Our family celebrates Christmas. For me, it is the time of year when spirit is strongest. I remember my mother, who instilled my love of music and the arts, gone now for eleven years. I think of my Father, my coach, and mentor, gone now for nearly ten years. I think of my Grandmother, who …
Thoughts On the Election
When I was young, I wasn’t interested in politics. What others thought didn’t concern me. I studied economics in college, and I thought I understood the world! The future looked bright. My viewpoints have changed! Why people think the way they do fascinates me now. Over time, I learned there is very little about …
Resilience
If we are lucky, there are periods in life when everything seems to fall into place; school, work, family, relationships, etc. Curiously, at such times, we're usually too busy to even notice our good fortune. Then something happens; illness, the loss of a loved one, getting laid off, or suddenly finding ourselves in a pandemic. …
Soul-Food
We live in the North-country. In springtime, when the rest of the nation is going to the lawn and garden center, we are shoveling snow. At the cabin, I don't cut grass for the first time until Memorial Day weekend. Why would someone live in such a place? The answer used to be prominently displayed …
Out To Pasture
“Out to pasture” is a derogatory label no one aspires to. That’s why my bicycle ride out Moose Lake Road to Sawyer County S last summer took me by surprise. The 26-mile route from our cabin is one of my favorites, especially in the second half of June when wildflowers are in full bloom! The …
A Fish Out OF Water
I’m not much of a fisherman, but as summer draws to a close, I thought a fishing story might be in order. Our daughter Julia and husband Ryan spent a month and a half at the cabin with us this summer. (The teaching profession has some advantages!). While on the pontoon boat touring the perimeter …
Wisdom From Grandma
Two weeks ago, we became Grandparents! How lucky we are to witness the cycle of birth. I only got to know one of my Grandparents, My Grandma Laura Coats. I was very fond of her. Grandma was born in 1899. She lived the first half of her life on a small farm without indoor plumbing …
This I Believe
“This I Believe” was originally a 1950’s radio talk show hosted by Edward R. Murrow. At the time, Americans would gather around the radio to hear essays written by famous people like Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, and Helen Keller as well as those from everyday people relating the core values that guided their lives. NPR …
The Space Between
Space intrigues me. I have never really understood it. What does the space between the earth and moon consist of? It must be something, otherwise that space wouldn’t exist. According to Einstein, space and time are related, a fabric if you will. Mass warps this fabric, like a bowling ball on a rubber sheet. Objects …
The Evolution of We
Our country faces enormous issues: -A world pandemic that will not be short-lived. -Escalating government debt that is too large to be repaid. -Public pension funds that are insufficient to serve the flood of retiring baby boomers -Insufficient Jobs capable of supporting a family for the non-college educated majority -Income inequality at a 100-year high …
Towards A Life Well-Lived 