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Limiting how we are treated

What are our personal rules that determine how we want other people to interact with us, and to treat us? What are the boundaries that we expect other people to recognize, accept, and respect? We all have those personal rules but we do not always think about them or put them into words. These rules are a big part of who we are, and they determine what we want and expect from other people. They determine what we will accept and tolerate from the people we encounter in our life. We tend to react when the boundaries we set are violated. There are also internal boundaries, or rules, ...

Passing on chance of glory

I recently stopped at the post office to mail a few packets. This is something that would normally take only a few minutes, but it consumed nearly half an hour and caused my wife to suffer some undue alarm. It wasn’t the post office’s fault. As I approached its exit, a vaguely familiar face hovered before me. It took a moment for the memory synapses to click. “Mr. Schrader?” I asked. “Is that you?” It was. Mel Schrader taught science class when I was in seventh grade. We chatted amiably for several minutes when a particular memory percolated up. “I remember in ...

No garbage found on this trip — just smiles

We spent a weekend in the Cities in December. Pam’s family was celebrating Christmas at her niece’s house. We found a VRBO in Bloomington where we stayed. It was an apartment we rented in a larger building with mostly permanent residents. We had two evenings and mornings to lounge about. There was a large central area where people came and went. There were cookies and coffee available. We were in and out often, so I had a lot of those little experiences crossing paths with other people. I enjoy those small connections. I smile and engage in short conversations. I hold a door ...

Longer mortgages wouldn’t pay off in the long run

We all know that housing has become less affordable in recent years, and there’s no easy answer for changing it. President Trump’s proposal for 50-year mortgages shows how there’s no easy answer. It sounds great because of the potential for lower monthly payments. It’s important, however, to consider all the ways it could negatively affect the housing market. For one thing, I wouldn’t bet the farm on the idea that buyers would choose lower payments. They’d have more purchasing power. They might decide to just pay more for a newer or bigger house. Even if they opt for ...

Country School Kids — Verlane Willard Ross and Lois Willard Giles — ‘Growing Up in Sodus Township’

This series arises from a February 2025 interview with two Willard sisters, Verlane and Lois, and a subsequent visit to their former country school. Lois passed away recently, so we dedicate this series to her memory, grateful for her and her sister’s generosity in sharing their early life with us. Verlane (Willard) Ross was born to Bertha (Hendrickson) and William Vernon Willard in Tracy, Minnesota on March 14, 1939. Her younger sister, Lois (Willard) Giles, was born in Tracy on August 12, 1942. Verlane was the second and Lois the fourth of five daughters born to Bertha and William. ...

Discovering God’s love during the new year

Although this may not reach Georgia Garvey, the syndicated columnist, who wrote the editorial, “The happy-enough holiday more than good-enough” ( Dec. 23 ), my intent is to share why the celebration of Christmas is “more than good-enough”. Georgia shared her Christmas memories at age 11. She and her two brothers received more presents than ever before. Later that day, she learned of her parents’ plans to divorce. She remembers none of the gifts she opened that year. “Even when holidays are happy, they’re sad.” She continues, “The stories Christians tell about the ...