Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Onward with hope post-COVID November 30, 2023

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My great niece Keira painted this HOPE stone, which sits on my office desk. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I HADN’T PLANNED on writing a third post related to my health issues following a case of suspected COVID in early January. But then blog readers shared their experiences with the virus and I felt compelled to write more, to offer insights and, most importantly, hope.

In this sharing of stories in the circle of my blog, I’ve learned that some of you have endured symptoms similar to mine. Keith in New York City. Diane in Iowa. And then Beth in Michigan with an altered sense of smell.

In the aftermath of COVID infections, there’s still much to learn. I quickly recognized that during my struggles and also via your stories. Answers don’t come easily. Help can be elusive. Frustration and despair set in and it’s a challenge to be heard, to remain hopeful. Telling our stories is important, necessary.

I received this book in the mail, sent anonymously by a reader. The book and note made me laugh and uplifted me when I really needed uplifting. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

THE NEED FOR VALIDATION, FOR SUPPORT

I remember telling my physical therapist, Ryan, early on that I felt unseen because I was dealing with unseen neurological issues few seemed to understand. But when he compared my symptoms to those of someone with a traumatic brain injury, I felt validated. That’s all I needed, an affirmation that this was real, not just in my head. But it literally was in my head, in my brain.

My sister-in-law Rosie, who endured two concussions following falls, was (and is) among my biggest encouragers. She understands my symptoms, especially my inability to tolerate sensory overload. Having a key empathetic person is, in my opinion, vital. Likewise core family support is essential.

This quarter-sized token, gifted to me by my friend Beth Ann many years ago, lies on my computer desk. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

GETTING HELP & SETTING GOALS

But personal support only goes so far. I am fortunate to have a primary care doctor who listens, shows great compassion, admits when he can’t help me, and referred me to specialists. My many office visits extended well beyond the allotted 20 minutes. Vestibular rehab therapy set me on a course to better health. I started therapy in mid-April. That continued weekly until mid-September. Therapy worked in retraining my brain, in helping me manage my symptoms.

On my final day of therapy in September, I told my therapist that I had three immediate goals: to get my hair cut, to return to worship services at church and to dine in a restaurant. Within two months, I accomplished all three with varying degrees of success. I share this to offer hope.

Here’s how I managed: I alerted my hair stylist to my sensory issues pre-appointment. Donita turned off the salon music and took care overall to minimize sensory input. Worship has proven a bit harder, especially managing the organ music, which often assaults me like a tsunami. Even with an ear plug, I struggle. I’ve learned that my brain struggles most in the early mornings and evenings and in busy environments. Restaurant dining remains challenging, although I managed in a quiet chain restaurant. I have yet to try a homegrown, noisy restaurant.

Inspirational and honoring words are embedded in mosaic tile at a memorial in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

HOLDING HOPE

There is hope. Always hope. It is, and has been, my go-to word through many struggles in life. For any of you struggling with post-COVID health issues, I hope I have offered you hope, or at least validated what you are experiencing.

These mini cards were a gift from Roxy, a blog reader from Owatonna who has been one of my strongest encouragers. I have sent these cards to others in need of support, passing along the gift of encouragement. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

WAYS TO ENCOURAGE

For those of you who know someone dealing with long haul COVID, please support your family member or friend. Listen. Mail a greeting card. Text or call with encouraging words. (All helped me mentally; thank you, readers.) What we are going through may not be seen. But it is real, all too real.

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FYI: To read my first post, “How COVID changed my life,” click here. To read my second post, “Retraining my brain post-COVID,” click here.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Retraining my brain post-COVID November 29, 2023

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This art by Faribault middle schooler Mohamed depicts how my brain felt post-COVID. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

IT’S BEEN A JOURNEY. That best summarizes the path I’ve been on since January to reclaim my health. It’s been difficult, stressful, taxing, challenging, emotional and often overwhelming. But I was determined to do what I could to reach a better place health-wise in the aftermath of unconfirmed, but suspected, COVID.

This was a virus which messed with my brain, my neurological system, leaving me with a long list of debilitating symptoms. Prior to COVID, I was healthy, medication-free, living a normal life. And then…everything changed. (Click here to read my initial post about how COVID affected me.)

My route to managing long haul COVID began with my medical team, including my compassionate primary care doctor who listened, who admitted when he couldn’t help me, who referred me to specialists, who handed me tissues when I cried in the exam room. He never gave up on me. Nor did my vestibular rehab therapist.

