At first, Tom Bley, the executive director of Camp Shalom, thought that offering a camp for adults with disabilities would unnecessarily compete with the good work of Camp Courageous, a camp near Monticello, Iowa, solely for people with disabilities….
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Editor’s note: On Sunday, Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m., St. Paul will host a free viewing of Screenagers: Growing up in the digital age. It is open to the public. Watch the film, then take part in a discussion afterwards. No need to sign up, just come. Physici…
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When I was in high school, I worked at a homeschooling curriculum supply store. Our shop was wall-to-wall with books, games, programs, software; basically every supply a person would need to educate a child at home from preschool to 12th grade. This…
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Chris Gibney had an idea – to set up a college scholarship at Pleasant Valley High School in honor of his father- and mother-in-law. He mentioned it out loud to one other person. “The next morning my phone rang and I was off to the races.” “Pleasant…
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The world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing. Those words, penned by Edmund Sears in 1849, conclude the first stanza of the carol “It Came upon the Midnight Clear.” On this twelfth and final day of Christmas, I hope you have managed to…
With camera in hand, Tom Betts explores wherever he goes. Tom once had no interest in photography. But he had heard people talking about iPhones, so he decided to get one. That was in January 2012. One cool feature he discovered is that iPhones take…
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Have you purchased your partridge in a pear tree yet this year? Received your three French Hens or two Turtle Doves? Ordered your seven swans for this Saturday? Neither have I. I must admit, I’ve never really understood the meaning (or the appeal) of…
A few weeks ago, I was at a bookstore with a friend. On a bottom shelf, I noticed a book about Pope Francis, “The Name of God is Mercy.” I pulled it out and opened it up. “Yes, I believe that this a time for mercy,” he says in the opening pages. “The…
By Paula Durham Christmas is full of meaningful traditions for me, but is also a time of change and newness. The Christmas stockings handmade by my Grandma for my brother and me, and the family Christmas tree ornaments were anchors through several ho…
By Jennifer Weyeneth Love is a gift of hope and safety. It is the link between the heavenly realm of abstract deity and practical earth. I found love in the northern cold winter solstice sky as the brilliant Christmas reds were reaching across the wh…
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The cold was so deep Sunday night. Smoke poured out of chimneys. Gloves prevented numb fingers for just a few minutes. The final stop was King’s Harvest, a shelter on the edge of downtown Davenport. The block was deserted, except for three men who hu…
By Allison Adams I’ve been a planner all my life. Sometimes to the point where my family thinks I am going off the deep end. I love making lists and I’m the annoying person on vacations who likes to make an itinerary. I even made a packing list 3 mon…