Walking up the driveway to Souba Greenhouse for “Christmas on the Farm” last Saturday. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
IT WAS, IN SOME WAYS, like going back to my childhood family farm in southwestern Minnesota. But rather than traveling 120 miles, I arrived from neighboring Faribault at Souba Greenhouse, a farm site and business on the western edge of Owatonna, for “Christmas on the Farm.”
A 1928 Hart-Parr tractor owned by Bill and Debi Souba idles between wagon rides. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
Walking up the paved driveway edged with vehicles, I felt the cold, biting wind sweeping across the land. That, too, was familiar as prairie winds are seemingly ceaseless. A massive white barn snugged by two towering silos lent more familiarity.
Bundled up for a wagon ride on a cold and windy Saturday morning. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
And then I heard the tractor, the deafening snap snap of a 1928 Hart-Parr 18-36. It sounded a bit like the putt putt of my dad’s old John Deere, only much louder. Guests had already settled onto blanket-draped straw bales atop a wagon for a short ride around the farm yard. They were, I noted, warmly dressed with hoods and stocking caps topping heads. The bright sunshine fooled no one on this cold and windy Saturday morning. I skipped the wagon ride, something I’d typically enjoy.
I passed the barn, silos, a pole shed and Christmas trees on my way to the greenhouses. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
A family searches for a Christmas tree inside the pole shed. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
Instead, I aimed for the warmth of the greenhouses, passing stands of Christmas trees displayed outdoors with more for sale inside an adjacent pole shed. Already I felt the warmth of the holiday season in this rural setting.
Parked inside the greenhouse was this vintage truck. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
Stepping into the greenhouse, I was immediately drawn to a vintage International truck festooned with garland, a fake Santa propped inside the cab. “Vintage” fits Souba Greenhouse, established in 1892 as a Truck Farm. Today this wholesale and retail greenhouse is fifth-generation family owned by two cousins. The business grows annual flowers and vegetables.
Staff sported colorful matching Santa holiday sweaters, just the right festive fashion flair for the event.
Lots of holiday ornaments for sale. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
The second-hand books inside these brown wrappers are, except for genre, a surprise to the buyer and the gift recipient. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
Vendors ringed the greenhouse, peddling sweet treats, holiday décor, cleverly-packaged books and more.
Everything inside the greenhouses was decidedly festive. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
And while I could have enjoyed complimentary popcorn and a hot drink as I wandered among the goods, poinsettias and more, I opted not to given I had my camera in hand. Folks shopped and chatted and smiled. Lots of smiles.
Santa, between family photo shoots. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
I waited inside a second greenhouse as families climbed into a sleigh for photos with Santa. I wanted a photo of Santa only. No need for me to pose with him.
I delighted in seeing this horse and a few cattle at the farm. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
And then it was back outside for a look at the Christmas tree selection. I prefer a scraggly Charlie Brown tree to perfectly-shaped. But I didn’t find that at Souba Greenhouse. What I discovered instead was the spirit of the holiday on a piece of land that took me back in time to the farm. There’s comfort in that, in stepping onto a farm yard complete with barn, silos and pole sheds, a noisy tractor, lounging cattle and a horse munching hay. This felt very much like “Christmas on the Farm” to this farm-rooted girl.
I created this Thanksgiving display in a stoneware bowl. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
GRATITUDE. It’s a word that gets tossed around a lot this week as we observe Thanksgiving. And that’s good as we all need to pause, reflect and focus on reasons to feel thankful.
Health and family often top that list. And I’m staying in that lane of feeling especially grateful this year for restoration of my health and for my dear family—my husband, three adult children, two grandchildren and sons-in-law. And the soon-to-be-born second grandson.
This map shows the geographical distance separating my family. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
While my core family is scattered from Boston to eastern Wisconsin to Minnesota, we are never far apart, thanks to smartphones. So, yes, this mom and grandma, who once lived in the days of no phone service (not even a landline) and of typewriters, is especially grateful for technology that allows us to stay easily connected.
