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On Birthdays and Other Celebrations
A friend of mine once gave me the secret of slowing summer down- Anticipation. “Think about it.” He said, “When you were a kid, you couldn’t wait for Christmas, Summer vacation, your birthday, visiting relatives, whatever. You’d ask how many days it was, how long would it take, you would anticipate.” I nodded- it made […]
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A Word is Worth 1,000 Pictures
I did a little fact checking on this- the average person (man or woman) speaks about sixteen thousand words a day- most are trivial- most are forgotten. Which brings me to this thank-you card I got from a twenty-two- year-old friend of the family. I found out that he was going to celebrate his birthday […]
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Art and the Outdated
Art is creating something original or unexpected that pleases ourselves. Here is the story of this lamp: My grandfather worked with wood as a hobby. He passed the hobby on to his son and his son passed it on to me. I not only have the knowledge, I also have many of the tools. Like […]
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Aren’t We All in Essence, Our Memories?
I have managed the Funeral Planning department for 10 years. “The best part of what I do is the learning the stories and life lessons of families we serve. I meet people every day who may or may not be rich, but have led rich lives.” Take a listen to my TEDx talk, where I […]
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The Man Who Saved Christmas
If you’re having trouble summoning the holiday spirit, pay a visit to Jeff Gould’s radio studio. You might as well be entering the North Pole. The longtime host of “A Prairie Christmas” greets you wearing a pine-green shirt and tweed jacket, his gloves, galoshes and cap settled nearby as sleigh-bell music fills the space. Soon […]
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Family Selfie Portrait
Lottery Winner Announced! …No, I never won any money, but I did win the Great Family Sweepstakes. Here are the ones who came and saw my Tedx Talk at USD in Vermillion. So much better than mere money!
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Emily Elizabeth and Clifford
Maggie has an old pickup she calls Clifford the Big Red Dog. It’s old and clunky and she has decided to make the best of it. Here she is for Halloween dressed up as…Emily Elizabeth. What a great idea — and a great daughter too!
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Talking About TED Talks
I did a TED Talk- well technically it’s a TEDx talk, which means it’s like playing in the minor leagues instead of the majors, but it’s still a pretty big deal, and I was thrilled to go. Alone. I mean why would anyone want to drive 80 to 300 miles to go see me talk […]
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A Party Without Cake Is Just A Meeting
I’ve gone to a lot of boring meetings… maybe they just needed cake.
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You Must Be Talented
Here is a photo of a trunk I just started working on for my friend Bonnie Andersen. It will be my fifth one, and people who see them when they’re done tell me how talented I must be. Which is super funny, because it takes absolutely zero talent to fix up a trunk. Here’s what […]