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Seniors

Senior News: Easter traditions practiced at home and abroad

NIAGARA, Wis. — The season of Lent has officially begun, which means the celebration of Easter is right around the corner, along with the official start of spring. We are all familiar with our own Easter traditions but probably are not aware of those that are observed in other areas of the world. So today I want to do a little globe hopping to learn how this holiday is celebrated in foreign lands. The celebration of Easter in Great Britain begins on Good Friday and is the most important celebration in the Christian church year. Like us, the Brits tell stories about the Easter ...

Senior News: Some thoughts on the search for perfection

NIAGARA, Wis. — Last week I shared with you some stories from my years of playing in the band throughout junior high and high school and how participation in musical endeavors is a good preparation for life. This week I want to share my childhood experiences — as a first-born perfectionist — in art class. And I want to provide some guidelines on how to manage perfectionism if you find yourself, or a loved one, within its grasp. Like many of you reading this column, part of the grade-school curriculum in our growing-up years was art class. I attended Roosevelt School back when ...

Senior News: We all have a part to play in the orchestra of life

NIAGARA, Wis. — Most of us can say we like music. And those of us who enjoy music usually have a favorite type or specific kinds we enjoy most when played on certain occasions. And some of us have even had the opportunity to learn to play an instrument and may have been a member of a band or an orchestra at some time in our lives. It strikes me that we can learn a lot about getting along in life when we compare our world to one big band or orchestra. I was fortunate to have been exposed to symphony music when I was young. My mother worked many years for a college in our home town, ...

Senior News: It is possible to create meaningful change in our world

NIAGARA, Wis. — Each week throughout this month I have been writing about the start of a new year, change, and making resolutions. The focus has been on the possibility of doing things differently in our individual lives. In this final column this month, and the last one on this topic, I want to entertain the question as to our ability to create change in our broader world. Can we, as one individual, bring about change that will positively affect humanity? It seems to be an appropriate time to take a look at what our individual impact could be. How do we make a difference? It is ...

Cultivation of a grateful attitude will yield a great harvest

NIAGARA, Wis. — Our American culture prizes those individuals who are driven to excel and who succeed in building a life in which they “have it all.” They seem to live a charmed life: a solid career, standing within the community, a happy family, a lovely home, good health and money in the bank. As we begin a new year, many of us will set goals and make resolutions designed to build such a life; to help us achieve the long-sought-after American dream. But what do we do when that dream eludes us? Can there still be happiness if we do not acquire all that we had hoped? When we ...

Italians friendly, helpful to UP tourists

Editor’s note: This article was written by Iron Mountain residents Glady Van Harpen and John Nienstaedt, who have lived here since 1986. They visited Italy in October. In a story published Nov. 25, they told of their experiences in Sassoferrato, which is Iron Mountain’s sister city. This ...