Some of the exercises I did in vestibular rehab therapy. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

VESTIBULAR REHAB THERAPY, MY ROAD TO RECOVERY

I credit my physical therapist, Ryan at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Faribault, for leading the way in my recovery. He has extra training in vestibular issues. From the get-go, Ryan encouraged me, worked with me, supported me, showed deep care and compassion. Those went a long way in empowering me to work hard. And that I did.

During those initial once-a-week visits with Ryan, I barely managed conversation with him. I would mostly close my eyes and listen as he told me how we would work first on overcoming my balance problems. And then I would do as he instructed. Simple things like turning my head while seated. Then trunk rotations. Then turning my head while walking. Soon rotating while walking. Moving my hands back and forth aside my head while listening to white noise. I was building my tolerance for sensory input one exercise at a time. Retraining my brain. It took many months to progress through these seemingly basic exercises. But they were helping.

Each session Ryan gave me homework, which I faithfully did. I understood that no amount of therapy would work if I wasn’t willing to work hard at home. Soon he was encouraging me to get out, to try socializing. He even convinced me I could manage a mid-summer stay at a lake cabin, giving me coping tools to handle the long drive (close my eyes and wear ear plugs and sunglasses), to handle sensory overload (take breaks) and more. I managed that vacation get-away, but not easily. I remember the evening I snuggled next to my eldest daughter, put my head on her shoulder and sobbed, “I can’t do this any more.”

A page from Eric Carle’s book, “From Head to Toe” inspires me. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

ENCOURAGEMENT IN THE MIDST OF DESPAIR

Many times I felt despair, as if I wasn’t making progress. Ryan assured me I was improving, even if I couldn’t always see it. I often felt, too, like no one understood what I was going through (although I’m sure that’s not true). But what I had was unseen, literally in my head. And when people can’t see, or make no effort to understand neurological issues, support lacks. That said, I had a core support group of friends and several sisters-in-law who gave me ongoing encouragement.

And so the months passed. Randy and our eldest daughter, especially, offered unconditional love and support that carried me through some of my darkest days. I wanted desperately to feel better, to have my old life back, pre-virus. By mid-September when I’d advanced to virtual reality roller coaster rides, my physical therapist deemed me ready to graduate. I was ready, yet I wasn’t. I would miss Ryan’s weekly encouragement.

Here I am today, two months out from therapy’s end. I am in a much better place than when I began vestibular rehab therapy in mid-April. I am out and about. Grocery shopping, attending church, speed walking a half hour daily, going to concerts, socializing… I still struggle if I overdo it, if I have too much sensory input. I rely on ear plugs to handle loud music. I close my eyes. Sometimes I have to leave a place or event. I am not the same as I was pre-COVID.

Up next, eye muscle surgery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

UP NEXT, EYE SURGERY

In January, I will undergo bilateral strabismus surgery at the University of Minnesota to realign my eyes. It is a re-do of a 1960 surgery. As my neuro ophthalmologist explained, the eye muscles that were surgically tightened decades ago have loosened through the decades. Up until my neurological system was affected by COVID, my brain compensated. No more. I am seeing double, and not just when I read. Trying to focus my vision to see only one exhausts me.

But in the all of everything I’ve endured since January, I’ve made significant progress. I’m doing much better. Mostly managing. And that is reason to feel thankful.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

How COVID changed my life November 28, 2023

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Image of first coronavirus. Source: CDC.

IT’S BEEN A YEAR. No other words exist to define 2023, a year in which I’ve been overwhelmed by fall-out from a virus in early January. Although I self-tested negative twice for COVID, my primary care doctor suspects I did, indeed, have COVID given the neurological and other issues I’ve experienced since then. I fully agree.

This is my story, one that needs to be shared so that others understand just how viruses affect some of us. This story needs to be shared also to offer hope to others. This story needs to be shared, too, so that anyone who is ill thinks twice about going to work, the grocery store, church, concerts, family gatherings or elsewhere, thus exposing others to infectious diseases.

To tell my story, it’s necessary to give some background. In 2005, at the age of 48, I caught whooping cough. I was sick, really sick, for three months. Gasping for air sick. Coughing until my stomach hurt sick. Exhausted, unable to sleep. In 2011, I lost the hearing in my right ear due to a virus. My body, for whatever reason, does not handle bacterial and viral infections well.

And then came January 2023, and the virus that would change my life.

