These two new Faribault city snowplow trucks now bear names following a Name a Snowplow contest. (Photo credit: City of Faribault)
WHEN IT COMES to plowing snow, getting the white stuff off city streets as quickly as possible is likely top of mind for most property owners. We’re thankful when the plow clears our street, but even more thankful if that’s done before we’ve opened our driveways. There’s nothing quite as maddening as the snowplow plugging up the end of your driveway with a ridge of snow right after you’ve put away the shovel or snowblower. Timing is everything.
A tech inspired name for the snowplow also references the salt used on snowy and icy city streets. (Photo credit: City of Faribault)
But now the City of Faribault has put a little fun into snow removal by sponsoring a Name a Snowplow contest, much like the one held annually by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The winners of Faribault’s inaugural contest to name two new snowplows are…drum roll, please: Ctrl Salt Delete with 84 votes (28 percent) and Darth Blader with 67 votes (22 percent). Both names were past winners in MnDOT contests.
Coming in third was Alexander Fariblow with 48 votes out of the 300-plus cast. Even though only two names were supposed to win, city officials discussed and decided to go with a third winner for a large front-end blower used to clear the downtown area. Good call, I say, as the name honors town founder Alexander Faribault whose 1853 wood-frame house stands downtown.
So how did the city get from contest idea to tagging two plows and a blower with names? First they asked for suggestions from the community with around 50 ideas submitted. Those were narrowed to six. The other three were Frost Responder, Farisnow and The Big Snowplowski. Then voting opened online.
But the city offered one more ballot option which I really like because it got kids involved. At a Halloween event at a local car dealership, the city placed decals of the top six names on the front of a snowplow. Kids and/or parents could then vote by putting their initials by their preferred name. About 60 votes were cast in that unique poll.
All in all, I’d say this first Name a Snowplow contest in Faribault was a success if you’re measuring community engagement and novel winter fun.
Second top vote-getter, Darth Blader. (Photo credit: City of Faribault)
Additionally, maybe seeing Ctrl Salt Delete or Darth Blader roaring down a snowy street will help us to be a bit more understanding if our driveway is plowed shut just after we’ve opened it. Maybe. I mean, raging at Darth Blader seems risky.
Attendees at a past Faribault Flannel Formal cozy inside a non-working amusement ride inside Corks & Pints. (Photo credit: Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism)
Voted as the Best Dressed Lumber Jack in 2025. (Photo credit: Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism)
The dress code calls not for formal wear, but rather for flannel, preferably buffalo plaid red and black. That’s my kind of winter attire. Attendees can even participate in Lumber Jack and Jane costume contests, which call for creativity in flannel wear. Beards will also be judged to find “the best,” whatever fits that definition.
Chicken Wild Rice Hotdish, an example of the hotdish you may find at the Faribault Flannel Formal. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
This promises to be a Minnesotan event through and through with activities like a Hotdish Showdown. Note, I wrote hotdish, which is the Minnesota word for casserole. Locals will cook up their favorite hotdishes to be judged and sampled.
The influence of legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan—who may or may not have eaten hotdish, but who certainly wore buffalo plaid flannel—will be noticeable. There will be axe throwing in a special trailer, a Beaver Toss (that would be stuffed beavers), bag toss and hammerschlagen (driving nails into a stump). Fun stuff to show off precision skills and perhaps a bit of brawn.
Inside the lower level of Corks & Pints, which connects to the distillery. (Photo credit: Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism)
No event is complete without music. Minneapolis rock cover band Robos headlines the stage. Those who purchase $75 VIP experience tickets for early admittance at 3 p.m. can also exclusively enjoy the music of Wayne & the Boys, a one-man band performing the music of Wayne Wagner, inducted into the Legends of South Dakota Country Music Hall of Fame. VIP perks also include a swag bag, two complimentary drink tickets, voting power and access to exclusive hideouts.
