New friends, old friends — sometimes, we just need a friend.
This past May, on my 45th birthday, I got a text from a high school friend. We keep up with each other’s families on Facebook, but that’s about it. Still, when we do talk, it’s like there has been no passage of time.
Along with the text, this friend sent me ... Read More
Does anyone else feel like marriage is a tricky thing during COVID-19?
I say that only sort of jokingly. My husband and I had a conversation the other day about how different our daily interactions are with each other. Normally, as a college basketball coach, Saul is on the road recruiting or heading to away games. I spend a lot of ... Read More
Have you ever been encouraged by someone else’s story? I bet you have. It’s a special brand of kindness to share our vulnerabilities because it reminds others in their scariest moments that we’re not alone.
Fargo resident Pat Pobst recalls a time many years ago that she needed to draw on another family’s story.
“Back in the late 1980s, The Forum ran ... Read More
I love sharing stories of people going out of their way to help others. Or the ones where a person was having a bad day and kindness showed up just when they needed it.
There is so much goodness happening in the world; people reaching out through the anger and fear to remind others they are not alone.
But there is one ... Read More
Sometimes it feels like we’re on the same team and sometimes it feels like we’re not even playing the same sport. Have you ever felt that way with people? I know I have.
Whether it’s a playful difference of opinion or a deeply rooted divergence in values, I hope at the end of the day, we can say we loved people ... Read More
My friend, who is an elementary school teacher, had the most amazing experience the other day. She got to present a high school diploma to one of her former second graders!
As a little girl, the student wanted to be just like her teacher. Now a decade later, she’s on the path to making that happen.
My friend is kind and caring ... Read More
I have a theory: I think our world is like our bodies.
We become healthy with tiny, day-by-day good decisions. Maybe we go for a walk. Or say no to that second piece of pie. Or have a cup of tea instead of another rum and Coke.
Some of those decisions are hard. We have to be intentional about remembering the bigger ... Read More
I see the anger and division happening in our country. I know you see it, too. How can we not?
People are working so hard to heal the brokenness once and for all, but along with that comes more fear, more disagreements about the best way to create change and more distance between people.
Good will come of this. I’m certain of ... Read More
I interviewed Jason Mraz for “The Kindness Podcast” last week about his new album coming out in June, “Look for the Good.”
When I asked him to share one story of kindness that really affected him, he went back decades, to the beginning of his career. He told me about being a starving musician and about the ... Read More
I went to bed Saturday night filled with grief for my Fargo. I say “my Fargo” because after living there for ten years and having two babies in its hospitals, it became mine.
I began getting updates online when the peaceful protest turned violent. My heart ached for the downtown shop owners who waited to see if the front windows ... Read More
