years in a job I loved and found fulfilling, everything seemed to change. The changes were gradual; I cannot pinpoint a particular time when things started going…
One day, Dan Dickens was listening to National Public Radio’s eTown podcast. Every week, the podcast features someone who is doing good in their community. This particular week, the story was about a woman who started collecting socks for the homeles…
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Most experiences in my life have been educational, exciting, and positive. For example, when I left home to attend college it was the first time I had been away from home to be on my own. Like walking through a wilderness, I was unsure what my experi…
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I can’t seem to get enough Christmas music this time of year. One album I always come back to is Christmas Together by John Denver and The Muppets. The album holds a special place in my heart because it was the one CD my mom had in the car that my si…
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As mom waved good-bye to us in the doorway of her farmhouse last June, I looked longingly at her through the car window. Living alone on our family farm at age 88 was becoming more difficult for her, and it was becoming harder for me to leave with ea…
The prophet Isaiah foretold of the ministry of Jesus when he declared a voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill…
We were so overwhelmed with our transition to the Quad Cities 27 years ago that we decided to tell my husband’s parents that we wouldn’t be traveling to visit with them on Christmas. We felt we needed to spend our last Christmas in the only house our…
I struggle with control. I’m the first person in the room to pull out my planner. To use the word micromanaging is a bit of an understatement when it comes to the preferred method of living my life. These acts give me some sense of calmness and some…
During the summer, I work at Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp, which is nestled in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Because of our beautiful surroundings, we are often a destination camp for youth groups from all over the United States. Two summers ago, I had…
The year was 1982. My father had died. At the funeral my mother remarked, “But he was my eyes.” You see, mom’s eyes were failing. This began eight years of decisions – what shall we do? Should we add rooms on to our house for mom to move in? Buy a di…
The Christmas spirit comes alive each December at St. Paul, with objects,sounds, and sights. Here, we share some of the items that hold specialmeaning or stories for this most precious season. ORGAN The St. Paul organ marks 10 years this month of ins…