Opinions

Resurrection Reflection

Do you find that the most profound questions come when talking to children? If you are patient enough to listen, you can hear amazing the wisdom in the words of a young child. Usually, I am not patient enough, but every once in awhile, I will listen long enough to hear the voice of God. I remember...

I Was Thinking... Learn By Doing Nothing

Today was what the weatherman called a “Top 10” weather day. It was what we had hoped for all spring. And with the perfect day, people took advantage of it. Some golfed or played pickleball, others tilled their garden plot, mowed their lawn or planted flowers. You didn’t want to waste such a...

‘Yes’ to joining the National Nurse Licensure Compact; ‘No’ to “Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act”

On Friday, several news organizations reported on an email that Mayo Clinic officials sent to Democrat members of the Legislature and Governor Walz’s office sounding the alarm about two harmful pieces of legislation moving in the Minnesota legislature. One of those bills is the ‘Keeping Nurses at...

Social Media — Love it or Hate it?

My first negative experience with social media occurred several years ago when I was the Human Resource Manager for a company with stores across the United States. It was 5 a.m. in Mantorville and I was still sleeping when my phone rang. It was the company’s east coast manager calling to inform me...

Help provide kids a safe place to land

On an average day in Minnesota, more than 7,000 children are living in foster homes. Last year, a total of 11,235 children and young adults in our state experienced out-of-home care because they could not safely remain in their own homes. Some were housed with another family, others in group...

Faith in God requires us to be active partaker

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”- John 16:33 Spring Greetings! This past week, I mowed my grass for the first time of the 2023 season. At this time of year, it always looks so lush,...

I Was Thinking... Getting Away

At one time, vacations to distant places provided a chance to finally get away from it all. You left behind your job, the usual things from home and the people you interacted with on a daily basis. It was a change from the normal. Families were trapped in a car for hours and for better or for worse...

It’s time for some serious soul-searching

I spent all day last Saturday at the Synod Assembly for the Southeast Minnesota Synod of the ELCA. As a result I did not check the news feed on my phone until I got home in the evening. When I did look at it the first thing that popped up was a headline about a mass shooting in Texas. Another...

Your family farm can benefit southern Minnesota’s future

As president of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) I travel across our region nearly every day visiting people and places in the 20 counties that we serve. Over the 16 years that I have worked at SMIF, I have watched farming practices change and adapt. As someone who comes from a...

I Was Thinking... Do It Yourself

The ability to do it yourself often is a badge of pride for many people. If you can do it yourself, you can eliminate the need to call in somebody else and can save yourself money. And if you don’t know how to do it, there is probably a YouTube video that can give you step by step instructions....