Still, that does not make up for in-person time together as a family. It doesn’t happen often that we are together. But in August, we were. All of us. For the annual Helbling family reunion. If ever my mama’s heart was full and happy, it was then. The son actually spent several weeks in Minnesota after flying in from Boston for the international unicycling convention in Bemidji and then staying until the reunion. To have that lengthy time with him, whom I typically only see at Christmas, was beyond wonderful. Technology allowed this extended stay as he could work remotely, although he did complain about my slow internet speed.
A sampling of some of the exercises I did while in vestibular rehab therapy at Courage Kenny, Faribault, from April to September 2023. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2023)
And then there’s my health. This past year marked the year I reclaimed my life after spending 2023 dealing with issues caused by long haul COVID. I spent six months in vestibular rehab therapy to retrain my brain. I learned to feel comfortable walking without feeling unbalanced. I learned to manage sensory overload (which remains a residual problem). And much more. I shall be forever grateful to my healthcare team, specifically my physical therapist Ryan, and my family for getting me through an incredibly difficult health challenge. My symptoms were debilitating. Few understood then and few understand now what I experienced.
But because of that experience, I’ve been able to encourage and support others who are in the throes of debilitating long haul COVID. I understand. I empathize. And my compassion for them runs deep. This is real and life-changing.
Information about the eye muscle surgery I underwent in Minneapolis under the care of a neuro ophthalmologist. I had this same surgery performed at age four. These are my pre-surgery eyeglasses, without mega prisms. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2023)
In January, I underwent bilateral strabismus surgery to realign my eyes. Although that surgery failed (as it does up to 20 percent of the time), I remain grateful for one thing—my vision. It’s certainly far from perfect. I still see double if I’m not wearing my prism-heavy prescription eyeglasses. I struggle to tell if photos I am taking or processing are clear. But the bottom line is that I can see. And that is reason to feel grateful. I. Can. See.
This tag of reasons to feel grateful hung on a Gratitude Tree outside the Northfield Public Library in 2019. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
In all of the challenges of life, reasons exist to feel thankful. It’s easy enough to fall into complacency and take good health, family, friends and life in general for granted. Don’t. None of those are a given. No matter what, we can choose to feel grateful, even in the midst of struggles. Something positive can come from negative. Life brims with reasons to feel grateful. I am.
Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers! I am grateful for all of you, for your support, for your friendship, for the light you shine in my life.
A delightful handcrafted turkey in Henderson, Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
INFLATABLE MASS-PRODUCED holiday décor abounds. So when I saw an over-sized handcrafted turkey positioned outside a small town museum, I took notice. And stopped to photograph it.
The Thanksgiving scene that drew my attention near the historical society and museum in Henderson. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
I appreciate that someone took the time to create this turkey with plywood, paint and a single large bale. The turkey truly grabs your attention on the west end of Henderson, just below the hill from the Sibley County Historical Society and Museum.
Vehicles pass right by the turkey on highway 19. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
Anyone passing by on Minnesota State Highway 19, a main thoroughfare that runs right through the heart of this Minnesota River town, will certainly notice the colorful lone turkey. And, if they’re like me, they’ll even stop for photos and a closer look.
A detailed, festive message next to the turkey. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
The turkey and “Happy Thanksgiving from Henderson Minn!”, complete with red hearts dotting the “i’s” and marking the exclamation point, made me smile. And that’s a good thing. I appreciate things that make me smile.
A closeup of those colorful turkey feathers which clearly took time to cut, paint and attach to the bale. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
During this Thanksgiving week, I hope you find many reasons to smile as you consider all that is good and wonderful in your life—friends, family, community.. Pause to give thanks for your many blessings from food to health to shelter to freedom.
A much smaller handcrafted turkey from my collection. I bought this at a thrift store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
And if you see a handcrafted holiday decoration like Henderson’s turkey, take notice, appreciate and give thanks for the kind-hearted soul who shared their talents and made you smile.
