It had been over twenty years since we drove down the country road at the edge of town. Rows of corn at full height and tasseled out followed the gentle slopes. Red barns flanked by large silos were surrounded by thick groves of hardwood trees, the perfect shelter against the harsh Midwest storms that blew in as fast as they blew out. We were going to see the hobby farm we had lived on when my husband and I moved our small family from CA to Fergus Falls, MN over 30 years earlier. After two ... View the Post
Learning, Loving, and Putting the GRAND in Grandparents. What is your legacy?
A few years back I wrote a story for the Colfax Record about grandparenting and interviewed people who had just become grandparents for the first time. When I asked a friend, Dena Saunders, what kind of a legacy she wanted to leave for the next generation it didn't take long to respond. "I want to be known as the Grandma who prays," she said. "If my grandkids have something that comes up in their lives I want them to know they can always ask me to pray with them and for them." I thought ... View the Post
Happy Grandparent’s Day
In 1979, Mrs. Marian McQuade's appeal to have a special day to recognize the value that grandparents have with the next generation was signed as an official proclamation by President Jimmy Carter. It wasn't meant to be an overly commercialized day that flooded the market with an abundance of cards or token gifts, but rather a day to connect.. Mrs. McQuade was the mom of 15 children, 43 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild before she passed away in 2008. She ... View the Post
30 Days until Launch..part 1
Several months ago I began thinking of things that are part of our family traditions. Last year our two older boys married amazing young women and I wanted to a pass along a few things we did as a family when the kids were younger. One of the first things that came to mind was baking cookies. From the time the kids were old enough to wear aprons and lick the beaters, I baked gingersnaps. Instead of rolling the ball of dough into sugar and flattening it with the bottom of a cup, I used a ... View the Post