June 2024

Faith Column: God-dependence instead of self-dependence

When I was a young husband, newly married, one of the most painful things my wife would say to me was, “Maybe I should call my dad to fix that for us.” Of course I’m joking, but every time she would say that my prideful juices would start boiling even though I couldn’t really fix anything.

The Lowe Down: Hostages in the war on morality…

As citizens, living in what the world sees as a free country, should our state or federal government mandate the books we read, websites to visit, social media outlets to enjoy, who to love, and enforce reproductive laws?

Dead leaves, dying branches – is it oak wilk or lingering effects of drought?

It’s no secret that Minnesotans love their trees and want to keep them healthy – but sometimes concern leads down the wrong the path.According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, in 2023 many people misdiagnosed deadly, invasive oak wilt when the culprit for most ailing oaks was general oak decline fueled by the severe drought seen in many parts of Minnesota at that time.“Symptoms like rapid death or dying branches can be attributed to both oak wilt and oak decline spurred by severe drought,” said Brian Schwingle, DNR Forest Health Program coordinator.

From the Editor’s Desk

As my son prepares for his second deployment, he’s also preparing for a trip home for an extended leave prior to his year-long station.

Memory Care Corner: After the diagnosis

After submitting my last article for publication, I came across a sentence that said “receiving a dementia diagnosis doesn’t make you any different than you were the day before.” Wow – isn’t that a powerful statement?!