‘Historic preservation’ is a topic of great interest to me.  That being the case, it was a joy to tune in the CBS Sunday Morning program on Sunday (May 19) and discover that the ‘Cover Story’, reported by Tracy Smith, was a feature that – among other things – focused on the successful efforts some [...]

A Michigan-related story in Friday’s (May 17) edition of The New York Times makes for interesting reading and leaves me wondering about the viability and sustainability of our economy and way of life.  And the issues involved extend beyond our country; they are worldwide in scope. A lead-in to the story says, “Refining Canada’s petroleum-soaked [...]

Students at Eastside and Riverside elementary schools in Constantine won awards at Young Authors’ Day held at the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District  (ISD) on May 8th. Shown in the accompanying photo are (front row) Jacob Norton, Chase Bates, Ethan Glick, Hallee Schieber; (middle row) Rylie Kelly, Madisyn Tulley, Billy Clewell, Ty Dumm, Mason [...]

A story from Grand Valley State University regarding an upcoming event provides a somewhat different perspective on life and learning.  Although ‘Failure Lab’ is sold out, simply reading about it may prove interesting and helpful. Here’s a brief paragraph that introduces the story: Speakers who focus on business and life tend to try to inspire [...]

A Weekly Almanac Guide Plan, Do, Finish, Rest. Living in Harmony With Earth Weekend of May 18-19, 2013 Click on the link to access this feature from Larry-Michael and Becky Lynn Hackenberg – The Cycles of Earth – May 18, 2013

MANAGING CONFLICT: The Role of Tension in Teamwork There will always be members of any team that will shy away from conflict.  These individuals have learned, either directly or vicariously, that conflict is painful.  It is one of the most important jobs of any leader to help team members acquire some comfort in the face [...]

We are all mortal, which means that we are all terminal and our days on earth are limited. I will, on occasion, mention the passing of friends in this column. I don’t do this to be morbid, but I do it because these individuals meant a lot to me, and I’m sure they meant a [...]

After recent ‘introductory sessions’, the newly-formed River Country Resilience Circle has announced the schedule for upcoming sessions regarding the group and the concepts related to it. The meetings will be held at Grassroots Solutions at 57239 North Main Street, # 4 in Three Rivers.  The location is in the same building with State Farm Insurance [...]

Dear editor: Mother’s Day is the day when we traditionally lift up women in their many life-giving roles, but in Acts, ch. 16 we meet a woman who lives her entire life in bondage. This woman was a slave who bore within herself life of a different kind – a kind that was an enemy [...]

A Weekly Almanac Guide Plan, Do, Finish, Rest. Living in Harmony With Earth Weekend of May 11-12, 2013 Click on the link to access this feature from Larry-Michael and Becky Lynn Hackenberg – The Cycles of Earth – May 11, 2013

MANAGING CONFLICT: Communication Seeing a conflict from another person’s perspective is a big step towards successfully managing conflict but that will only get you part way there.  One of my trusted colleagues from the past always used to tell me; “the skills that get you to the dance are not necessarily the ones that will [...]

The Constantine Township Library’s May-June Newsletter highlights the library’s upcoming Summer Reading program. To download the newsletter, simply click here. And note this brief advisory from the library:  “We will soon launch a Facebook page and hope to see you there.” Source:  Ruth Strawser, Constantine Township Library

Now that warm weather has finally arrived, it’s time to get outdoors and start on those spring chores.  On Saturday, May 11, Three Rivers residents are invited to participate in Three Rivers Community Pride Day.  Volunteers will be busy pulling weeds, planting flowers, picking up trash, painting lamp posts, and cleaning out the ponds at [...]

We have experienced eighty degree temperatures, I’ve mowed our lawn, the tree outside my office window is in full bloom, and my Gator is my main mode of transportation around town, so it must be springtime in Michigan. This is probably my favorite season of the year, because the days of high humidity haven’t arrived [...]

A Weekly Almanac Guide Plan, Do, Finish, Rest. Living in Harmony With Earth Weekend of May 4-5, 2013 Click on the link to access this feature from Larry-Michael and Becky Lynn Hackenberg – The Cycles of Earth – May 4, 2013

MANAGING CONFLICT—The Perspective: If your organization is going to function well it will need to learn how to manage conflict.  Conflict is not inherently bad.  In fact, the right types of conflict are good for any organization. It is destructive conflict that harms a team and prevents it from attaining its goals.  So it should [...]

When a person is diagnosed with mental illness they often lose important parts of their life.  They frequently lose their jobs, relationships with people close to them often disintegrate, and they may seem to lose their role in society.  They, in a sense, sometimes become nothing more than their mental illness.  In St. Joseph County, [...]

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been fortunate to travel throughout our state of Michigan. On many of the major highways, we’ve noticed full trash bags placed along the shoulders. They are full because there are still too many travelers who feel that the highways are their own private dumping grounds for litter. There [...]