Author: Rod Anderson

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When we moved to Eden Prairie in 1977 it appeared the community was lacking a sense of community. Don’t get me wrong – as a country boy it was apparent to me that this had been a wonderful rural community. You can read about that at the Library or City Hall in Helen Holden Anderson’s “Eden Prairie-The First 100 Years”. But when we came, Eden Prairie had no Post Office or Zip Code. We shared those like a weak sibling with Hopkins, where I drove every week to mail our church newsletter. Our town was rapidly and wonderfully growing and…

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“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” Psalm 71:9 Engraved in stone at the entrance to Sholom Home Senior Residence in St Louis Park is this timeless scripture from the Hebrew text in the Old Testament songbook. Its reminder prompts a sacred mindset in me each time I go there to make a compassionate visit, bring a word of hope and offer a prayer. Certainly, this COVID-19 pandemic has repeatedly taught us multiple lessons about senior care in senior living communities needing to isolate in their rooms protecting…

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As we come to the days and weeks when we turn the calendar from February to March and the seasons from Winter to Spring, a time for reflection and contemplation unlike any other in my 73 years is upon us! Sitting in isolation these 12 months has me humming Jim Reeve’s old song, as my in-laws, Helen and Melvin, often did in their old age. “Four walls to hear me, four walls to see. Four walls too near me, closing in on me!” The coronavirus pandemic has gifted us a most peculiar time of Biblical proportions for asking age old…

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“Words matter!” We’ve heard that said countless times since the tumult at our National Capitol on January 6th, 2021, a day of epiphanies around the country and the world. “Words matter!,” we’ll hear this phrase many more times as Inauguration Day, January 20th, 2021, approaches and beyond. I was prompted by what I was hearing to head to Websters and/or Wikipedia to do some word searches, as well as soul searches. in·sur·rec·tion /ˌinsəˈrekSH(ə)n/ noun, from Latin insurgere a violent uprising against an authority or government:synonyms-rebellion, revolt, sedition, anarchy, coup, mutiny, overturn res·ur·rec·tion /ˌrezəˈrekSH(ə)n/ noun, from Latin resurgere the action…

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Can you recall any holiday season so brightened by so many lights in so many venues and events? You may have read Hitesh Pate’s November article on these pages about the Diwali Festival of Lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists across the world and among residents of Eden Prairie. The article describes the five-day festival symbolizing the spiritual victory of light over darkness. Advent candles Then, as November turns the corner to December, Christians begin lighting the  first of four candles on their Advent wreath, accompanied by scripture readings and prayers in preparation for the coming of Christmas.…

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Thanksgiving is so much more than one day in late November when we overeat and then crowd everybody into the family room to watch football played in empty stadiums. Rather, Thanksgiving is a way of life called Thanks-living that is experienced everyday when the words “Thank You” don’t sound hollow or empty, but instead emit a sincere “You’re Welcome” in response! I observe that this ageless exchange is now most often truncated, since I seldom hear the “You’re Welcome” of acknowledgement, but instead the recipient of the gratitude gives it a u turn, replying with their own “Thank You”, as…

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