Flannel attendees gather on the patio between the distillery and Corks & Pints. (Photo credit: Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism)
Whether you go VIP or opt for a $25 general admission experience, the Faribault Flannel Formal is sure to be a true Minnesotan experience, especially with all that plaid flannel. You can even experience Minnesota winter by stepping outside to order a drink at the Sleigh Bar (new this year) and then warm up in a heated tent, followed perhaps by a conversation about the weather. We like to talk weather here in Minnesota.
You may even overhear phrases like “You betcha.” Or “That’s different.” Or “It could be worse.”
But mostly, I expect you will hear friendly conversations, lots of laughter, maybe an ice fishing tale or three, and praise for Minnesota, this place we love. Even in the deep of winter. (Mostly.)
A painting on burlap by Mexican artist Jose Maria de Servinfrom my art collection. It seems to fit the moment. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
AS I GATHERED INFORMATION for this blog post, I wondered how to start. I’ll begin with one simple statement: The need is great here in Minnesota following the largest mass federal immigration enforcement in the country.
That’s a broad, undefined statement which I want to narrow down to specifics in my community of 25,000 in southeastern Minnesota, an hour south of Minneapolis. Faribault is a blue collar city, home to many people of color, including Somalis, Hispanics and Latinos, the demographic hit hardest by the months’ long Operation Metro Surge.
I can’t tell you how many people have been taken from my Greater Minnesota community by ICE. I can’t tell you how many people have been racially profiled, stopped and questioned. But residents of Faribault have been taken. And stopped, because of their skin color. I know this simply by being out and about, talking with people. This federal activity, which initially saw 3,000 immigration agents in the state, is not done, despite statements otherwise.
This shows a portion of a promo I received in the mail this week from the Community Action Center with locations in Faribault and in Northfield.
FACING FINANCIAL CHALLENGES
That brings me to the topic of today’s post. Need. And how you can help the many people in my community who now find themselves facing financial challenges due to ICE activity. Many have been sheltering in their homes, afraid to go to work or the grocery store or church. Afraid to take their kids to school…
The fear they’ve felt of being detained, even if they’ve done nothing wrong, even if they are here legally, even if they are American citizens, has been great. As a white woman, as a human being, I feel a moral obligation to do what I can for my neighbors who are suffering. Many people in Faribault have stepped up—taking kids to school, delivering groceries, driving people to work, donating food and money…
Some of you have asked me how you can help, and some of you have already helped. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for your kindness, your care, your compassion, your support, your encouragement and your financial gifts.
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church has been a collection site for food and non-food items during the current crisis. (Graphic sourced from the Our Savior’s Facebook page)
The demand for funds to assist renters facing eviction is high. These are people who have not gone to work because they fear ICE. No work equals no income equals no money to pay the rent or other expenses.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Faribault is among the organizations helping people in my community. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
HELPING PEOPLE IN FARIBAULT
I’ve compiled a short list of selected places to which you can donate monies that will help those impacted by federal immigration enforcement, and others, in Faribault. Please click on the boldfaced organization names to reach websites, where you will find donation tabs and more information. Thank you for considering my request to help people in my community. I am grateful.
Faribault Community Action Center. Donate to the CAC Community Response Fund which meets urgent and evolving needs such as for food and rent. Please designate your gift for the FARIBAULT CAC as one exists in neighboring Northfield. That town’s council approved a $50,000 request for emergency rental assistance.
Spreading Warmth: Supporting Immigrant Families in Faribault.This is a GoFundMe campaign aiming to raise $30,000 (a new goal) to help struggling immigrant families. Thus far, the effort has raised nearly $21,000. The organizer provides detailed info on needs and how families have already been helped.
Faribault Supporting Families.This group manages a small community-supported fund to help families facing urgent immigration-related challenges.
Three Rivers Community Action. This organization offers multi-faceted services, including in the area of housing, such as rental assistance.
Protesters line up along Minnesota State Highway 60 in Faribault two weeks ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo February 2026)
WE PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday, grabbed our signs from the back of the van and headed to the sidewalk. There Randy and I joined others filtering in to protest by the Rice County government services building along busy Minnesota State Highway 60/Fourth Street in Faribault.
