Christmas at the Fargo Mansion

It’s been about a year since I last stayed at the Fargo Mansion Inn in Lake Mills, Wisconsin but the many fond memories of that visit still remain. Many folks in that small, picturesque village showed me so many kindnesses. And two of the kindest, most sincere...

Who is Addie to Me?

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “How are you related to Addie?” When I gave my talk in Lake Mills on September 4th, I explained that I didn’t even know I had an Aunt Addie until my father died in June 2011. While I was...

Who is Addie to Me?

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “How are you related to Addie?” When I gave my talk in Lake Mills on September 4th, I explained this in some detail, and perhaps it’d be a good idea to do that here, as well. My great-great...

On Behalf of a Grateful Nation…

The piece below was written June 20, 2011 (Monday). Today was the day of my father’s memorial service. And it was also the day that I delivered my first eulogy. Thanks to a lot of kind souls and a lot of help, it turned out to be a beautiful service and was well...

Rediscovering Innocence

June 10th (Friday) at 2:25 am, my father passed on. He was three days shy of his 92nd birthday. I was with him those last few days, and thanks be to God, it was a peaceful ending. The blog below was written in October 2010, soon after he was moved into assisted...