This artwork by Bill Nagel fits how my neurological system felt, still feels sometimes when I experience sensory overload. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

IN THE BEGINNING

Symptoms started with feeling off-balance, off-kilter, as if I was fighting the world just to be upright. I waited to see my doctor, thinking (like most of us do) that I would get better. I didn’t. I, in fact, got worse. I experienced a bout of vertigo, a rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, all new and troubling symptoms. I felt like I’d been slapped on the right side of my head, a feeling that persisted for many months. And when I tried to sleep, my legs practically ran a marathon in bed.

My primary care physician acknowledged early on that his ability to help me was limited. But he listened, tried…and sent me to an ear/nose/throat doctor for an evaluation. To even get through these medical appointments was a struggle. I had to close my eyes to converse. I felt overly-anxious and agitated, also new symptoms. I was, by then, feeling ear pain, fullness, pressure and tinnitus. I couldn’t sleep. My head hurt. My fingertips hurt. I couldn’t handle screen time. Eventually I would see a neurologist, undergo a CT scan, then an MRI of my brain to rule out a tumor or anything else. It was as if my body was being assaulted.

I felt overwhelmed. I struggled sometimes to find the right words. “Why can’t I talk?” I asked Randy. My brain seemed to be malfunctioning, misfiring, miscommunicating. My neurological system was under siege. My memory, which has always been stellar, was (and remains) affected.

This cool mint toothpaste set my mouth afire. For a while I brushed my teeth with baking soda, then switched to kids’ bubblegum flavored toothpaste. I only recently returned to using mint toothpaste. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

MAJOR SENSORY OVERLOAD

But the symptom which proved particularly debilitating was sensory overload. I couldn’t tolerate light or noise. I sat in the recliner, living room curtains drawn, body folded into the fetal position. No sound except the ringing in my own ears. I rocked 100 miles an hour, occasionally arose to pace the floor, stretched putty left from previous occupational therapy. Nothing calmed my body or mind. All I wanted was darkness, quiet, nothing stimulating entering my brain.

I struggled to get through Easter dinner at our house, missed my grandchildren’s birthday parties and a niece’s baby shower. Most heartbreaking of all was missing my son’s graduation with his master’s degree. I couldn’t handle the long road trip to Indiana, sit through the ceremony at Purdue. I couldn’t even manage grocery shopping; too much white noise from coolers and too much visual stimulation. Phone calls proved taxing, any conversation difficult. I was primarily housebound except for trips to the clinic and one to the ER following an allergic reaction to an unknown something. By then I’d been diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease and vestibular neuritis.

And then came the morning I brushed my teeth, the mint taste so overwhelming that I spit out the toothpaste. Rather than losing my sense of taste, mine intensified. For a week, until I saw my doctor (who added peripheral sensory neuropathy to my diagnoses) and got a prescription to settle my nervous system, I could eat only the blandest of foods. Oatmeal. Soda crackers. Graham crackers. I lost nine pounds in five days. Overall, I’ve lost 25 pounds this year. I’m OK with losing that weight, but don’t recommend this weight loss method. I went through a lengthy period of eating only a few bites of food at a meal.

All of this I experienced following COVID. Plus a rash and hair loss, either from the virus or from anti-anxiety meds. Nearly a year out from the virus, I am in a much better place. It took five months of vestibular rehab therapy, time and a lot of hard work to get here. Next up, I will write about retraining my brain, learning to manage my symptoms and how I found my way back to semi “normal.”

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NOTE: I’ve been asked by several people whether the COVID vaccine caused my neurological and other issues since I am fully-boosted and vaccinated. No. My health problems began when I had that January virus, thought to be COVID. Had I not been vaccinated and boosted, I firmly believe I would have ended up in the hospital, perhaps even died. Negative comments about the vaccine and boosters will not be posted on this, my personal blog.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Learning about Indigenous peoples from “The Forever Sky” November 27, 2023

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(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo September 2022)

IN THE PAST YEAR, my desire to learn more about Native American culture has heightened. My new interest followed a talk in September 2022 by then Rice County Historical Society Director Susan Garwood about “The Indigenous history of the land that is now Rice County, Minnesota.” This county, this community, in which I live was home first to Indigenous peoples, long before the first settlers, the fur traders, the Easterners who moved west.