For six Saturday mornings now, people have gathered here to raise their voices against aggressive federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota and against many other policies and directives of the Trump administration negatively affecting our lives (and that of our neighbors) and/or threatening our country. Whatever concerns someone—democracy, Constitutional rights, due process, tariffs, the economy, voting rights, authoritarianism, immigration—those topics are covered in signage and/or in conversations.
Saturday morning we stood some 40 strong in 15-degree temps with a biting wind. That’s about half our usual number. Some of the regulars were missing, but I also saw many new faces.
Protesting against ICE two weeks ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo February 2026)
ICE IS STILL HERE
Top on all of our minds remains Operation Metro Surge, the largest mass immigration enforcement effort in the country which saw 3,000 federal agents descend on Minnesota. That includes here in our community, home to many Latinos, Hispanics and Somalis.
Despite the announced drawdown of those agents, ICE activity in Faribault has not decreased since they started working here in early December, according to one protester I questioned on Saturday. He laughed when I inquired, a telling response. He’s a trustworthy source, a boots-on-the-ground individual who is active and informed.
Groceries and personal care items collected by a church in the south metro for those in need. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo February 2026)
THE PERSONAL & FINANCIAL FALL-OUT
To hear stories of retired teachers giving kids rides to school is simultaneously heartening and heartbreaking. Parents should be driving their children to school or walking them to the bus stop. But, because of ICE, others are doing that while they are sheltered at home, afraid to leave, not working, not going to the grocery store.
Food shelves have sprung up in schools and in churches, supplementing already existing nonprofit food shelves. The need is great. I recently started volunteering at a local food shelf.
Families unable to pay rent now face eviction. The Faribault City Council last week denied a request from the Faribault Community Action Center for $50,000 in emergency rental assistance. In neighboring Northfield, the city council unanimously approved an identical request from the Northfield Community Action Center.
Faribault is a blue collar community that runs red. Northfield is white collar blue.
A sign held at a previous protest. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
REACTIONS TO OUR PROTESTS
Whenever we protest, we are subjected to profanity, vulgarity and negative behavior from passing motorists among the overwhelmingly positive support. Based on my observations the four past Saturday mornings, the loudest and angriest are white women probably in their forties. I don’t understand the intensity of their angry outbursts. We just smile and wave, figuring we got to them with our messages.
Near the center of this frame, a protester carries a Rebel Loon sign. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo February 2026)
THE STORIES
I like to mingle when I protest. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people, to hear stories. Like that of an elementary school student who returned to classes last week after a two-month absence. Or the first-time protester whose husband, an immigrant, has worked mostly remotely rather than drive to his job in Minneapolis. Or the man who crafted a Rebel Loon (the Minnesota state bird) sign and was protesting for someone who could not be there for fear of ICE.
These are real stories of real people in my community. I may not know the little girl who returned to school or the protester’s husband or the friend of the Rebel Loon guy. But I do know that I care about the people in my community who have lived in, and continue to live in, fear of federal immigration agents regardless of legal status. Residents of my community have been racially profiled, stopped, questioned because they are black or brown, have an accent, dress differently. I have talked to a Hispanic woman, an American citizen, who was stopped by ICE.
This is why I protest in the deep cold of a Minnesota winter, standing beside others with signs, Minnesota state flags and peace flags in a town of 25,000 where protesting exposes you to criticism. It matters to my profiled and targeted neighbors that I am publicly standing up for them. They’ve told me so. I cannot remain silent. We are stronger together. Minnesota Strong.
The winter boots I wear while protesting. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
BREAD BAGS
We protesters brave the cold for those who cannot safely stand here. We wrap scarves around our necks, put on parkas, pull on long johns and ear flapper caps and wool socks and winter boots, sometimes adding foot and hand warmers. Several of us joked about returning next week with bread bags inside our boots for another layer of warmth, a throwback to our childhood days.