I photographed this tag hanging on The Gratitude Tree in the neighboring city of Northfield in 2019. I love this idea of publicly expressing thankfulness, including for community. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2019)
WHEN CONSIDERING GRATITUDE, as we do this week, we usually look inward. But I want to look outward and share six reasons why I feel grateful to live in Faribault.
This is my all-time favorite image showing local diversity. Here children gather to break a pinata during an international festival at Faribault’s Central Park. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2012)
PEOPLE make a community. I knew no one when I moved here as a newlywed in 1982. But I was welcomed and have since formed deep friendships in Faribault. I can walk into a business, attend an event, or simply be out and about and run into someone who knows me. Conversation often follows.
Recently I attended a 75th anniversary open house at Burkhartzmeyer Shoes, a third-generation family owned shoe store in downtown Faribault. After purchasing athletic shoes, I headed to a back room for complimentary refreshments. A small group of us sat there talking and laughing, simply enjoying each other’s company. I felt like I was inside a small town cafe drinking coffee and conversing. It felt that down-home comfortable.
But I can feel just as comfortable with strangers, including Adolfo, whom I met in October while walking in Central Park. Adolfo moved to America from Venezuela, a country he fled because of Communism and violence. On this morning, he was pushing his one-year-old grandson in a stroller. It’s part of their daily routine. Darling Milan drew me to his grandpa, where I connected with Adolfo on a personal level and heard his story. I feel grateful for every opportunity I have to meet Faribault’s newest immigrants and hear their stories, stories often laced with hardship and hope. To live in a city as diverse as Faribault is truly a gift.
Kids help at the Faribault CommUnity Thanksgiving Dinner by, among other things, creating festive placemats.(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2017)
Faribault overflows with CARING INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS striving to help others: the Community Action Center, Rice County Habitat for Humanity, St. Vincent de Paul, HOPE Center, Ruth’s House, IRIS (Infants Remembered in Silence), the Salvation Army, Operation: 23 to 0… I’ve received support while dealing with some especially challenging life events. When you experience that community love and care first-hand, you understand the true meaning of community.
Once again this Thanksgiving, volunteers will serve a free CommUnity Thanksgiving Dinner as they have for the past 30 some years. I’ve previously helped deliver those holiday meals. Every Tuesday, a free meal is also available at the Community Cafe. With Christmas approaching, I’m part of a bible study group coordinating the annual Angel Tree (gift giving) at my church. I could go on and on with an endless list of how people are helping people in my community. Hearts are loving, spirits giving.
A 1950s scene along Faribault’s Central Avenue is shown in this downtown mural.(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
I am especially grateful to live in a community which values THE ARTS. The Paradise Center for the Arts in downtown Faribault centers our arts scene. Every time I tour a gallery exhibit, attend a play or otherwise engage in the arts, I feel grateful to live here. I’ve even contributed to the local arts scene by publicly reading my poetry. I love attending summer concerts in the park and concerts inside the historic Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour. I appreciate the history-based murals that color our downtown. I grew up in rural southwestern Minnesota with minimal access to the arts, meaning my gratitude for the arts in Faribault runs deep.
I treasure Buckham Memorial Library, just blocks from my home. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2022)
My thankfulness for BUCKHAM MEMORIAL LIBRARYalso runs deep, for the very same reason. I grew up in a small farming town without a library. And I love to read. That we now also have a volunteer run used bookstore, Books on Central (benefitting the Rice County Area United Way), notches my gratitude level even higher.
A snippet of Faribault’s historic buildings, photographed during a monthly Car Cruise Night.(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2016)
The bookshop is located in the heart of our HISTORIC DOWNTOWN, another reason I feel grateful to live in Faribault. My community cares about preserving historic buildings. I love old architecture. There’s nothing quite like walking among vintage vehicles along Central Avenue during Car Cruise Night as the sun sets at the end of a summer day. Beautiful.