This sculpture of Alexander Faribault and a Dakota trading partner stands in Faribault’s Heritage Park near the Straight River and site of Faribault’s trading post. Ivan Whillock created this art which sits atop the Bea Duncan Memorial Fountain. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I knew that, of course. But what I didn’t know was that the Wahpekute, one of the seven “Council Fires” of the Dakota Nation, used the current-day Wapacuta Park just up the hill from my house for honoring their dead.

This Faribault city park, where my kids once zipped down a towering slide, clamored onto a massive boulder, slid on plastics sleds, was where the Wahpekute many years ago placed their dead upon scaffolding prior to burial. That ground now seems sacred to me.

That it took 40 years of living here to learn this information suggests to me that either I wasn’t paying attention to local history or that my community has not done enough to honor the First Peoples of this land.

(Book cover sourced online.)

Whatever the reason, I have, on my own, decided to become more informed about Indigenous peoples. And for me, that starts with reading. I recently headed to the children’s section of my local library and checked out the book, The Forever Sky, written by Thomas Peacock (a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Anishinaabe Ojibwe) and illustrated by Annette S. Lee (mixed-race Lakota-Sioux of the Ojibwe and Lakota-Sioux communities).

These two Minnesotans, in their collaborative children’s picture book, reveal that “the sky and stars all have stories.” Oh, how I value stories. And the stories shared in this book, these sky stories, are of spirits and animals and the Path of Souls, aka The Milky Way, and…

I especially appreciate the book’s focus on the northern lights, explained as “the spirits of all of our relatives who have passed on.” The descriptive words and vivid images make me view the northern lights, which I have yet to see in my life-time, through the eyes of Indigenous peoples. The changing blues and greens are their loved ones dancing in the night sky. Dancing, dancing, dancing. How lovely that imagery in replacing loss with hope and happiness.

The Forever Sky has created an awareness of Native culture previously unknown to me. Just like that talk a year ago by a local historian aiming to educate. I have much to learn. And I am learning via books found not only in the adult section of the library, but also among the children’s picture books. That writers and illustrators are covering topics of cultural importance in kids’ books gives me hope for the future. My grandchildren, even though they will never see the vast, dark, star-filled sky I saw nightly as a child of the prairie, are growing up much more informed. They will understand cultures well beyond their own heritage. And that encourages me.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

With a thankful heart on Thanksgiving November 22, 2023

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A seasonal bulletin board at Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2023)

WHEREVER YOU ARE on Thanksgiving, whomever you celebrate with, or don’t, I hope your day overflows with gratitude.

A full view of that festive church bulletin board. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2023)

Thursday marks a day to reflect. We all have reasons to give thanks, ranging from the material to the more important non-material. Family tops that list for me. There’s nothing better than to be with those we love most. This year that will include all in my immediate family except my son, who flies back to Minnesota from Boston in mid-December for a holiday stay. Unfortunately his sister and her husband, who are coming for Thanksgiving, won’t be here at Christmas. I haven’t seen any of them in a year and I miss them so much my heart hurts.

But, if I’ve learned anything through these empty-nester years, it’s that I need to savor the times I do have with my adult children rather than bemoan the holidays without them. I feel thankful to have at least one of my three—the eldest daughter, her husband and my grandchildren—still living in Minnesota.

We will gather around the table on Thanksgiving, ever grateful for each other.

I created this display in a stoneware bowl on a previous Thanksgiving. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Likewise, I am grateful for you, my readers. I’ve felt the love this year through my difficult health struggles. In all the chaos in this world, goodness remains. Strong. Bold. Shining. And for that I have every reason to feel thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Gratitude beyond Thanksgiving November 21, 2023

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Reasons to feel thankful, hung on a Gratitude Tree at the Northfield Public Library. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2019)

A SOLITARY TEAR TRICKLED down my left cheek as I struggled to hold back my emotions. I willed myself not to burst out sobbing in the quiet of the sanctuary, in the profoundness of his story.

He was nine years old, the pastor said, when a vision screening showed he needed prescription eyeglasses, an expense his parents could not afford. Yet, they found a way. His father sold his treasured guitar to pay for the $25 eyeglasses. Twenty years later, the son realized, understood, the sacrifice his dad made for him. And he thanked him. That simple thank you forever changed their relationship.

The Rev. Bruce Stam shared this personal story as he preached on gratitude just days before Thanksgiving. And it was his story which got me thinking about my own eyes and how, as a four-year-old, I underwent corrective eye surgery to realign my crossed eyes. I, of course, was too young to understand the financial challenges this presented to my parents. I regret that I never thanked them for the sacrifices they made to keep me from going blind in one eye and then for the prescription eyeglasses I needed to see. Just like the boy who would become a pastor.