By then I’d been outside for an hour, my cheeks slapped red by the wind, my fingers and toes growing numb. But I was laughing, deep belly laughing, at the bread bag stories. It felt good to laugh with these protesters, to find comedic relief in the darkest of times.
Three sisters and a man walk together late Monday afternoon near Bethlehem Academy, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
THERE ARE MOMENTS in life when you see something at exactly the right time. And you understand the significance deep within your soul, your spirit.
For me that came Monday afternoon when I saw three sisters walking along the sidewalk near Bethlehem Academy, the Catholic High School about two blocks from my home. Randy and I were passing by in our van after a short jaunt into the countryside when I spotted the white-robed women.
Their snow white garb contrasted with their flowing black head coverings. Now I am not Catholic so I pretend no understanding of the black and white attire. I always thought nuns wore only all black with minimal white. This sighting proved that assumption wrong.
But more important than the clothing was the sense of peace that washed over me as I watched these sisters, accompanied by a man dressed in black, walk along the sidewalk on a beautiful warm and sunny afternoon in mid-February.
They radiated peace.
In these unsettling times, I’ll take peace. I’ve never before seen nuns in Faribault, making the sighting of these three devoted women of faith even more impressionable.
These words from the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi came to me:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
Riding a motorcycle on February 15 in Faribault, Minnesota, temps in the low fifties. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
THE JUXTAPOSITION OF A GUY in a red buffalo plaid stocking cap riding a motorcycle in Minnesota in mid-February struck me as photo-worthy. It’s not often bikers are out and about in winter. But it’s not often either that temps soar into the low fifties as they did here in southeastern Minnesota over the weekend and into Monday.
Randy and I were heading out of town when we happened upon the biker on the east side of Faribault on Sunday afternoon. I grabbed my camera, focused and shot through the passenger side of the windshield. One chance. One shot before the biker took off on Minnesota State Highway 60 toward the viaduct over the Straight River.
With the weather as warm as it was, people were outside in full force. Walking in groups. Riding scooters and bicycles. Walking the dog solo. Hanging laundry outside, me anyway. Washing their vehicles, although we never headed to the car wash.
When the sun shines and temps soar, we Minnesotans realize what a gift this is in the middle of winter. With dropping temps, rain and snow in the forecast for later this week, we understand that a day or three of extraordinary warmth and sunshine are to be savored, enjoyed, appreciated. We know that we still have a whole lot of winter ahead of us and that the weekend’s unseasonably warm temps are not real spring, only a tease.
Joseph Mbele shares stories, proverbs and culture on February 11 at Books on Central, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
Last Wednesday evening, Joseph Mbele, retired St. Olaf College professor of post-colonial literature, cultural consultant, author and storyteller, shared three African proverbs during a literary event at Books on Central. This man, who calls himself an African and a Tanzanian, held the rapt attention of attendees gathered in the used bookshop in the heart of downtown Faribault, home to many Somalis.
THE CROCODILE
While I enjoyed the two African folktales Mbele told, I really appreciated the proverbs. They are, by nature of a proverb, succinct. A few words carry a whole lot of punch. First up, this proverb: “Before you cross the river, don’t insult the crocodile’s mouth.”
Immediately the image of a crocodile’s sharp teeth popped into my mind. As it should have. This proverb, Mbele explained, is about being respectful to people in our relationships and in life in general. Be anything but respectful and we risk negative consequences. Snap.
THE BLACKSMITH
Second up this African proverb: “It’s because of man that the blacksmith makes weapons.” Thinking in African terms, the weapons would be knives and spears. I thought of guns. Mbele repeated the proverb, letting it sink into our brains. “It’s because of man that the blacksmith makes weapons.” The lesson here, Mbele said, is that we can be better than this—be kind, helpful and supportive—so we don’t need to bear arms/weapons. That’s an oversimplification, of course. But proverbs are not meant to be complex.
THE VISUALLY-IMPAIRED
Third, Mbele recited this proverb: “The one-eyed person only thanked God after he saw a blind person.” As someone with vision issues, that hit home. The proverb is a way of teaching gratitude, Mbele said. The contrast between seeing with only one eye and total blindness put the situation in perspective. The thought that there’s always someone who has it worse probably flitted through the minds of everyone in the bookshop.