In just minutes, I can reach the countryside, where I love to travel gravel roads. This road winds among the lakes and farm fields west of Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2022)
Faribault also offers incredible NATURAL BEAUTY in a diverse landscape of woods and prairie, hills and valleys, ravines and bluffs. It’s so different than my native prairie. Admittedly, it took me a while to “get used to” all the trees when I moved here 42 years ago. I still mostly have no sense of direction on roads and streets that don’t run prairie grid straight. But I love to walk through city parks, along city trails, at River Bend Nature Center, on the campus of the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf… And within a short drive of my home, I am immersed in the countryside.
A view of The Gratitude Tree outside the Northfield Public Library in 2021. People wrote their reasons for feeling thankful on a blank tag. Those were then hung on the tree. I’d like to see a Gratitude Tree in every community once a year. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2021)
This list of a half dozen reasons to feel thankful for the place I call home just touches the surface of why I am grateful to live in Faribault. It’s not utopia, certainly. Nowhere is. But today I want to pause, consider and acknowledge specific reasons for feeling thankful that Faribault is my home. I hope you’ll do the same, wherever you live.
At the Kenyon Public Utilities building, signage marks the birth and bicentennial of our country from 1776-1976. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
BUILT BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE. I suppose in many ways that could describe the building of America. We are a nation built by the people on the principles of freedom, of democracy. That’s important to remember in the hoopla of the Fourth of July, a holiday synonymous with BBQs, parades, fireworks and a day off from work.
Spotted on a house in Kenyon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
But the founding of our country, the birth of a nation, is at the core of our July Fourth celebration. Or at least it should be.
A stunning house along Red Wing Avenue showcases beautiful landscaping and the red-white-and-blue. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
On recent day trips to several small towns in southern Minnesota, I noticed the red-white-and-blue on full display. Visual reminders that loyalty to country and liberty are still cherished.
A flag flies at Kenyon’s hardware store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
I appreciate when people, businesses, governments showcase the colors of this country in ways that honor and respect the integrity of America. Not to make a political statement.
Patriotism in carved eagles and an American flag in a Kenyon neighborhood. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
In Kenyon, a rural community of just under 2,000 in Goodhue County, I found an array of red-white-and-blue. From Main Street to residential neighborhoods, locals have infused the colors of our country into the landscape.
Allan and Connie Turner have lots of kitschy handcrafted art in their yard at the corner of Red Wing Avenue and Eighth Street next to the Kenyon water tower. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2024)
American made sold at All Seasons Thrift Store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Patriotic bags for sale in the thrift shop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Flags fly. Kitschy yard art celebrates the Fourth. Even inside a thrift store, American pride shows.
An American and MIA flag fly at the Kenyon Post Office. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
An American flag is barely visible to the right as a sprayer passes Kenyon’s veterans’ memorial. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
A patriotic barn and porch quilt, available at D & S Banner, Sign & Print. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
This is America. From small town to big city. From coast-to-coast. No matter where we live in this big wide country, we are, today, one nation celebrating the birth of our nation.
One of several flag decals in the windows of the VFW. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Happy birthday, America! And happy Fourth of July, dear readers!
American pride displayed at a brewery in Montgomery, Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
A flag flies from the popular Franke’s Bakery in downtown Montgomery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
How often have you sung those words, heard those lyrics, considered the meaning of our national anthem? Perhaps, after time, the words have become simply rote, voiced without much thought of their meaning.
A flag rock in a flower garden at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Our nation’s birthday seems a good time to ponder the depth of bravery required to attain and maintain our freedom. It’s come at great cost with loss of life and physical, mental and emotional trauma. And, at times, with events that have rocked the very core of our democracy.
A flag flies near The Monty Bar, a mammoth building anchoring a corner. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Through everything, our flag still waves—sometimes tattered, torn and abused—but still there. A symbol of our country and the freedoms we live.
