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It all started with a little childhood obsession with birds. Young Charles Foster noticed the blackbirds flying around in his backyard and wanted to know all about them—what they ate, where their nests were situated, or what exactly enabled them to f…
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Over 50 years ago, Ezra Jack Keats helped a lot of people to see. It was simple, really. He wrote and illustrated a book called The Snowy Day about a child waking up in the city to a snowy day. Peter, the little boy, bundles up in a red snowsuit and…
Around tables and over a meal, young adults at St. Paul will worship together Thursday evening. The four important elements of worship will be present – gathering, word, meal, sending. But it will take on a different feel than traditional worship. A…
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The knock on the door came at 4:15 a.m., just more than 10 years ago. Kirby White’s beloved daughter, Elizabeth, had been killed by a person driving drunk, going the wrong way on an interstate. She was 19 years old, studying criminal justice at Des M…
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I am persnickety about clean windows in my car. If you have a dog, I’ll probably spot you at a stoplight one of these days, and then I’ll start talking to myself about those nose prints and tongue impressions all over your car windows. If my wife is…
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The first hunches came from her mom. Patty Maiden felt like her pregnancy with Alison was different than her first daughter, Emily. When Ali was born, she aspirated and the doctors whisked her away. They noticed some things that were out of the ordin…
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At the piano, an inmate leads the music. Men’s voices fill the air with familiar tunes. Let there be peace on Earth, they sing. How great Thou art. Fellow inmates take their turn at the lectern, reading the texts for the day’s worship. One man manage…
On the outside, Jim’s Place looks like a normal brick ranch house, situated in the neighborhood near St. Ambrose University. On the inside, the house is filled with items that are known as assistive technology – things to promote independence, from l…
One life goal I have is to become a certified pilot. Since moving to the Quad Cities this summer, I have been up a few times. After each time I fly, I look forward to doing it again. One aspect I love about flying is the peace and solitude of the who…
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Is That It? Well, that’s it. Christmas is over. Pack up the tree, roll up the strings of lights, and eat the rest of the candy canes. I guess it’s time to get back to reality. Even though our church calendar celebrates Christmas until Epiphany (Janua…
One vivid memory I have of church growing up is singing “Silent Night” while everyone in the congregation held a candle. My Nana made sure that we sang the first verse in German (Stille Nacht, helige Nacht). And although we sing this hymn year after…
I am afraid of the dark. We’ve all got fears, right? Sometimes our fears are rational, sometimes they’re not. Spiders, heights, tornadoes, etc. For me, it’s the dark. I can’t explain it. When I wake up in the middle of the night and walk down the hal…