Easter joy! May all of you who read this column have a joyous Easter season. The day of Easter 1993 may be history, but the joy of that first Easter and the joy of every Easter sunrise service and every Easter celebration since that first Easter will live on and on. In my last column I shared some warm thoughts about Bethlehem and the plight to the Holy Land. If it were not for Easter, the season of Christmas would not be a celebration. Easter is truly a celebration of life.
Episode 136: Our Lady of Freedom →
When you read this last column for the month of May, many thoughts come to mind about Memorial Day. As we reflect on the many Memorial days of the past, we experience many warm thoughts on peace and about our land of freedom. In this week's column, I will share a poem sent to me by a lady in her 80s. She is a very special friend who has been a real inspiration to me, especially during the last several weeks. She is a distinguished member of the International Society of Poetry, and her poetry will be featured in the "Best Poems of the 90s," a publication of the National Library of Poetry. And most recently, she was inducted into the Eastern Kentucky University's Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
Episode 112: A Tribute to My Son - A Vietnam Veteran →
A TRIBUTE TO MY SON:
A Vietnam Veteran
by Dr. Luetta G. Werner
Just why did you do it... go to war?
So many people wondered why
You volunteered to serve your country;
You left as a teen and said, "Good-bye."
To serve your country…that was your goal.
You believed the cause was to fight to win.
God was your quide and stayed by your side,
And you felt His great love again and again.
The scars of this war will always be there.
You went a teen and came back a man.
Faith in your god and prayer saw you through,
Love for your country and this prairie land.
May God bless all those who serve their country!
Episode 90: Flowers Paint the Laughing Soil →
It was Palm Sunday evening and I was returning from a trip to Nebraska over the weekend. Many warm thoughts flooded my mind as I traveled along and reflected on the joyful events with family and friends. Suddenly, as I came to South Dakota, a winter storm greeted me, and I realized that the remainder of my journey I would encounter ice, snow, wind, and large snowdrifts before reaching my destination. What a warm feeling to arrive safely in a warm home, realizing that there must have been an angel guiding my pathway back home to the little home on the prairie. The storm continued for a few days and one realizes that we do not always stroll through pleasant valleys. As I realize this over a cup of tea, I thought about the many travelers who go to the Holy Land at this time of the year to travel that road to Calvary and also see the empty tomb in the garden. Pilgrims throughout the world, make their pilgrimage to the Holy Land at this time of year to worship at the many sacred sites. Perhaps uppermost in our hearts and minds with those travelers, is the fervent desire that peace may prevail throughout the world.
Episode 88: The Heart of Spring →
Happy Easter! Easter and Spring have arrived. As I write these warm thoughts, it is the week before Easter, and there are still some mountains of snow surrounding the little home on the prairie. My grandson, Trevor, who lives in Nebraska and who's spending some special vacation days with his grandma in South Dakota, is overjoyed to make an Easter snowman! Is spring really here in South Dakota?