For the past four-and-a-half years, I have had the privilege of serving as sports editor for the Hillsboro Free Press. Last week, I started a new chapter in my working life. For someone to whom words tend to come naturally, I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts on paper. As I reflect on my time at the Free Press, […]

What’s on your bucket list? This summer, I checked off an item from my list of things I’d like to see, experience and accomplish in my lifetime: photographing an ice cave. I have always been fascinated by photography, and one particular photo I’ve always wanted to capture is the glacial beauty underneath the ice. This summer, that dream became a […]

Have you ever paused to consider the spaces in between? Let me explain. Some time ago, I was privileged to interview a couple that had walked more than 300 miles on an ancient pilgrimage route across Spain. (Read the story, “Walking the ancient way,” online at hillsborofreepress.com). We spent a delightful hour visiting about their journey, but it was a […]

When I was a kid, I had a swing. It was a simple swing, really, a board hung from a sturdy tree branch with two strong ropes near the corral on our farm. It was a nice play to play and unwind. In grade school, my friends and I hit the swings at recess. Whenever we’d swing in unison, matching […]

Conditions weren’t exactly great for a 5-k. I awoke to the sound of thunder and with a sinking feeling realized the weather forecast calling for rain on race day was, unfortunately, accurate. Wind blew water droplets against my second-story apartment window. Just the thought of the low 40-degree temperature awaiting me outside made me want to stay in bed just […]

Rain. I like rain. Rain makes me want to escape to a coffee shop with a soothing ambience and even better steaming mug of happiness. Rain is wonderful for the fields and especially for those parched areas of the state that have been battling fires. When it rains in the spring, however, it wreaks havoc with my sports reporter’s schedule. […]

Sunshine and baseball are a cathartic combination for me. So when the Tabor College team’s home-opener fell on a 70-degree sunshine-filled Saturday, there was no place I’d rather be. I arrived in time for the first pitch, camping chair and sunflower seeds tucked under my arm and camera draped over one shoulder. I set my chair behind home plate, slightly […]

What do you write when you have no words? When you’re surrounded by pain and suffering and loss and it becomes an overwhelming burden, heavy with grief and tears? What do you write when someone you know loses a spouse far too young? When a pitcher on your favorite baseball team dies in a car crash? When you get texts […]

It was the ultimate choke. Going into the game, I didn’t think my team had a chance. We were slated to lose by a wide margin, so I figured I had nothing to lose and pulled out all the stops. As the game went on, I realized victory would have been mine had I not made those last-minute adjustments. The […]

I set my eyes on the finish line. In that moment, all that mattered was crossing it. I am a runner. I never thought I’d say those words, but it’s true because last month I ran my very first 5-kilometer race. At the beginning, I wasn’t sure what possessed me to pay money to put my body through what I […]