Reasons to feel thankful written on feathers of a turkey at Faribault Lutheran School 10 years ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2013)

All too often we are blind to seeing the importance of gratitude. Except perhaps on Thanksgiving, our yearly thankfulness reminder. Gratitude does not come easily. We need to work at it, to carry an attitude of gratitude throughout the year. We are more inclined, however, to focus on that which we do not have, on complaining rather than expressing thanks. That’s human nature.

I created this Thanksgiving centerpiece as a reminder to be thankful. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

But we can refocus. Thanksgiving is a good day to start. Sure, we say we’re thankful for family and friends and food and shelter and good health and such. But what does that mean, in a personal way? I’ll start.

I am especially grateful this November for having mostly reclaimed my health following a viral infection in January that affected my brain. This was tough stuff. But I got through it with the help of caring medical professionals and the loving support of my husband and my eldest daughter, especially. Amber checked in with me daily via text, always asking how I was feeling and offering ongoing encouragement. Randy mostly did everything on the home-front besides encouraging me, taking me to medical appointments and reminding me that I was making progress. Their unconditional love and support carried me through some really dark days. I am forever grateful.

Likewise, friends and some extended family did the same. I tried to remember to thank them. But I expect sometimes, in the midst of my neurological issues, I failed.

I love the idea of a public Gratitude Tree, this one at the Northfield Public Library in 2019. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2019)

Thanking someone need not be complicated or extravagant. Heartfelt, loving words spoken, texted or written are often all that is needed. As a writer, I am big on sending greeting cards to express my feelings.

When I graduated from five months of vestibular rehab therapy in mid-September, I knew I needed to do more. I baked homemade carrot cake cupcakes with homemade cream cheese frosting for the team at Courage Kenny in Faribault. For my therapist, Ryan, I also baked chocolate chip cookies and penned a lengthy thank you. He deserved my deep gratitude for working with me tirelessly to reclaim my life.

Another thankfulness tag on that Gratitude Tree in Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2019)

Opportunities abound to express gratitude in our daily lives. With words. With actions. With a smile. Sometimes understanding the importance of thankfulness comes in a story, a story of sacrifice. A story that touches the emotions, that causes us to see as a single tear slides down our cheek.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Highlighting creatives at upcoming events November 16, 2023

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Books on Central is housed in the former Dandelet Jewelry, 227 Central Avenue North in downtown Faribault. This photo was taken before the bookshop opened in early October. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo January 2023)

THIS SEEMS THE SEASON for creatives. At least in my community. Wednesday evening I listened to local writer Larry Gavin read poems and tell stories at Faribault’s new used bookstore, Books on Central. It’s always a delight to listen to this creative and especially so in the former Dandelet Jewelry Store. This cozy space features a grand vintage chandelier, built-in shelves and drawers, and other historic details that make it inviting, charming and unlike any bookshop I’ve ever shopped. Plus, this volunteer-run Rice County Area United Way bookstore boasts an inventory of 8,000 used books for all ages and in all genres.

Among artists selling their art at Holly Days is Julie Fakler, Paradise Center for the Arts executive director. Fakler is known for her animal portraits, these showcased in a previous exhibit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2022)

Shopping. This is the season to shop the goods of local creatives. The Paradise Center for the Arts kicks off its Holly Days Sale with an artists’ reception from 5-7 pm this evening, November 16. Twenty artists are selling their art, from pottery to needle felting to stained glass and much more. The sale runs until December 22.

Tis the season of holiday craft sales/bazaars/boutiques. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2022)

On Saturday, November 18, creatives will vend Christmas items (including porch pots), quilts, wood and metal works, baked goods and more in the Trinity Lutheran Church auditorium along Fourth Street in Faribault. My friend Mandy has been baking up a storm, creating cupcakes, pumpkin-shaped centerpiece cakes and more for the 9 am – 3 pm Holiday Boutique Sale. Trinity youth will sell lunch, snacks and treats.

Also on Saturday, the Faribo West Mall hosts its Fall Bazaar from 10 am-4 pm with crafts, flea market finds and baked goods. A bonus feature is kids’ free craft making from noon to 2 pm.

