Tag: homeless

About six years ago, I met a woman who changed my life. Her name is Cris Linnares and just for the record, she happens to be married to the man who publishes this column. I didn’t know that when I met her. I just knew she had an infectious personality and a heart for God and I needed to be ... Read More

I got a fun letter over the Christmas break from a college student who was perhaps misidentified.

Jared Nash is from Galchutt, N.D., a little community near Wahpeton, where I imagine everybody knows your name. He had an interesting encounter that got me thinking about how and why we treat people the way we do.

“I was on my way ... Read More

I may or may not have been scammed, and I may or may not care.

I was walking into the Dollar Tree the other day to help Santa with a little pre-Christmas elf work. Planted on the puddle-filled sidewalk about three feet from the door were two men who had set up a small stand. Sitting on their square folding table ... Read More

I find it interesting that we teach our children the importance of using manners and being kind and standing up for others, but sometimes we as adults fail in our own actions and words. I’m as guilty as the next person of hustling by someone who looks different. I avoid eye contact for fear that they will ask me for ... Read More

I used to think kindness was all about the money. Boy was I wrong. Anyone can walk by a beggar on the street and throw some coins in a can. But the person who stops, kneels down, looks that beggar in the eye and says, “Hey, I care about you because my creator cares about you” is the person who ... Read More

My friend Liz has been haunted for a year by the way she reacted to her husband’s random act of kindness last Christmas Eve. I’ll let her tell you about it:

“I love the holidays. I look forward to them every year. But inevitably, I am always amazed at the amount of stress I feel during this ‘joyous’ season. So much ... Read More

There is a gas station attached to a coffee shop in north Fargo where I like to write. It’s warm, it smells like java and fresh muffins, and there is just enough background noise to keep me on task.

The other day when I walked in, I noticed a man sitting at a table. He didn’t have anything to eat or ... Read More

I am privileged. Every night I get to go to sleep in a soft bed, and every morning I get to wake up in a warm house.

I’m starting to understand that even though that is the normal for me, it is considered an incredible privilege by many in our community.

Several hundred people in the Fargo-Moorhead area rely on groups like ... Read More