Voices on the Prairie: What I Learned While Writing My First Novel
My first novel, Voices on the Prairie, is due to be released July 23. Naturally, the story is set in one of my favorite places on earth: the Flint Hills of Kansas. The photo that accompanies this blog is one I took last week of a local cowgirl, Richell Bailey, just...
One of My Huggable Heroes: Bettie Leonard and the Beautiful Bougainvillea
I doubt there will ever be a statue erected of Bettie Leonard in the rotunda of the Capitol of Texas, but there should be. Bettie, and her husband, Jack, are of Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation that endured the Great Depression, World War II, and watched the world...
Meet My Newest Huggable Hero
I get excited when I find a new hero. However, I’m kind of picky: I want my heroes to be huggable. Those who inspire me the most are people I can sit down with over a cup of coffee. I find my heroes in the most common places where one wouldn’t expect to find them...
The Power of Anticipating Beauty
It’s not what you hold in your hand that makes a good photograph; it’s what you hold in your heart. I often grab my camera with one thought: there is something beautiful waiting to pose for me so I can show it off to the world. The best images I capture begin with...
The Man Who Restored My Sight; Bob Regier
My alma mater - Bethel College - didn't know what to do with me when I arrived; I was a non-traditional commuter student and didn't have a Mennonite heritage. A name like McNary didn't fit their roster of Claassen, Busenitz, Thiessen, Unruh, Friesen, and Juhnke....
How a Little Curiosity Fed the World: Dr. Norman Borlaug
He was a farm-boy from rural Iowa but is considered as the man who saved a billion lives. He became a scientist because his grandpa said, ""You're wiser to fill your head now if you want to fill your belly later on." He filled a lot of bellies. He's also known as the...
Taking a Five-Year-Old’s Advice: Starting my Own Crumple Pile
My five-year-old granddaughter recently interned as my personal secretary. Cailyn Joy drives a hard bargain; she charged me a dollar a letter. The US Government could save a lot of money by sending Cailyn to negotiate with foreign countries rather than John Kerry. She...
My Heroes: Pete and Annie Hampton
I'm pretty picky about my heroes. I certainly don't let Hollywood or pro sports tell me who I should idolize. I choose my heroes from people I personally know. Mostly, they are people who've gone through hell but found glimpses of heaven along the way. I wrote this...
Leadership as an Activity, Not a Position
If you have to say you’re in charge, you’re probably not. -Tammy Duvanel Unruh I hated choosing teams during recess. The teacher would choose either the two most popular kids to be the “captains” or, in an occasional move of gratuitous justice, would chose two of...
Why a Second-Hand Christmas Present Was My Favorite Childhood Gift
The best Christmas present I ever received as a child was secondhand; it had belonged to some other ten-year-old boy and my parents picked it up in a thrift shop because they couldn’t afford a new one. There is something in that memory that wraps my heart around a...