By Rev. Debra Jene Collum Chatfield United Methodist Imagine for a moment, a gift you received from a child: a grand child, a son or daughter, a niece or nephew, a neighbor child. Think carefully. What did it look like? Was it a clay mug with a misshapen handle? A leather key fob made at camp with the word “mom” crookedly stamped on to it? Or a cross made from macaroni and … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Icy and fiery, a Christmas like no other
It was a Christmas never to be forgotten by those who experienced it or heard about it from older family members. The temperature was teens below zero, but stationed on every nearby roof to the southeast, people guarded against airborne embers. It was about 10:30 Friday night, December 19, 1924, when on his way home, Owen Onsgard smelled smoke. Several hours after the start of … [Read more...]
Nothing says Christmas like lip lilac and a fruitcake
Lip lilac, visage violet or mug holly. My mother hung mistletoe in the doorways. I became a little boy avoiding females frequenting our domicile. Now, I try to avoid holiday songs that can make the world wince. Listening to Christmas music can be dangerous, don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. Music filled the air of the festive and shiny store. Playing music in … [Read more...]
There are no ordinary moments in life
Carl became a school bus driver because he hated kids. We all knew that. He was good at his job, a safe driver who put many roads and kids behind him, but he was never happy to see us. No kid had ever seen him smile. I could tie my shoes and count by twos, so I sat in the 3rd-grade row of bus seats. We sorted ourselves. Younger kids in front, the older kids in the back. The … [Read more...]
Gaining some lack this Christmas
I’m experimenting on my kids.Don’t tell them that. Some of you actually know my kids, so I’m serious. What’s the experiment? For several years, I’ve been curating lack in their lives. Before you call Protective Services, don’t worry... my kids are clothed and fed. But here’s what I mean: Convenience in America has turned into quite the little beast. Somewhere along the … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Backwards races and barrel races – on ice
Fourth of a winter series A century ago, young and somewhat older residents of southeast Minnesota did not always pass personal time indoors during long winters. When work was completed, recreation thrived outdoors in January as well as in July. In the first half of the 1900s, ice skating was a given on a large lake in Hokah, the Big Slough in Houston, the Mississippi River … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Tradition gives connection
By Pastor Bridget Sheely Racine/Wykoff/Sumner Center UMC I love Christmas! From when I was a child in the ‘70s to this day, Christmas has been that time of year that has awaken the fruits of Advent in my soul. Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. As a child this special feeling came in the form of learning and experiencing my family’s Christmas traditions. As another season of … [Read more...]
I’m a wonder — I wonder what I’m looking for
I remember my uncle smoking cheap cigars. When flush with cash, he’d move up to affordable White Owl cigars. I knew when that happened because I could smell the burning feathers. He chewed on the end of a cigar like Clint Eastwood in a spaghetti western until the stogie became eligible for carbon dating. I was at an airport when a guy fainted onto the baggage carousel. He … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Fun on ice with clubs and a flaming missile
Third of a winter series There was plenty of action and competition in the 1870s and 1880s, even before the advent of school-sponsored sports. W. J. Langen (1869-1960) like many other boys, ice skated near Hokah on a 30-acre lake, which at the slightest spell of cold weather, would provide fine skating ice. Boys would gather evenings, often for a game of “shinny.” A block of … [Read more...]
Good News
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Churches: Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) Please take a moment and look at the Nativity Scene pictured here... take a moment to consider the Good News of the birth of our Savior Jesus... This is the Good News of Christmas...John 3:16 reminds us that God sent his only Son out of love for the human … [Read more...]