Patriotic art on Legion Post 79 is part of The Montgomery Wings Mural Walk. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
It always amazes me how small towns, especially, fly so many American flags. Take Montgomery, a southern Minnesota community that honors its veterans with photos and bios of them posted throughout the downtown area. Montgomery also flies a lot of U.S. flags.
To the far right in this photo, an oversized flag flies along Main Street Montgomery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Those flags mostly grace lampposts, but also flagpoles, businesses and flower gardens. The red-white-and-blue flashes color into Main Street and elsewhere, creating a visual of patriotism. There’s something about a crisp, new American flag publicly displayed that swells the heart with love of country.
Another flag rock in a Most Holy Redeemer garden. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
My country ‘tis of Thee, sweet land of liberty of Thee I sing…let freedom ring.
A flag drapes on a pole outside The Rustic Farmer on Main, an event center and community gathering spot in Montgomery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Let freedom ring, unsuppressed by anyone who may attempt to silence it via words, actions, ego, authority. Let freedom ring strong and loud in this land.
Even small flags like this in the storefront window of a cleaning service make an impact. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Let the flag fly as a symbol of a free people, a free country, where democracy is to be valued, cherished and respected.
Montgomery has a lot of drinking establishments and a lot of American flags. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
This Fourth of July, the 248th birthday of the United (emphasis on united) States of America, let’s remember the freedoms we have and vow to always honor them. Always.
American flags fly on and near a bait shop in downtown Elysian. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
AMERICAN PRIDE RUNS STRONG in many small towns. At least that’s my take after a recent tour of several communities in my area.
A flag flies high outside, Tucker’s Tavern, a popular restaurant and bar anchoring a downtown corner in Elysian. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Take Elysian, a lakeside community of 724 year-round residents in Le Sueur and Waseca counties. The summer-time population swells well beyond that as cabin owners, campers and others flock to the area.
Flags fly in downtown Elysian. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Walk through the several blocks of Elysian’s downtown, and you’ll see American flags flying from lamp posts, buildings and flagpoles, lending a patriotic feel to this southern Minnesota town.
As expected, an American flag flies by the Legion. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Flags line the street in downtown Elysian. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Flying the flag outside The Thirsty Beaver. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
In a community that celebrates the Fourth of July in a big way with six days of events running from July 2-7, the prolific flag display seems especially fitting. July 4th and the American flag are, of course, synonymous. As are days packed with July 4th events that draw crowds of locals and visitors.
Red, white and blue in a beer delivery truck and an American flag. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Elysian has an impressive array of activities planned: pageants, a medallion hunt, turtle races, street dances, street and boat parades, arm wrestling, kids’ fishing contest and power pedal pull, flea market, chicken and pancake feeds, bean bag and cribbage tournaments, car show. July 5th fireworks… (Click here for more information.)
One of my favorite old buildings in Elysian, graced by a flag. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Love of country and love of community merge to create this July Fourth celebration in Elysian, a small town where patriotism shows in the American flags that fly, in the gathering to celebrate our nation’s birthday.
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The popular bluegrass band, Monroe Crossing, performs in North Morristown in 2016. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 4, 2016)
FYI: Other area communities also celebrate the Fourth in big ways. That includes the 131st July 4th celebration in North Morristown, where a parade, patriotic program (including a flag raising ceremony), games, kids’ rides, food stands (including homemade pies), music (including the ever-popular Monroe Crossing, with performances at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.), fireworks and much more define July 4th. Events are held on the festival grounds across from Trinity Lutheran Church and School in North Morristown, a spot in the middle of farm fields in southwestern Rice County. (Click here for more information.)
To the south of Owatonna in Blooming Prairie, this small town hosts its 50th Old Fashioned 4th of July beginning on July 3, then continuing on July 4 and 6. It truly is an event for families, with lots happening for kids. Games, pony rides, races, a kids’ pedal tractor pull, inflatables, painting, etc. Adults will find plenty to do also with a fine arts fair and vendor market, music, a tractor pull, parade, fireworks and more. (Click here for more information.)
