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Walking the mile together: A reflection from United Way of Southwest Minnesota

The other weekend, as I sat in church with my family, something unexpected happened. A hymn I’ve heard countless times before suddenly felt new. Maybe it was the quiet of the sanctuary, or the peaceful weight of my granddaughter on my lap — but when the congregation sang this verse, it reached straight into my heart: “We are pilgrims on a journey, we are trav’lers on the road; We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.” Those words lingered with me long after the Mass ended. They expressed something I’ve always believed: we’re not meant to ...

Arts council and city of Marshall should forge stronger ties

Sometimes an organization has to take a step back in order to eventually grow. That’s the case with the Marshall Area Fine Arts Council. I read with interest a Deb Gau article in the Independent this month about how MAFAC plans to lease space at City Hall. MAFAC can no longer afford the rent at its Third Street location. It needed a place downtown that would cost less yet still be accessible to the public. Moving to city hall means giving some things up. There will no longer be a gift shop. They’ll have just an office instead of both an office and their own space for meetings. ...

Spring fever

Midwinter is known for bringing on a bout of spring fever, but the focus on the season ahead of warming, melting and thawing isn’t necessarily what I have in mind. Rather, time on the ice still remains and good fishing can still be had with a bit of finesse and a combination of tools both old and new to help turn finicky fish into those rocketing up the hole with a few turns of the reel. The spring bobber isn’t anything new. It’s likely been around for half a century as ice anglers adopted these super sensitive selections of wire that could be attached to the tip of an ice rod ...

Little steps

All of us have begun a journey by doing exactly the same thing. We all began whatever adventure by taking little steps before we are confident enough to take big steps. I doubt if any of us can recall taking our first steps. The one thing I’m sure of is that there was always someone there helping us by holding our hands and guiding us. With experience and confidence, those little steps became the adult sized steps we take today. Someone guided us. Remember when you began to drive? The learning experience was guided by a driving instructor or our adult family members. I took ...

Living through century of history

An email recently arrived from a lady named Paula Gorgey, who is a fan of my work. We corresponded a bit and I learned that Paula is 100 years old and had grown up in Hungary. Sensing a good story, I asked if she would consent to a phone interview. Much to my delight, she said yes. “I was born in Budapest on August 24, 1925, just a few years after the Great War,” Paula began. “My father was an officer on a submarine during the war, and it’s a great point of pride that my grandson is currently serving on a nuclear submarine based in Hawaii.” I asked Paula about her ...

Don’t despair, baseball season around the corner

The early 20th century baseball star Rogers Hornsby was asked what he did in the off season. “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” As winter drags on, we can all appreciate Hornsby’s sentiment. As I write, a 40 mph wind is blowing in below zero temps. Whatever charm winter had, (“Oh look, the mosquitoes are gone”), faded with the passing of the Christmas season. Like the weather, the news has also been bad. The divisions in our nation are wide. So, I’ve decided to write ...