THE STORYTELLERS
Mbele talked about the tradition of Africans sitting around telling stories to entertain and teach. Languages like his native Matengo, an indigenous language in Tanzania, are oral, not written. As he spoke, I began to understand the importance of folktales in African life. Stories connect people and, like proverbs, teach lessons.
Applied to my own community, Mbele explained that Somali men gathering on downtown Faribault street corners are simply socializing and sharing stories and are not to be feared. “It’s un-African to be by yourself,” he said of a culture that focuses on family and togetherness.
He even went so far as to say an African could be considered evil or a witch if living alone. That surprised me, but drove home the cultural importance of community and family. Now if only everyone in Faribault could hear these proverbs and insights from this native Tanzanian. Then perhaps they would not fear that which they don’t understand, like the Somali elders gathered on street corners downtown telling stories, sharing news or simply sitting in each other’s presence.
Holding my love-themed protest sign. (Photo credit: Randy Helbling)
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, everyone!
In the spirit of the day, the sign I carried at today’s protest in Faribault focused on one simple message: loving each other.
I could have crafted a sign about a hundred different issues that concern me right now in this country. But I decided instead to keep my message universal.
However, look closely and you will see that the hands I cut from construction paper are black and brown. That was intentional, representing the Hispanics, Latinos and Somalis who live in my community. Many have been racially-profiled by ICE, stopped, questioned. Doesn’t matter your immigration and/or citizenship status. If you’re black or brown, you likely will be stopped. I have no idea how many in Faribault have been disappeared by ICE, but certainly too many.
Back to my sign. I held it proudly at the hour-long protest along Minnesota State Highway 60 by the Rice County government services building. Today brought another 75 or so protesters, including many newbies, to line the block. I pulled signs I’d placed in the back of the van to share with three people who showed up without signs.
If honks and waves are a poll of public opinion, well the reaction from passing motorists has been overwhelmingly supportive of protesters.
It’s OK to disagree with us. But when people start yelling profanities, drive by at a dangerously high rate of speed, “roll coal” and/or give us the middle finger, I have to wonder why they feel so compelled to project such hate.
My message today was all about love. Simple, universal, and perfect for Valentine’s Day. Just love one another.
A love message posted along a recreational trail in Madison, Wisconsin. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
WHAT IS LOVE if not compassion, care and kindness, often privately, but also publicly, expressed? Each holds value.
Roses from my husband. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
On Valentine’s Day, I appreciate a loving valentine, a box of chocolates and/or a dozen roses as much as anyone. But what I value even more is the steadfast love that is part of my daily life. The love that comes in a hug, a kind word, a loving gesture, a caring act, a text.
A look inside a food pantry outside the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
I also appreciate the ways in which communities show love. Neighbors helping neighbors. Nonprofits providing for those in need of food, housing, financial assistance. Volunteers helping in their communities in whatever ways they can, whenever they can. We are seeing a lot of that right now.
This is love.
A beautiful love-themed mural in Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
And then there’s love-themed art found in public spaces. I’ve discovered love on murals, in signs, even on the back of a car. I often photograph these love messages because I think it’s important to document the positive, that which uplifts, that which connects all of us no matter our differences.
A personal, loving message photographed on the back of a car several years ago at River Bend Nature Center in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Love is universal. And how we express and live love matters in connecting us, building relationships, bettering our communities.
One of my favorite photos, taken in Pine Island, shows a loving act. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Love comes in a smile, a door held, a supportive arm offered, an encouraging word spoken. Words matter. They need not be poetic or profound, simply rooted in kindness, understanding, care.
A vintage valentine from my mom’s collection. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Listening, too, is love, something we could all be better at practicing. The same goes for thinking before we speak or anonymously type behind our screens.
Photographed in Pine Island. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
On Valentine’s Day, I hope we can all pause and ponder the ways in which we can grow love. In our personal lives. In our neighborhoods. In our communities. For “what the world needs now is love, sweet love.” And a whole lot more of it.