Now, even before all those one-day shopping options open on Saturday, there are non-shopping creative opportunities. The Faribault High School play, “A Trip to the Moon,” is on stage at 7:30 pm Thursday – Saturday and at 2 pm Sunday. It’s been a while since I attended a FHS play. This one intrigues me since its set in 1969, my coming of age teen years.

Promo courtesy of Jeff Jarvis of Cedar Lake Studio/ The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour.

And then there are Irish musicians, coming from the Twin Cities to perform at 7 pm Friday, November 17, at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour across from Central Park near downtown Faribault. Bonnie Drunken Lad, an Irish folk band, is performing as part of the free Merner Concert Series. If you’ve never attended a concert in the historic cathedral, I highly-recommend doing so. The acoustics are outstanding. And you can’t help but feel the history here while sitting on pews once graced by the Dakota people of the region and by early settlers.

An ice cream sundae at Berners’ Ice Cream Parlor in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, home of the ice cream sundae. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo August 2011)

Finally, but certainly not last in level of creativity—and perhaps most creative—is an event from 1-2 pm Saturday, November 18, at the Cannon Falls Public Library. “Baking Yesteryear” is a free buffet style sampler feast featuring foods of yesteryear. Library staff worked with the Cannon Falls Historical Society to develop a collection of recipes from 1880-1989. People could peruse the recipes and choose a food (s) to make at home for Saturday’s sampler feast. I absolutely love this idea. Teen and Adult Services Librarian Matthew Stelter said his history buff teenage son will be there dressed as a 1930s soda jerk creating flavored sodas and ice cream floats with flavorings and ice cream donated by local CannonBelles Coffee and Ice Cream. Now, if I still fit into my 1970s lime green pants, perhaps I could come bearing banana-laced red Jell-O. Period-fitting dress is encouraged.

All in all, creativity defines the next several days. Food. Art. Music. I am grateful for all the creatives who share their talents with the greater community.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

At the Legion on Veterans Day & more November 15, 2023

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I photographed this sticker on a Vietnam War veteran’s car on Saturday before the Veterans Day program at the Rice County Veterans Memorial in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL, I wore a POW bracelet, the thick silver band wrapping my wrist. The name of a prisoner of war was imprinted thereon. If I could find that bracelet, I could give you a name. But I can’t. Rather I hold only the memory of that Vietnam War era bracelet reminding me of those imprisoned and missing during a war that drew protest and anger from many Americans. As a high school student of the early 1970s, I, too, held conflicting opinions about the war. Not about those who served, but about the war itself.

This eagle and dove sculpture centers the Rice County Veterans Memorial in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

All of that aside, today I recognize the personal toll the Vietnam War, any war really, takes on those who are actively involved. You cannot enter the battlefield, kill the enemy, see your fellow soldiers die, without experiencing trauma. It’s a lot. And those who served deserve our thanks and respect.

Area veterans’ memorials, like the one in neighboring Shieldsville, honor our veterans. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

I am thankful for organizations like the American Legion and its auxiliary, which continue to support, honor and recognize those who have served this country. That includes Post 43 in Faribault. In 2024, the local post celebrates its 100th birthday.

Before the meal, which included Trinity Piemakers’ homemade apple pie for dessert (compliments of Bob and Louise Flom), this pair explained the significance of items on the MIA/POW table, right.

On Saturday, following the Veterans Day program at the Rice County Veterans Memorial, Randy and I joined vets and their families and others at a Post 43 luncheon and program. During that event, Legion Commander Mark Quinlan and an auxiliary member stood near a round, cloth-draped MIA/POW table. They explained the symbolic significance of each item on the table.

A symbolic lemon and salt. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

A single red rose in a vase represented bloodshed. A lemon slice on a plate stood for the MIA/POW’s bitter fate. Salt sprinkled on the plate symbolized the many tears shed by loved ones. The lit candle stood for hope… As they spoke, I thought of that POW bracelet I wore 50-plus years ago and wondered if my soldier ever came home.

Resting on a table at the American Legion on Saturday. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

I had the honor on Saturday of dining with two veteran friends—Virgil, who served in the US Marine Corps from 1955-1958, and Roger, who served with the US Army in the Korean War from 1952-1954.

Karen Rasmussen talks about the history of the US flag, displaying the flag at various stages in time. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

Veterans and their families ringed the round tables for conversation and a meal of BBQs, baked beans, chips and homemade apple pie. That meal followed a detailed presentation about the history of the American flag by Legion Auxiliary member Karen Rasmussen. She also presented gift bags to several veterans.

