The start of a new year has a certain pull to it. Clean calendars. Fresh notebooks. Renewed energy. We tell ourselves, This is the year I’ll be more intentional. And that’s a good thing. But if there’...

Let me tell you about my friend Matt, who died last Friday.

He lived in Whittemore, Iowa, a town of 497 people where everyone knows your name, your parents’ names, and usually your story. Matt’s stor...

We live in a world that is very good at talking to us.

Our phones buzz. Screens glow. Opinions arrive uninvited. Even when the house is quiet, there’s often a voice in our ear: news, podcasts, social...

Drifting doesn’t feel dangerous, at least not at first. The water is calm. The sun is out. The shoreline looks familiar enough. When the current is gentle, drifting can even feel restful. But drift lo...

Life can be hard.

Not always in dramatic, headline-worthy ways, but in the steady, persistent grind of everyday living. The alarm goes off. The calendar is full. Expectations pile up. We carry stress...

Every winter on West Okoboji has its own personality. Some years the cold creeps in slowly, like a shy guest settling into the room. Other years, like this one, it charges through the door with a fier...