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Good Morning 8-28-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

I have to say that I prefer waking up on my own to the screeching of the alarm on my phone. I know it’s saying “Rise and shine!” I know that I need a couple of hours on my own each morning before I head out into the day. I just like it better when my body tells me to wake up rather than an alarm even if it’s 4 in the morning. It’s still dark outside. I can’t see even a glimmer in the sky to the east, but it is morning and I am ready — okay, semi-ready … Continue reading Good Morning 8-28-26

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Good Morning 8-27-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

Yesterday was the first day of school for our students. I was working in the office and there were definitely highs and lows with chaos ruling most of the time. Students, especially freshmen, didn’t know how to operate a lock on their locker despite repeated instructions. Kids who didn’t read their many emails, didn’t know their schedule. Many are already sure they want to drop one class for another. All of them came to the office and it was nuts. Add to that, the new construction on the front of the building that created a beautiful new, secure office space … Continue reading Good Morning 8-27-26

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Good Morning 8-26-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

This is the fifth year that I have been teaching in some capacity or another for a Catholic School District in Racine. As such, I’ve learned a lot about Catholicism, its traditions, celebrations, and requirements. One of the requirements of the Catholic faith is called Confession. While many churches still have and use the confessional “closet” where you sit on one side of the screen, obscured from view by the priest, and recite all the things you’ve done wrong, the new approach is referred to as Reconciliation. It involves a more open conversation. It still ends with the penance due … Continue reading Good Morning 8-26-26

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Good Morning 8-25-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

School is starting in many cities and towns across the U.S. While some districts wait for Labor Day to pass, others, like the Chicago school district started yesterday. We received the requisite pictures from our younger daughter. Both of her boys were standing on the porch. The oldest, Henry, is starting high school. His brother is now a 7th grader. It seems like just yesterday, the pic she sent was of the two of them at ages 6 and 4, standing on their front porch, backpacks on, smiles in place. The photos went out to us and our other two … Continue reading Good Morning 8-25-26

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Good Morning 8-24-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

Tomorrow is another Monday. Songs abound about this day and few of them are singing its praises. “Rainy Days and Mondays (always get me down)” by the Carpenters. “Monday, Monday (can’t trust that day)” by the Mamas and the Papas. “It Sure Is Monday (ain’t it the truth? I partied too hardy, now I’m payin’ my dues)” by Mark Chestnutt. “(It’s just another) Manic Monday” by The Bangles. “I Don’t Like Mondays” by the Boomtown Rats. Okay, I admit, I have no idea who the Boomtown Rats are. All of these and more are songs that have nothing positive to … Continue reading Good Morning 8-24-26

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Good Morning 8-24-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

Saturday we laid my friend, Pam, to rest. It’s hard to imagine. She was never at rest. She was a mover and a shaker, a talker and a first class musician. Small wonder that she got an additional five bonus years, as she referred to them, after her initial diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. I think the disease itself simply couldn’t keep up with her. She never stopped. I struggle to imagine that she is really gone. The service held at the church she loved so much was planned by her. Daughter Kari found the details in one of her many … Continue reading Good Morning 8-24-26

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Good Morning 8-23-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

Tomorrow is another Monday. Songs abound about this day and few of them are singing its praises. “Rainy Days and Mondays (always get me down)” by the Carpenters. “Monday, Monday (can’t trust that day)” by the Mamas and the Papas. “It Sure Is Monday (ain’t it the truth? I partied too hardy, now I’m payin’ my dues)” by Mark Chestnutt. “(It’s just another) Manic Monday” by The Bangles. “I Don’t Like Mondays” by the Boomtown Rats. Okay, I admit, I have no idea who the Boomtown Rats are. All of these and more are songs that have nothing positive to … Continue reading Good Morning 8-23-26

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Good Morning 8-21-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

Values are an important part of life. In fact, they are so important that fairy tales and children’s stories often teach a specific lesson on moral values. Consider the “Tortoise and the Hare” which contains a message about the value of perseverance and how that leads to success. Or how about the “Boy Who Cried Wolf”? That shows how lying can destroy trust. Books like “Little Women” and “Charlotte’s Web” demonstrate how moral growth comes from facing real struggles, where characters learn to manage vanity, temper, and selfishness through experience and support. Of course, there are real life examples that children … Continue reading Good Morning 8-21-26

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Good Morning 8-20-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

My dad was a strict parent. We had curfews as long as we lived “under his roof,” and he had high expectations of our obedience. We didn’t always understand why he forbade “driving around.” Everybody did it. You could “shoot the loop” through downtown Sioux Falls and see all your friends hanging out their car windows just like you. Why was he so restrictive? It seemed to make no sense. When we were adults, we found out he had investigated an accident with another trooper in which kids who were “driving around” ended up in a ditch. One of the … Continue reading Good Morning 8-20-26

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Good Morning 8-19-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

We are home from an extended vacation that stretched over twelve days. During that time, we attended a hundred-year celebration for the camp where we met and were married, stayed with an old friend of mine in Montana, and managed to visit every one of Steve’s siblings and his mother from Montana to North Dakota to Minnesota. Last stop was at our son’s home to see him, his wife, and our grandson. Our first stop at camp was definitely a step back in time. There were people there that we haven’t seen in over fifty years, but that wasn’t the … Continue reading Good Morning 8-19-26