Mt. Pleasant News

?In through your nose, out through your mouth. You can do it, Karyn. Just take control.?We were 14, Carrington and I, marching elbow to elbow through the streets of Pasadena, Calif., during the Rose Bowl Parade. We weren't even halfway through the parade, but I was at my breaking point. As the miles of pavement continued to unfurl beneath my feet and the drumbeat propelling me forward seemed to quicken, I was ...

Tim Olson, a well-known mortician in Mt. Pleasant, could also be a standup (or lay-down ? get it?) comedian. He likes to tell people he has a ?Ph.D.? ? Professional Hearse Driver.Tim's ancestry and history are colorful. His grandfather, John Olson, came to the U.S. at the age of three in 1883 from Malma, Sweden with his widowed mother and three siblings. They settled in Mayville, N.D., the same hometown as famed ...

?Daughters of Grace? was the title of the women's retreat hosted by St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Iowa City. My wife, Sarah, was one of the guest speakers. At the retreat, small groups discussed some of the great women of the Bible. I was interested to know more, so I looked up some of my old Bible stories.There were many fearless women in the Bible. Deborah the Judge led the warriors of Israel in victoriou...

Ginnie gave me the book, ?Leonardo da Vinci,? by Walter Isaacson for Christmas. It's a large, heavy, pretty book, but don't let the size fool you. Its pages are of high-quality, thick, satin paper because of all the artwork.Of the 600 pages, the last 100 or so are index and notes, etc. My arms soon became tired from holding the book. It's probably not a book you would take on an airplane.Then Ginnie started ...

Right about now is a good time for many pruning tasks ? assuming, that is, that you can get into garden spaces that may be rather wet. If you haven't already cleaned out the dead canes from raspberries and cut back the promising canes, this weekend would be ideal for that work.Along with that yearly task, this is a good time to consider the structure of many shrubs. You won't want to prune the spring bloomers ...

Addison Lucille Krutsinger was born on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, at 11:32 p.m. So I've been a dad for about 10 days and it's been pretty great so far.As a new father, I feel it is my duty to chronicle my experiences from the delivery room to where I am now.First off, I want to give a huge shout out to the people at Henry County Health Center. They were awesome, and I highly recommend them.Don't take that endorsemen...

I don't know what it is about the ~ you-use-it,? but I've seen it play out way too often, not only with me, but with others.I had just passed my EMT test in Fort Collins, Colo., and was on my way home, feeling proud and pleased with myself for having accomplished something I had wanted to do for a long time.It was about 10 p.m. Rounding an S curve, I came upon an accident that looked pretty bad. There didn't ...

By Aimee Goldmeyer, New London Presbyterian Church In the wake of the latest story about innocent lives taken by the hand of another and the beginning of Lent, I wonder what gives you hope in a world that sometimes feels dark and full of despair?Where do you turn when it seems that everything you thought you knew about love, relationship, God and the world suddenly doesn't make sense? Where do you see God's ...

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News Okay, I'll acknowledge it ? some of you don't like the headline on this column.You have my apologies, but many columns are comprised of personal beliefs, and February doesn't come close to making the list of my favorite months. I've said as much in February columns in past years and generally receive some feedback ? from those who agree and those who disagree.February, I ...

Far too many of our upper educational systems have besmirched our communication with God to the point that Christian activities are no longer occurring.A group at Iowa State College who formed a religious meeting of students were soon opposed by one non-Christian, causing Iowa State to force the group from meeting on college grounds. It required legal action to allow the students to return.The Mt. Pleasant News ...

Here in the middle of February, it still is planning season. Fortunately, there are several planning tasks that will go a long way toward better gardens once planting season arrives.First, as you continue to browse catalogs, magazines and websites, note carefully the specific requirements of any plant that really tempts you. No matter how appealing a plant may be, the conditions in which it can thrive must match ...

John 14:15 says, ?If you love me, keep my commandments.? Keith Moore, Pastor in Branson, Mo, shares: There is no love without commitment; the level of commitment shows the degree of love.Do you yearn to know what real love is? Is there a yearning to know who God is and what he is all about? Are you hungering to love others the way Jesus intends for you to? Is it your daily ambition to be walking in the love-zone?...