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NOTE: Check back to see more photos of U.S. flags gracing other small towns in my area of southern Minnesota.
Honoring words on the Northfield Area Veterans Memorial. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2023)
THE WOOD-GRAIN cardboard shoebox, tattered around the edges, sits on a closet shelf in an upstairs spare bedroom. This box once held size 8D loafers from Pedwin Shoes for Men. Those are long gone, replaced by black-and-white photos, postcards, a military belt, documents and more.
This May 1953 photo, taken by my dad, shows his friend, Ray Scheibe, left, and other soldiers in Korea. (Photo credit: Elvern Kletscher)
A lime green note atop the lid identifies the contents as “Important stuff,” underlined twice, belonging to my dad, Elvern Kletscher. The papers and photos inside are the stuff of war, the Korean War. Dad served as a U.S. Army infantryman on the frontlines, earning the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in battle.
A July 31, 1953, memorial service bulletin from Sucham-dong, Korea.(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)
But this story is not about my father, who survived combat and returned home to southwestern Minnesota, albeit permanently scarred by the trauma of war. This is about 28 men from the 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment, who died in Korea. Their names are typed inside a July 31, 1953, memorial service bulletin my dad carried home from war. The folder is creased in quarters, worn, letters fading. I’ve opened it many times. I imagine my Dad did, too, as he read the names listed in alphabetical order from A to Z. Turrell Anderson to Vernie Zurn. Near the end of that list, the name of his buddy, 22-year-old Raymond W. Scheibe.
A story about Cpl. Ray W. Scheibe, published in the July 23, 1953, issue of The Wolbach Messenger.
On June 2, 1953, the day before Ray was to leave Korea and return to his wife, Marilyn, and 3-month-old daughter, Terri Rae, in Wollbach, Nebraska, he died. Blown apart by a mortar shell, his horrific death witnessed by my father. I don’t think Dad ever fully recovered from the trauma of losing his friend. Who would?
(Photo credit: Sonny Nealon, Ray’s best friend in high school)
Today I honor Ray and all the other military men and women who have died in service to country. They made the ultimate sacrifice, leaving behind grieving families and friends. “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” That biblical quote from John 15:13 is typed below the names of the 28 men honored at that July 1953 memorial service in Suchan-dong, Korea. That had to be an overwhelmingly emotional event for the surviving soldiers.
The third page of the memorial service bulletin my soldier dad carried home from Korea.(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)
Seventy-one years after that memorial service, I feel emotional reading the 28 names, recognizing the immense loss, the grief, the trauma. That my dad kept this folder speaks to his grief, compassion and connection to those who fought in Korea. I honor him and those men by keeping this folder and all the other “important stuff” Dad carried back home to Minnesota.
His documents, photos and more are not mere “stuff.” Rather they represent individuals who died in war, who should always be remembered and honored, especially today, Memorial Day.
NOTE: In 2005, with the help of my brother-in-law Neil, who served in the military, I tracked down Ray Scheibe’s daughter, Terri, in southwestern Iowa. We’ve kept in touch all these years, but have yet to meet. Finding Terri brought my dad’s story full circle, bringing me peace. I shared with Terri how much her father meant to mine. To read my story about finding Terri, click here.
A snippet of art gracing a holiday greeting card I received. (Minnesota Prairie Roots photo December 2023)
“IT’S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!” declared 7-year-old Isabelle as she hugged me tight, her bright smile making this moment even brighter.
It was Christmas Eve afternoon and a circle of family gathered in our small kitchen for a moment of profound happiness. My second daughter and her husband, John, had minutes earlier arrived from Madison, Wisconsin. Unexpectedly.
