Obituaries

Although I have been an empty nester for several years (not necessarily by choice), I didn?t give it much thought until recently.As I watched Iowa Wesleyan University students and parents unload SUVs, cars, pickups, horse trailers, etc., it struck me. Some of these parents were becoming empty nesters.I am certain these parents had mixed feelings as they watched their son/daughter walk into the dorm, formally ...

By PASTOR DAVID FORRESTER, Trenton Missionary ChurchOur daily walk with the Lord is often filled with opportunities to build and strengthen the muscle of faith.Warren Wiersbe says ?Faith is like a seed: it seems small and weak, but it has life in it; and if it is cultivated, it will grow and release power. We need faith for many areas of life.?Jesus teaches us in Luke chapter 17 ways to develop our faith.Have ...

DEAR ABBY: I'm frustrated about how to connect with my young adult son's 18-year-old girlfriend. He told me she has a bad relationship with her divorced parents, so he's hoping we can bond.A problem that comes up frequently is, she's so anxious to show me how skilled and knowledgeable she is, she misses any tips and techniques I try to subtly teach her. They live together in another state, so our weekend visits ...

DEAR ABBY: I am a 25-year-old, well-educated woman, engaged to a wonderful man. Although we don?t plan to wed for another couple of years, I have a question on my mind. Neither of us is traditional or religious. What should I do about my name?My fiance would be honored if I took his name, but wouldn?t be insulted or hurt if I didn?t. For a long time I had thought that hyphenating would be an appropriate solution,...

Two Henry County teams will be in Ft. Dodge next week for the state softball tournament, Mt. Pleasant in 4A and New London in 1A. This, you probably already know. But, the state softball tournament is a new experience for some fans, and many of you will be making your first trip to Ft. Dodge next week. So, to give you a little background on this year?s happenings, here are 10 fun facts about the 2015 state ...

Last week, I got in a little aunt/nephew time with my oldest nephew who is three-years-old.As I just recently moved to Henry County in January, he hasn?t had many opportunities to visit my apartment. So, when I got the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with him, I decided to set up a play date in Mt. Pleasant.Due to the location of my apartment, I drive by the United Thru Play Playground at least twice ...

We?ve written a lot lately about the local Mental Health Institute, as we should, as it?s an important issue, not only to our community, but also to the state as a whole. But have we really talked about mental health?We?ve talked about the loss of jobs, the loss of an acute care facility in the southeastern quadrant of the state and the loss of support for the patients. And though this has sparked discussion ...

To the editor:What has the penny done for Mt. Pleasant over the last 20 years? Look at these Mt. Pleasant projects that were either funded or helped to leverage monies for federal and state grants:? Aquatic center;? Airport improvements;? Police department building improvements;? Washington Street reconstruction;? Grand Avenue reconstruction;? Iris Street reconstruction.As former mayors, we urge the ...

DEAR ABBY: Yesterday I spent the afternoon with a friend who was in town for her husband?s business conference. Her 20-year-old son called her because he had broken the screen on his cellphone.Over the next two hours as we visited, she took phone calls from him, researched places to get his phone fixed, then proceeded to fill out insurance forms on her phone for the repair while I sat there. I finally stood up ...

The other day I was listening to a talk radio show when I heard the host say, ?What the h**l do they think they are doing??I said to myself, ?I don?t want to listen to language like that!? and changed the channel.Then one evening I was watching a TV show and one of the characters said, ?Just quit b***hing about your friend and go talk to her.?There I was again changing channels.According to an Associated ...