Language and conversation are so filled with mystery! One of my nephews used to confuse “look, see, watch.” He figured out that if he wanted to show me a rock, he could say, “look at this!” but once in awhile would blurt out “see at this!” Or he’d want to show me that he could now ice skate without holding... READ MORE >
The annual Borealis Chorale and Orchestra concert last Sunday and Monday included a little-known but wonderful carol, Some Children See Him. This lovely carol seems to me a lullaby for all of us: Some Children See HimSome children see Him lily white,The baby Jesus born this night.Some children see Him lily white,With tresses soft and fair.Some children see Him bronzed... READ MORE >
Recently while in a Duluth checkout line, I heard this: “I’m not sure I’ll be satisfied with this …I’ve spent months looking at choices. One looks good, then another. Bet when I get home, I’ll still not be satisfied. Maybe if this one was a different dark-blue, you know, maybe a medium dark-blue.” It seems that “endless choices” are a... READ MORE >
Here is how my friend Lori from Cloquet plants her garden: She thinks about it, for a long time. Waits for the snow to melt (a long time this year!). Watches for seeds display to hit the stores. Reads through varieties. And waits longingly for that particular day when the warmth of sun and length of daylight hours tell her,... READ MORE >
Maybe you, like me, can tell when the winter is getting toooo-long. We start scanning roadsides, filled with mid-thigh-deep snow, hoping to see some signs of changes in the color of willows, or hoping to see signs that signal that the promise of spring is given again this year. Out and about this week, I found myself doing just that:... READ MORE >
Have you seen the ice? The smoothness stretching almost endlessly? The smoothness which, when the sun pops out, becomes a blindingly bright reflector of the 93 million-miles-away yet still so powerful light filled rays. Have you seen it? Ice? Rays of sun? Glinting back into sky and vision? True, we’ve had a stretch of snow filled, wind-blown, dang-cold weather—but look... READ MORE >
On August 12, 2018, there will be a Dedication and Thanksgiving Celebration at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hovland. This dedication looks forward, and also looks back. The first Highway 61 dedication for Trinity was in 1950; this year’s dedication at Trinity looks forward to finding new ways to serve the community. The August 12, 2018 “Dedication and Thanksgiving” Open House... READ MORE >
For many of us, of many differing backgrounds, traditions, faiths, Psalm 23 from the Jewish Torah and included in the Christian Bible brings a resonance with life. Even many who don’t express a spiritual faith find the words and poetry of Psalm 23 extraordinarily meaningful, intriguing, telling. For three thousand years, Psalm 23 has been spoken, sung, valued, prayed. The... READ MORE >
Yes, the weather has been a whole lot more November than April recently! At the Hovland Dock when a gale meant waves and large sections of ice flowing over and under the dock, it seemed November. It was mid- April, but with thick blowing snowfall, felt November. In one day’s snow tracks of deer, rabbit, wolf, and humans appeared. The... READ MORE >
Have you noticed how intently we are watching for spring? The melt’s not fast enough, sun not hot enough, soil not soft enough. We want birds from the south, bees from their hives. We draw the line at mosquitoes, but do want warmer weather so birds, bats, and waterfowl, water beetle, and minnows can chow down on them. Our signs... READ MORE >
