You want to feel loved? Go be a pastor at a rural church in South Dakota. It’s like stepping into a family reunion and a group hug at the same time.
I got to preach not only at one, but at TWO churches this weekend. You cannot even begin to imagine how full my love tank is ... Read More
There’s a pretty big celebrity living in my neighborhood. I hate to brag, but the president lives just a few doors down from me. If you weren’t aware, you might drive past his house without knowing it.
His name is Dawson, and he is president of the student body at Lincoln Elementary School in Aberdeen, S.D.
Back in October, Dawson ran for ... Read More
Being in South Dakota means I get to be surrounded by wide-open spaces. Most of those spaces are fields that grow the food my family and I so often take for granted.
But not today. Today I am grateful for the woman who sent in this story, who has spent countless hours working in the bubble of a combine harvester to ... Read More
I’ve been spending lots of time in the corn field lately.
Aberdeen is a unique community in the way town and country sort of blend into one. I live in a mature neighborhood next to a major cross street, yet two blocks away I have my corn field.
Well, it’s not MY cornfield. I’ve just sort of claimed it. It’s been ... Read More
Sometimes, people don’t realize how big of an impact they’re making. They do something because “it’s the right thing to do” or they brush off their kind act because it seems too simple to even count as kindness.
Perhaps they believe they aren’t making a difference in the long run, but Amanda Klyn, from Corson, S.D., would beg to differ. Here’s ... Read More
It’s Monday, but I’m stuck in a time warp because I’m at a basketball tournament in Sioux Falls, SD. Basketball tournaments do that to me. I forget what day it is, what time I’m supposed to go to bed and what I should to eat to stay a human in reasonably good shape.
So it’s Monday and thanks to the diligence ... Read More
A year ago we were living in a home filled with uncertainty. My husband’s basketball season was coming to a close and we were unsure what the next few months would bring.
While we thought there would be two more years to build the team, we could hear faint voices yelling from the sidelines, “Off with his head!”
Social media is ... Read More
My fourth grade son, Ben, told me his teacher pretends to vomit anytime the kids start bickering with each other in his class. Isn’t that hysterical?
Instead of yelling or raining down punishment, the teacher just walks over and pretends to gag. The kids immediately realize what they’re doing and are distracted enough to let it go.
The principal in that same ... Read More
Bravery is such a slippery concept. Sometimes we think we have tons of it, and then we face a chance to flex and instead we back down.
Other times we are sure we can’t possibly be brave enough to face a situation until we have to actually walk through it. And then we do.
I saw my kids exhibit such immense bravery ... Read More
Every time I see banana-flavored Laffy Taffy, I feel a little tug on my heart.
It’s especially prominent now that my family has moved from Ohio to South Dakota. I left a dear friend in Ohio named Liz. Liz was my son Charlie’s third grade teacher and I spent a lot of time in her classroom. We also spent a lot ... Read More
