Learning to love order and gaining freedom in the process

Order is not my strong suit. Add process and my eyes glaze over. At least, that’s what I thought in my younger days. Yesterday I read a quote from Winston Churchill that resonated with me: “In the first 25 years of my life I sought freedom. In the next 25, order. And in the last…

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5 Resolutions for Year Fifty-Two of My Life

Yesterday was my 51st birthday. Below are five resolutions for year 52 of my life. I think of them as compass-like and guiding. I am a steadfast goal setter and this feels like a different exercise. Goals are specific, measurable and attainable and my five resolutions are more like guideposts. Don’t get me wrong, and…

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What a Difference Seven Years Makes

Seven years ago today was a hard day for me. I wrote about the 10 Things I Learned When I was Knocked From My White Horse 18 months ago in an article published by the Success Blog. This story was shared more than 25,000 times on Facebook and from this I infer I’m not alone…

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Five Reasons You Should Stay at a Ritz-Carlton Once a Year

The first time I stayed in a Ritz-Carlton was in April of 1991 in St. Louis, Missouri. I went there for a work meeting and before that I had never heard of such a place. Growing up in Minnesota, we didn’t have any in our city. Amazingly, we still don’t. In May of 2005, I…

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She said, “I will.”

Yesterday,  Jean LeClaire said, “I will,” when asked by Father Rolf Tollefson if she will love me and honor me all the days of her life.  On February 9, 1990 she said words similar to these but instead to The Honorable Patrick Burke during his lunch break at the Hennepin County courthouse. I remember that…

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An Amazingly Small World….

According to Worldometer, there are about 7.3 billion people in the world today. Bangkok, Thailand is the 15th largest city in the world with about 14.3 million people. Even with this data, it’s humbling to me how small the world may be at times. My daughter, Anne Gaslin, is away for this year teaching fourth…

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2015 – A Year to Remember!

Last night, my wife Jean and I celebrated a nice, simple New Year’s Eve with Jean’s sister, Denise. Jean made a wonderful salmon and beet salad that was a thoughtful diversion from the heavy, butter laden dishes consumed on New Year’s Eve’s of the past. Going around the table, we each talked about some things…

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Missing a Friend…Father Howard Hansen.

Father Howard Hansen entered my life on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2003. At the time, I was not ready to meet him or understand the impact that he would later have on me. Fr. Howard died on Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011.   I attended the Franciscan Retreat Center’s Men’s Holy Week Retreat for the…

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