Even the gift bags were patriotically-themed. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

One of the most memorable and touching moments came when Steve Bonde played the songs for each branch of the military on his trumpet. By heart. He asked veterans to stand when they heard their songs. Pride and gratitude rippled through me. There’s something about music that stirs the soul in a way that words cannot.

Placed on a table at the Legion, a US Army cap and money for the free will offering lunch. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

But words, too, hold meaning. Saturday evening my church, Trinity Lutheran, honored veterans in the congregation during the worship service and with a potluck afterwards. Virgil and Roger were among those servicemen attending. This time, though, I sat by Bob, a US Army veteran who served in Iraq and Kuwait, and by Mark, the Legion commander with service in the US Navy and Air Force. It was an honor to share a chicken dinner and assorted potluck sides with my friends and with Raquel, married to Bob.

A wall of photos at the Legion honors past commanders of American Legion Post 43, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

Sunday morning I listened to the Trinity worship service on the radio, this time led by a different pastor. I appreciated the Rev. Bruce Stam’s prayers for veterans. He asked for God’s blessings upon all who’ve served in the Armed Forces and for healing for those vets wounded in body and soul. But it was the final part of his prayer which struck me the most. “We pray especially for the young men and women who are coming home with injured bodies and traumatized spirits.” To hear that acknowledged was necessary, reassuring in many ways and, I hope, a comfort to anyone listening.

A POW MIA flag photographed during the Veterans Day program at the Rice County Veterans Memorial reads, “YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

War is hard. War traumatizes. War changes. We need to understand that and to remember. Just as I remembered that POW bracelet I wore honoring a prisoner of war who may, or may not, have returned home from Vietnam.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Operation: 23 to Zero, a closer look November 14, 2023

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Following the Veterans Day program, attendees view the Operation: 23 to Zero display. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

HEARTBREAKING, POWERFUL, IMPACTFUL. Those three words fit my reaction to the 23 boots ringing the central plaza at the Rice County Veterans Memorial in Faribault on Veterans Day. Each set of boots represented a service man or woman who committed suicide. Each boot held a name, and often a photo, personalizing this Operation: 23 to Zero display.

A bumper sticker on a truck parked by the courthouse on Saturday. Shoulder to Shoulder identifies a support group in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

The nonprofit, according to an informational brochure, “is an effort to curb the massive suicide rates of veteran and military suicide through awareness and providing a network of fellow military members to connect with for help and support.” Twenty-two veterans and one active military member die by suicide daily on average.

Honoring Cole J. Lutz, 35, of Grantsburg, Wisconsin. The red rose shows love for the surviving families while teal or purple carnations are the colors of suicide awareness. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

Those statistics are heartbreaking. And when a face, a name, are connected to the numbers, the depth of this loss becomes all too real. The circle of boots in Faribault, placed their during a 23-hour Critical Overwatch on November 10-11, presented a strong visual defining this loss of life.

Honoring Nicole A. Burnham. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

Among those were several Minnesotans, including Joel B. Costa, 32, of Duluth, formerly of Stillwater, and Nicole A. Burnham, 21, of Andover. As I looked at their individual boots, I read loving messages, studied a photo of Nicole, a young woman with an engaging smile that reached her eyes. And I wondered about the mental anguish the two soldiers endured.

Veterans Day service attendees stand on the Veterans Memorial plaza near the circle of boots. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

Nicole’s story is one of multiple sexual assaults and harassment while serving in the military. Local and national media covered her story following her January 2018 death by suicide. What she experienced is horrible, unfathomable, traumatic.

Loving messages written on boots honoring Joel Costa. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

I don’t know Joel’s story. But I do know this. Like Nicole, he was deeply loved. “Love you more than life” reads one message written in black marker on his boots. An “in loving memory” tag encourages: “No act of kindness is ever wasted. Pass it on.” His online obituary directs mourners to donate to Operation: 23 to Zero.

Those who participated in the Critical Overwatch event and those who donated flowers, beverages and snacks were showing they care. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

A tag on Nicole’s boots leaves a similar message: “Leave footprints of love and kindness wherever you go.” And “Stop the stigma. It’s OK to ask for help.” Help is available via texting or calling 988, the Suicide and Crisis Line, staffed 24/7.

