Johnstown’s legacy is more than just about weathering floods; it's about an unbreakable spirit in the face of adversity. Quote from Seneca: I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent.  No one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.

Long-Lost Cousins or Lost Causes? Proceed with Caution

While I'm a big cheerleader for family history and genetic genealogy, I always recommend going in with your eyes fully open.

Just like the general population has its share of saints and scoundrels, so does your sprawling family tree. I've learned this the hard way. In my quest for deeper connections, I've occasionally ignored red flags—until they became impossible-to-ignore flare guns lighting up the sky.

You’re probably wondering what happened. Well, I’ll tell you.

In this podcast, I share a humorous incident where I unexpectedly found myself trapped in my old neighborhood, St. Anthony Park, because of good old Minnesota road construction. This unexpected detour led me down memory lane, allowing me to revisit the places of my past. I discuss the challenges and highlights of that period of my life and emphasize the significance of my chosen family of friends during that phase.

The Iconoclast and Guardian Symphony: Embracing the Dualities Within When I began my seminary studies, there was a preliminary step that I can only describe as part initiation, part “Are you sure you’re in the right place?” They subjected us to a series of psychological tests, after which we met with a counselor to review the findings.

People, like bridges, act as connectors. They link memories, places, and events, making gaps of understanding disappear.

Just take Jun Fujita and Bobbie Aanstad, for example. They’re my time machines, sending me straight back to Chicago’s haunting day of July 24, 1915, when the Eastland met its untimely fate—and my great-aunt and 843 others lost their lives. Through Jun’s pictures and Bobbie’s stories (as retold by her granddaughter, Barb Wachholz), the past becomes palpable. But maybe the Eastland’s murky depths wanted to keep its stories whispered, not shouted. For me, unearthing its tale felt like being a detective, diving deep into the pool of my family’s past. True, that often I felt as if I were drowning. It encompassed more than mere dates and facts; it was a personal saga..

But shouting about tragedies from the past isn’t universally welcomed. Why? Pain’s a tough pill to swallow. It makes us confront wounds, both personal and societal. Memory, whether shared or individual, is a tricky thing.

In my podcast Flower in the River (Ep. 29), I talked about a complicated trio: Critics, Clowns, and Creative Defiance. Why this theme? Had a chat with one of my former students at Loft Literary Center (Minneapolis) and got inspired. She penned her thoughts, got published, and then — out of nowhere — she got slimed. Her prose was spot-on, which makes me think she attracted a clown who couldn’t resist. We often make ourselves clown fodder whenever we put our creations out into the world.

We who have been influenced and occasionally transformed by The Twilight Zone are legion.

In our home, Rod Serling was always a welcome virtual guest since my mom, dad, grandfather, sister and I were hooked on that show. Maybe it helped foster a deeper bond among us because we’d often discuss it, refer to it, and even joke about it. For example, my sister and I would run around the house screaming, “It’s a cookbook!!” (reference: “To Serve Man”).

Ever thought about how a river's journey might mirror our own life's twists and turns? Dive into Episode 27 of Flower in the River podcast where we muse over life's adventures alongside the ever-meandering Chicago River. Like this legendary waterway, weaving its tales of highs and lows through the city, our lives dance to the rhythm of experiences both joyous and challenging.

My almost interview with Garrison Keillor

I can only tell a story if I tell the story behind the story. That could be a quirk, but that’s what I do.

In the early 1980s, I’d been freelancing for The OtherSide magazine, and the editor suggested an idea. He knew I was moving to Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN, and wanted me to score an in-person interview with this guy who had some radio show called “A Prairie Home Companion.”

My first article in a "big" magazine was published in April 1982. I met the editor of The OtherSide Magazine—Mark Olson— during a retreat at the beautiful Kirkridge Retreat Center in Bangor, PA, the previous summer. When I began unraveling the story of my four years in an intentional Christian Community, he asked If I'd be willing to write about it.

Never one to refuse adventure, I enthused "Sure!" and penned my first magazine article, part-exposé but mostly memoir, documenting my wild ride in an offbeat Christian community.

Memorial Day 2023 Reflection on those who came home and those who never returned.

Today is the anniversary of The Eastland Disaster (July 24, 1915) where I lost my great-aunt and where her sister—my dear grandmother—trudged down to a makeshift morgue in Chicago to identify her sister’s body. There were 844 killed that day.