Sunset at City View Park, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
RED WING HAS BARN BLUFF. Winona has Sugar Loaf Bluff. And Faribault has City View Park.
The color of the sky is ever changing during sunset. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
Now a park may not sound as impressive as a bluff. But the view from City View Park on my community’s east side is pretty spectacular. Plus, driving or walking to the street level location is much easier than climbing a bluff, making the park easily accessible to all.
I zoomed in on the clock tower at Shumway Hall on the campus of Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. City View Park offers a great view of the historic building. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
I consider this park one of Faribault’s best kept secrets. It provides a sweeping view of the valley with local landmarks poking through the landscape. Like the clock tower on Shumway Hall at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. Or buildings on the campus of the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. Seeing those steepled and towering buildings conveys a sense of history in a community rich in historic structures.
Trees on the edge of the hill at City View Park frame the valley and the sunset. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
From this hilltop location, the land unfolds, touches the sky, connects to a beautiful city below. Any season of the year, this park offers a lovely vista. I’ve picnicked at City View Park in three seasons. Watched fireworks here on the Fourth of July. And in the winter photographed the most stunning sunsets. Orange. Pink. Red. Yellow.
A prairie sunset photographed from Minnesota State Highway 67 between Redwood Falls and Morgan in my home county. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
I am, by birth, a flatlander, a daughter of the southwestern Minnesota prairie. There the horizon seemingly stretches into infinity across the wide open, mostly treeless landscape. That presents an ideal stage to spotlight the sun. Painterly sunrises and sunsets and the endless prairie wind are forever imprinted upon my spirit.
Sometimes I just sit on the bench and be still. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
Since moving to Faribault some 40 years ago, I’ve lived in the valley, sunsets hidden by the hillside that rises next to my home. I miss seeing the setting sun on a daily basis as I did during my youth. Now I must intentionally seek out the blazing orange orb rather than simply looking across the farmyard.
A city water tower stands right next to the park. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
That sometimes takes me up St. Paul Avenue to City View Park, next to the water tower and across from Trump’s Apple Orchard.
The painterly sunset mesmerizes me. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
As I walk toward the edge of the hill to look across the valley, I feel small in the immensity of place. Distant landmark buildings ground me. But the view always, always fills me up with a sense of wonder at the majesty of the land, the glory of the sun, the forever of the sky.
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
This is love February 12, 2026
Tags: care, commentary, compassion, Faribault, helping neighbors, kindness, love, Minnesota, murals, Northfield, Pine Island, Valentine's Day
WHAT IS LOVE if not compassion, care and kindness, often privately, but also publicly, expressed? Each holds value.
On Valentine’s Day, I appreciate a loving valentine, a box of chocolates and/or a dozen roses as much as anyone. But what I value even more is the steadfast love that is part of my daily life. The love that comes in a hug, a kind word, a loving gesture, a caring act, a text.
I also appreciate the ways in which communities show love. Neighbors helping neighbors. Nonprofits providing for those in need of food, housing, financial assistance. Volunteers helping in their communities in whatever ways they can, whenever they can. We are seeing a lot of that right now.
This is love.
And then there’s love-themed art found in public spaces. I’ve discovered love on murals, in signs, even on the back of a car. I often photograph these love messages because I think it’s important to document the positive, that which uplifts, that which connects all of us no matter our differences.
Love is universal. And how we express and live love matters in connecting us, building relationships, bettering our communities.
Love comes in a smile, a door held, a supportive arm offered, an encouraging word spoken. Words matter. They need not be poetic or profound, simply rooted in kindness, understanding, care.
Listening, too, is love, something we could all be better at practicing. The same goes for thinking before we speak or anonymously type behind our screens.
On Valentine’s Day, I hope we can all pause and ponder the ways in which we can grow love. In our personal lives. In our neighborhoods. In our communities. For “what the world needs now is love, sweet love.” And a whole lot more of it.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling