Personal

Midway

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The house where my wife and I raised our children, the house my daughter now owns, is three blocks from the epicenter of the rioting and looting that took place in St. Paul last week, an area called Midway. On Thursday night, she called us on the hour to let us know she was fine. … Read more

Zelda Comes Home

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In these dark days of the pandemic, we all need hope. Here’s a story that will warm your hearts, offer you some hope, and maybe even make you believe in miracles. My daughter Seneca has always opened her heart to the wounded in our world, both human and non-human. She is a marriage and family … Read more

Easter Sunday

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Easter Sunday, and it snowed nearly six inches in Saint Paul. Mid-April, but it looked more like bleak December. By late afternoon, I’d been stuck in the house way too long and needed an outing. I walked to Como Park, not far from my home. The weather was grim, the low, slate clouds still spitting … Read more

Abandoned Places

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I’ve driven Interstate 40, which follows historic Route 66, many times. In the Southwest particularly, there are so many abandoned places—old tourist stops, defunct gas stations, sometimes whole towns. I’ve never stopped to investigate these places, but my son has a great interest in doing exactly this. Yesterday, we visited a couple of these abandoned … Read more

November 22, 1963

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I know exactly where I was at 2:00 PM on November 22, 1963: climbing the stairway of Shawnee Middle School, moving between classes. Over the PA system came our principal’s somber voice informing us that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, Texas. He asked us to pray for the president. Before the … Read more