Our youngest daughter, and last child at home, graduated high school, and moved away from us, all within the span of two hours this past week. Twenty-eight years of raising children, and in the span of minutes … “POOF!” … Shelley and I found ourselves staring at each other across our ...
I was recently asked to speak at a meeting of a secret society. I was surprised when they invited me as it’s widely known that I can’t keep a secret. My wife and I went to an innocuous building located in the midst of a sleepy college town. We descended a set of concrete stairs that led ...
In a season where a mix of winter and spring suddenly gave way to summer, I found myself gently dangling my hand off the side of my kayak in a backwater connecting two lakes. It was a Memorial Day weekend tradition for me to fish the mud-bottomed stop just downstream from the cabin, and a ...
A while ago I read a book that has always flowed through me. The name of the book is “A River Runs Through It” by Norman Maclean. It's a story about the author's growing up in rural Montana, and his relationship with his brother. Although different in some ways, they usually bonded over their love of fly fishing in a local river. What they learned is that life is like a river — it flows and has many different personalities. I was drawn to that image of the river. About two years ago, some of the family took a trip to Yellowstone National Park. It was during winter so the skiers ...
Hospitals have been a major part of Minnesota’s statewide news in the past few weeks, as both large and small facilities adapt to changing times. The news about Hennepin County Medical Center and Sanford is a major development. There have also been articles about smaller facilities in places like Madelia in south central Minnesota and Virginia on the Iron Range. Health care has seen vast changes in the past 20 years. It’s become more expensive with higher insurance premiums and higher out of pocket costs. It’s also become more corporate. There are far fewer municipal ...
The long-awaited summertime is here. We hope you are getting plenty of chances to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and warm temperatures. Yet this wish comes with a word of caution. Because we’re often more active and out and about during the summer, we face the risk of seasonal injuries and illnesses. June is National Safety Month, a time to remind ourselves of the importance of taking extra measures to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. Our local emergency department is open 24/7 to handle unexpected health conditions. While emergency care is always available, it’s also ...
