Pictured here is my great-great-grandma Oyateotawi. Her name means “Girl of Many Peoples.” Native American genealogy is not easy to trace (they didn’t keep written records), but from what I can find, Oyateotawi is closely related to chiefs Little Crow and Big Thunder. How she ended up at the frontier fort in what is now … Read more
The lady in the photo below led a remarkable life which spanned nearly 80 years. No small accomplishment for a woman born in 1848, let alone for someone who emigrated from two countries, settling in America, with nothing but her family and a lot of hope. Born in Belfort, France, Bretta’s family made their way … Read more
As a fourth generation Cubs fan, raised to hope for a better next year, I thought I would never see the Wrigley Field marquee ablaze with the words: “World Series Champions”. All my life, all my father’s life, and all my grandmother’s life, the Cubs have lost. It was just the way it was. Last night that changed. If you’re … Read more
Many people want to change the world. But, few do. That’s probably a good thing. Parents, whether they intend to or not, impact their children in all sorts of ways, and in ways they could never foresee or expect. I know a mother that starting reading to her daughter before she was a year old. … Read more
Macklin lay face up in the water. His 18-month-old body was gray. He wasn’t moving. He had only been out of his parents’ sight for a few minutes that Sunday morning. The pool gate was never left open. All of the four kids had spent hours in the backyard by themselves, and nothing had ever … Read more
I grew up loved. I grew up middle class. I grew up never having to wonder if I would get a birthday present or a Christmas present. But like most American children, I had to be reminded again and again that not everything in life is fair. Kids will be kids. And we all need … Read more