Image of Mt Baker, Bellingham, Bellingham Bay | 1959 Oregon's Magazine (1859oregonmagazine.com) “Son, this makes no sense. We cannot move to Washington State. Nebraska is already a long way from Minnesota, Chicago and the lake home in Stoughton, Wisconsin. A move to Washington State is out of the question.” As Dad talked, the memory of
“I can’t wait to see Pansy,” my Mother said right after we exchanged hellos. Moments earlier, as I dialed the phone that early May evening, I had dreaded talking with Mother. Her opening comment caught me off guard. Mom had breast cancer surgery nearly six years earlier and had been cancer-free ever since. Then during
“Would it be ok with you if we took your Dad to a Twin’s game tomorrow afternoon?” I couldn’t believe what I just heard. Dad had been a Twin’s fan from the first day in 1961 that the franchise moved to Minnesota from Washington D.C. Dad had never been to a Twin’s game during all
It was a frequent part of my Grandfather’s (Axel A. Olson) evening prayer as we finished yet another workday. It seemed so different from seeing him in action throughout the day as I worked for him during the summer prior to the start of my Freshman year at Bethel College (now called Bethel University).
“They told me I can’t sing at the pool!!” Mark said, confused and a bit exasperated. The comment caught Dave, Forrey and me off guard. “Why don’t you ask the lifeguard if you can sing?” we suggested. Mark, 15, who was born with Downs Syndrome, immediately left our table next to the pool and walked
It startled me to hear my son spontaneously singing Happy Birthday to Harry. Harry, a senior living community resident, was attending a reception with a group of high school students. The students had just concluded a musical program at the residence. Someone had informed my son that Harry had a birthday that same day. At
Grandpa Anderson (we called him Mr. A) often said, “There are lots of ways to win at tennis.” My Uncle smiled as he described seeing his father in action. Mr. A relied on placement, not power. At the end of a match opponents walked off the court shaking their head in disbelief, replaying the shot
“Grandson. We are going to fish today at the dam.” Usually we fished from the pier or a boat. This added to my excitement. I had almost achieved 10 years of age, and really looked forward to going on this new fishing adventure. So off we went. When we got to the dam, my Grandpa
“I love you Ric Olson.” Coming from within the pool or just before jumping into the pool or as he walked alongside it many times over the past several summers, he would say this to me. When I heard it this time I looked up and saw Mitch on the edge of the pool. He
Early in life, possibly as early as kindergarten, our son received a gift of a CD from his grandfather that would change his life. The CD contained classical music, a departure from the gospel and old gold rock and roll preferred by my wife and me. We were surprised by and pleased with the gift