I felt overcome by emotion, my heart brimming with the joy of a mother who did not expect her second daughter home for Christmas. And now here Miranda stood aside her dad and her niece and her sobbing mother. I cried tears of happiness that all three of my adult children were here, in their southern Minnesota childhood home, together for Christmas. Amber from nearby Lakeville. Caleb from Boston. And now Miranda from Madison, 4 ½ hours away. Rare are the times we are all together. I hadn’t seen Caleb in a year.
Fittingly, a Christmas card from Norma, Izzy’s great grandma, arrived with this message the day after Christmas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2023)
Izzy certainly got it right. This felt like a Christmas miracle. That she could witness her grandma’s unrestrained happiness was a gift, too, for my sweet granddaughter to understand how strong and deep the bonds of family love. I never stop missing my kids, even though the first left for college in 2004, the last in 2012.
And now here we all were, under the same roof again, only because Miranda managed a day off from delivering mail and packages. Christmas Eve morning she was dressed in her postal uniform, had packed her lunch and was about to head out the door for a long day of work when her phone rang. Her supervisor was calling to say she didn’t need to come in. She shared the good news with John and told him, “We’re going to Minnesota!”
Miranda texted her sister and the two agreed to keep her arrival a secret. That explains why, when I suggested to Amber that the grandkids open their gifts soon after arriving at our house, she wanted to wait. I had no clue, none, of the joyful surprise that awaited me.
We were visiting in the living room, the kids playing, when I heard the kitchen door open and then Miranda’s voice. I felt my mouth drop in disbelief. I leapt from my chair and made a beeline straight for my daughter and wrapped her in a vise of a hug. I felt my eyes filling with tears. I was overwhelmed by love, by happiness, by the joy of knowing we would all be together for Christmas.
My father-in-law painted this holiday scene, which is why I treasure it. Plus, I really like the painting. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
There’s nothing better. Nothing better than to be with loved ones. I expect, years from now, that we’ll still be talking about the Christmas surprise, the Christmas miracle, as Isabelle framed it. I hope that, years from now long after she’s forgotten the dinosaur sticker book and the LEGO set Grandma and Grandpa gave her, Isabelle remembers that moment in the kitchen. The moment when Grandma wrapped Izzy’s Aunt Miranda in her arms and cried. And the moment when Izzy tucked into my embrace, her face beaming, and loudly declared, “It’s a Christmas miracle!”
This Santa painted on plywood is among the many painted character cut-outs at the Kiwanis Holiday Lights display at Sibley Park in Mankato. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)
REMEMBER THE EXCITEMENT you felt as a child about Christmas? The I-can’t-wait-until-we-can-open-our-presents sort of excitement. Perhaps some of you didn’t wait, opting to search for hidden packages when your parents weren’t around or were too busy to notice. You found, carefully unwrapped and re-wrapped your gifts because you just could not wait until the big day. How did that work out for you?
A elf bears gifts at the holiday light show in Mankato. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)
My son will tell you it’s not much fun to know what you’re getting for Christmas. Unbeknownst to me, he scouted out his gifts one December. Oh, the confessions of adult children (which seems such an oxymoron).
The other day my 7 ½-year-old granddaughter asked her mom why she wasn’t more excited about Christmas. If Izzy ever becomes a mom, she’ll understand. As moms, Amber and I get it. There’s so much to do. Cards to send. Shopping to do. Gifts to wrap. Cookies to bake. Holiday meals to prepare. Christmas events to attend. It’s a lot to cram into a single month.
A grandma who’s relaxing rather than stressed over Christmas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2023)
So, yes, Izzy’s observation about her mom’s tempered Christmas cheer was accurate. Kids experience the joy, magic and fun of Christmas without any of the work. As it should be. Time passes too quickly and we grow into adulthood with all the responsibilities that entails.
I want my dear, sweet granddaughter to hold onto the magic of Christmas for as long as she can. These early years of her life are wonderful and magical and precious. That she holds such excitement for Christmas is exactly as it should be when she’s seven going on eight.
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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