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Looking at empathy

Community Voices

The word empathy is used a lot. Sometimes it is confused with sympathy, but they are different. When you feel sympathy for somebody those are your feelings, experienced by you. Sympathy involves what you feel when you witness another person’s suffering or terrible misfortune. You may feel compassion, pity, sadness, or sorrow for him or her. So what is empathy? Empathy is your ability to understand someone else’s feelings. In a way, it is something like putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. It involves recognizing, understanding, responding to, sharing, or even ...

Gas prices higher in Marshall — why?

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Could our local gas stations and owners please explain to me and the public why gas prices in Marshall continue to be anywhere from five cents up to thirty cents more per gallon than those in some of our area communities. Kwik Trip in Pipestone is thirty cents per gallon cheaper for 88 fuel. I would think they would pay the same Minnesota gas taxes as our local Kwik Trip. And in smaller communities around Marshall, gas is almost always cheaper than Marshall. Why? In those South Dakota communities that are relatively close to us, they too are cheaper. But I understand ...

A time for reflection

Local Columns

Every so often, we should take time to reflect on the past and the present. It’s important for me to live my own advice so here are some thoughts on the past and the present. During a recent conversation with a friend, we found ourselves mentally and verbally meandering about our respective families history. As it turns out, we both share a good amount of Norwegian ancestry. And,both of our paternal grandfathers were from Norway, and surprisingly, my grandfather came from a Norwegian town just a few miles north of my friend’s grandfather. Wow! We wondered if maybe they knew ...

Squirrel!

Local Columns

There’s nothing more powerful in the outdoors on a calm day than a squirrel for those of us who find ourselves on the deer stand. Whether it’s the scuttling in the leaves on the floor of the woods, or the rustling of small branches coming with a leap from tree to tree in a shelterbelt along a farm field, the big sounds generated by these little animals sets all hunters on edge. For me, they’re welcome company in the slow hours, watching them move with relative grace, ascending and spiraling around the trunks of cottonwoods, boxelders and oaks, before descending upside down along ...

Focus on mental health first

Community Voices

When tragedy strikes close to home, it leaves a mark that, hopefully, never fades. The recent shooting at Annunciation church and school has shaken Minnesotans to our core. Parents, teachers, neighbors, and all of us are asking the same question: how do we make sure something like this never happens again? Gov. Walz and many Democrats in the legislature have been quick to use this tragedy to focus on what kinds of guns should be banned and what new gun ownerships restrictions can be put in place. I understand why that is the instinct, but I believe we will be more effective if we ...

Appreciate assisted living

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: I was interested in Jim Muchlinski’s recent column in recognition of National Assisted Living Week. I wanted to add my voice to his, expressing my appreciation for assisted living. In May I moved to Fieldcrest Assisted Living, which is located in Cottonwood and owned by Prairie Home Hospice and Community Care of Marshall. I enjoy my quiet, comfortable apartment, the pleasant surroundings and friendly, caring staff. It is good to have help with housekeeping tasks and have daily healthy monitoring. Also, it is reassuring to know that if I need hospice care in the ...