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Remembering Them All

Over the Memorial Day weekend, it has never seemed right to write about anything but, well, Memorial Day. To remind everyone – myself included – that the holiday is not about barbecues and fireworks and the unofficial start of summer. It’s about remembering and honoring those who gave their lives in service to our country. Every year, I’ve taken part of the day to sit back and reflect on this, as well as to call or text my son – [...]

By |May 31st, 2022|Columns, Holidays|

An Odd Week at Home

It’s been an odd week. I did another COVID test on Friday and, like the one I did the week before, it was positive. This wasn’t particularly alarming, since I heard from several people – including a doctor and a pharmacist – that positive test results are not uncommon for a while after having COVID, even after symptoms are gone and it’s safe to start going about your normal activities again. My symptoms by that time were almost completely gone. [...]

By |May 23rd, 2022|Accountability, Columns, Family, Health and Well-being|

COVID Hits Home

Okay, it’s my turn. I felt like I was coming down with a cold yesterday. It was worse this morning, with a few extra symptoms that were annoying, but not alarming. Still, I remember a friend of mine saying not long ago that he had had what he thought was a cold, but turned out to be COVID. So I did a home COVID test, and – sure enough – it was positive. The first thing I did was call [...]

By |May 13th, 2022|Columns, Family, Health and Well-being|

Happy Mother’s Day!

Today, I want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to everyone who is – or has been – important to a child… To the ones who gave birth to them and raised them – which is often, but not always, the same person. To the ones who nurtured, educated, and inspired them. To the ones who stepped in and took over when Mom needed a break, or had to go back to work. To the ones who never had kids [...]

By |May 8th, 2022|Columns, Family, Holidays, Making a Difference, Values|

A Leading Question

The graduation ceremony for my Putnam Leadership class was last week. No ”Pomp and Circumstance” or caps and gowns, but it included speeches by the leaders of the program, announcements of our activities and achievements, and presentation of our graduation certificates. Plus a nice dinner and a gift bag. In addition to the graduates and instructors, several city and county officials attended the event. I always find occasions such as this to be bittersweet, representing both an ending and a [...]

Together Again!

I spent the weekend in Duluth – Georgia, not Minnesota – attending a Toastmasters District Conference. It was our first live conference since Spring of 2019, and it felt wonderful to be there again, live and in person. Numerous safety measures were in place, including mask and social distancing rules and recommendations, and a requirement for proof of a negative COVID test taken 24 hours before the start of the Conference. A testing station was set up near the registration [...]