A powerful message… (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

At the Critical Overwatch event/Veterans Day ceremony in Faribault, a sign propped near the circle of boots made it clear that all are loved. “If you are looking for a sign NOT to kill yourself today—This is it. You are loved. You do belong. You are worthy.” I expect someone in the crowd gathered outside the courthouse read that message and felt a sense of hope, of purpose.

Honoring Asia Graham of North Carolina. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

That poster reinforces the message printed in a brochure I got a while ago from Kirk Mansfield, a Navy veteran from Faribault who works tirelessly to help local veterans, primarily through Operation: 23 to Zero. Here’s the printed directive: “Call or visit your Veteran/military family and friends. Check in with them on a regular basis, especially if you know they are struggling with issues. Do not put if off until another day. For those who live on the edge of life, for those who suffer in silence, they cannot wait a moment longer. Become educated. Help where you are able. Make the call.”

You are worthy. They were worthy. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

Time, plus care, plus listening, plus loving, plus supporting can help. Nicole mattered. Joel mattered. And so did the 21 other service men and women represented in that circle of boots staged at the Rice County Veterans Memorial in Faribault. My heart breaks…

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Experiencing Veterans Day in Faribault November 12, 2023

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The Honor Guard and Color Guard in place for the Veterans Day ceremony in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

IT WAS, FOR MANY, an emotional day. A day of remembering, grieving, honoring, respecting. Veterans Day held all of those for me and many others who gathered in my community to honor those who have served our country in the military. That includes my father, a U.S. Army combat soldier in the Korean War.

A crowd gathers Saturday morning for a short Veterans Day program outside the Rice County courthouse. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

This emotion-filled day began for me on the eleventh hour on the eleventh day in the eleventh month at the Rice County Veterans Memorial fronting the courthouse along busy Fourth Street in Faribault. In history, all those elevens mark the signing of the armistice between the Allies of World War I and Germany. The cease fire occurred at 11 a.m on November 11, 1918.

A member of the Honor Guard. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

The only firing on this November 11 in Faribault was that of the Honor Guard shooting blanks from rifles.

A sizeable crowd gathers at the Rice County Veterans’ Memorial. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

Upon my arrival at the courthouse lawn, I noticed first veterans, the American and other flags, the crowd and the red. Red coats. Red roses. Red symbolizes patriotism, sacrifice and bloodshed. And red in a rose symbolizes love.

Among the 23 pairs of boots honoring a veteran who committed suicide. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

Those red roses were lovingly placed aside blue carnations in 23 boots representing the 23 American veterans who daily commit suicide. Local organizers of Operation: 23 to Zero, an organization that raises awareness about vet-related issues, including suicide and PTSD, set up the display and stood watch for 23 hours in honor of those who took their lives. Cole, Damian, Joel, Brandon, Nicole…

Operation: 23 to Zero display on the memorial plaza. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

Those boots circled the central monument focus of eagle and dove. Individual slabs of stone for each military branch edge that circle with fitting inscriptions like THIS WE DEFEND. A sign propped against one of the stones offered encouragement, a strong message of hope, and it touched me deeply: “If you are looking for a sign NOT to kill yourself today—This is it. You are loved. You do belong. You are worthy.”

Steve Bonde plays taps, hauntingly mournful. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

Although I knew none of the service men and women who died by suicide, I felt sadness and grief filling my thoughts. I could sense the collective grief, the somberness. This small circle of 23 boots on the veterans plaza seemed a sacred space.

Faribault firefighters were among those in attendance. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

In the deafening noise of traffic from the nearby busy street and the mostly too low amplification system, I struggled to hear any of the speakers. So I focused instead on observing. I was pleased to see a cross-section of ages from children in parents’ arms to teens to young adults to middle age to aged. The presence of young people, especially, pleases me, for they, too, need to understand the meaning and importance of Veterans Day.

Among the hundreds of pavers surrounding the memorial. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

In the all of the gathering at the veterans memorial in Faribault, I felt not only deep emotions, but also pride in country and a unity that is not often seen these days. On this single day, this November 11, we came together to honor our veterans, despite our personal political viewpoints.

Memorable bumper sticker. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)

A bumper sticker I noticed on a Vietnam veteran’s vehicle summarizes well the intent, the goal of those who have served abroad in war. “We went over there so you could be here.” It’s a seemingly simple phrase, yet profound in depth.

FYI: Please check back for more photos of the Operation: 23 to Zero display and a post about more Veterans Day events I attended in Faribault. It was a full day.

© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling