2019 Delano Herald Journal Holiday Greetings
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Christmas Greetings
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Viewpoints
Christmas then and now
For many people, Christmas
is centered around family.
Perhaps that is why I have
been thinking about Christmas
trees and family trees lately.
It may also be that I have been
doing some painting, and when
I paint I feel a connection to my
maternal grandfather who was a
craftsman and self-taught artist.
Whatever the reason, I felt a
strong desire to learn more about
my grandfather and the rest of
my mother’s family recently.
I did some research and the
results made me think.
I tracked down the enumera-
tion district (the way the census
is organized) in which the family
lived at that time, and opened a
door into the past.
The page from the 1940 cen-
sus was a powerful document.
Looking at the hand-written
information gave me insight into
a time in my family’s history that
I know little about.
I am somewhat more familiar
with my father’s family, but as
I absorbed this census informa-
tion recently I realized how little
I know about my mother’s fam-
ily.
The fi rst thing that struck me
was that my grandfather was
older than my grandmother.
I suppose that shouldn’t be too
surprising, since he died when
I was quite young, while my
grandmother lived until I was in
college.
At the time of the 1940 cen-
sus, he was 51 and she was 34.
They had three daughters.
The oldest, my aunt Arlene, was
12 at that time, my mother was 8,
and the youngest, my aunt Carol
was 3.
Arlene died in a car crash in
the 1980s, and my mother died
in 2000, leaving Carol as the
only surviving sibling.
According to the census docu-
ment, my grandfather, who was
born in Finland, was a laborer in
an iron mine in northern Min-
nesota.
That much I had known al-
Curmudgeon’s
Corner
IVAN RACONTEUR • HJ EDITOR
ready.
A fact that astonished me was
that sixth grade was the highest
grade he completed in school.
As I looked deeper, that was
not unusual among men who
were similarly situated at that
time.
I think the reason it surprised
me so much was that I have
grown up seeing the work he
did.
He was an extremely talented
carpenter, and could make or fi x
anything.
He made some of his own
tools, and even instruments, and
his carving and painting skills
were impressive.
If I wasn’t already certain that
a college education is not impor-
tant for everyone, my grandfather
just convinced me. This richly
talented man left an incredible
legacy, and he never set foot in a
college classroom.
According to the census, my
grandmother completed one
year of college, and that was
consistent with what I had heard
before.
As I sat pondering my new-
found insight into my family’s
past, with Christmas lights fl ick-
ering against the dark windows,
I wondered what Christmas was
like for them in that year when
their family was young.
According to the census docu-
ment, my grandfather earned a
total of just $900 the previous
year, having worked only 36
weeks.
The incomes of other men
in the area were also fairly low,
which is not surprising, since the
country was just beginning to re-
cover from the Great Depression
at the time.
Even so, and even accounting
for the fact that the value of a
dollar in 1940 was considerably
different than the value of a dol-
lar today, I can’t imagine what it
must have been like providing
for a family with three young
daughters on just $900 for the
entire year.
My grandfather was just a few
years younger than I am now. I
can’t help but wonder what his
life was like.
Like many of his contempo-
raries, he left Finland to fi nd a
better life in this country.
Working as a laborer in an iron
mine was surely no picnic, and
he was supporting a family on an
income that seems tiny even by
Depression-era standards.
The family raised some of
their own food, as many people
did back then, but there must
have been some lean times for
all of them.
According to the National Re-
tail Federation, the average per-
son in the US spent $936 on hol-
iday gifts in 2016. That’s more
than my grandfather earned for
the entire year in 1939.
And yet, I don’t recall my
mother or her sisters ever com-
plaining about their years grow-
ing up, or about the Christmases
they had.
I’m sure they made, rather
than bought, most of their gifts,
and the focus was on things other
than how much they spent.
I have an impression my
grandparents were strict, and ev-
eryone in the family had chores
to do, but they also had plenty
of fun, and there’s no doubt their
house was fi lled with love.
Perhaps there’s a lesson here.
I believe it’s just another re-
minder that the spirit of the sea-
son has nothing to do with how
much we spend on gifts. Money
won’t buy happiness.
Christmas is a time to enjoy
the people in our lives, and we
can’t put a price on that.
Best wishes as we begin 2018
You may also include a photo of you and
your staff, helping readers put faces to the
names of your helpful workers.
On behalf of the McDonald
family, I wish you and yours a
merry Christmas, a blessed Ha-
nukkah, and all the best in the
new year – and safe travels as
you visit your loved ones.
I’m looking forward to some
extra time in the company of
friends and family during this
holiday season. Many of us are
blessed beyond words in the lives
we live, and this is a good time to
cherish all He has provided.
It also is important to remem-
ber some people are facing per-
sonal challenges, and the holiday
season can ratchet things up.
Hardships make it all the more
important to remember the rea-
son we celebrate: The birth of Je-
sus Christ. Please make a point
of saying a prayer and, if you are
able, lend a hand to those who
are ill, without a job, or lost a
loved one.
This also is a time of year
when our local food shelves often
are stretched thin as they work
their hardest to provide for those
who need a hand. Any contribu-
tions you can make would be
greatly appreciated. Some local
food shelves are: Delano Help-
ing Hands Food Shelf; Wright
Joe McDonald
MN REPRESENTATIVE • DISTRICT 29A
County’s Food Shelves Clothing
Centers; Annandale Food Shelf
(also serves Maple Lake and
South Haven); and the Buffalo
Food Shelf
Another new helpful resource
available to people in Greater
Minnesota is the Farm and Ru-
ral Helpline, recently established
by the Minnesota Department
of Agriculture to assist those
facing a variety of challenges.
The helpline is designed to be a
one-stop-shop of sorts for farm-
ers to access to get referrals for
mental health services, fi nancial
counseling, legal help and other
resources that stressed farmers
may be seeking. The helpline is
accessible 24 hours a day, seven
days a week by calling toll-free
(833) 600-2670.
The end of 2017 means the
2018 legislative session is just
around the corner, starting Tues-
day, Feb. 20. Preparation already
has been taking place, and the
pace will pick up as we enter
the new year. As always, a great
many challenges face our state,
and the Legislature will encoun-
ter diffi cult issues. I look forward
to seeking solutions to make our
state an even better place to live,
work, and raise a family. We will
take a closer look at the issues as
things ramp up after the holiday
season.
I am continually reminded
during the holiday season of
what an honor it is to represent
the fi ne people of our area at
the Capitol. Please feel free to
contact me with your thoughts,
questions and concerns as we get
ready to turn the page and start
the fresh new year.
Joe McDonald (R-Delano)
represents Minnesota House
District 29A, which includes
the cities of Delano, Waverly,
Buffalo, Montrose, Annandale,
South Haven, Howard Lake,
and Rockford; and the town-
ships of Southside, Middleville,
Franklin, Corinna, Marysville,
Chatham, Victor, Stockholm, Al-
bion, French Lake, Maple Lake,
Woodland, and Rockford.
We can come to your business location
and take a staff photo for you to use in
your advertisement!
9A
Friday, Dec. 22, 2017
Random Acts of Kindness
‘That was pretty nice’
I was up at the pizza place
(USMC) cap on, and she asked
and I was paying, and I gave the me if I was in the Marine Corps.
gal my credit card.
I said, “Yes, ma’am.”
This gal kind of pushed it
She said, “Well, I paid for
around me.
your pizza.”
I thought, that’s kind of rude,
I thought that was pretty nice.
but I didn’t say anything.
I was waiting in the back for
GARY BALL
my pizza to get done. I had this
Delano
Has someone done you right?
Send your Random Act of Kind-
ness to delano@heraldjournal.
com, or write to Delano Herald
Journal, PO Box 498, Delano,
MN 55328.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Volunteers, donors are heart of Love INC
FROM TERRI HARRIS
LOVE INC – HEARTLAND
On behalf of the hundreds
of families that have been posi-
tively impacted this year, we
want to tell you how much we
appreciate this caring commu-
nity. You are a blessing to our
neighbors in need.
The heart of Love INC –
Heartland is the volunteers and
the donors. Each year, thou-
sands of generous donations
of items come in the door, en-
abling the stores to raise money
in support of the programs we
offer families.
The incredible number of
volunteers, giving their time
and sharing their heart for oth-
ers, is tremendous. Every week,
over 50 volunteers help make
the Delano store operate, that is
not to mention all of the people
who work in the Howard Lake
store and offi ces. We always
welcome volunteers, and there
is plenty of work to be done.
We are grateful for each and ev-
ery one.
Our programs include classes
to help families rise above their
struggles and gain life skills.
This year’s classes have helped
families pay down over $10,000
in debt. These programs are
funded through donations from
our community members. Vol-
unteers make the programs pos-
sible; advisers, teachers, child
care providers and grocery
shoppers are all necessary to
help the program fl ourish.
This year, over 600 people
received back-to-school necessi-
ties, Thanksgiving meal baskets
and Christmas gifts. In total,
nearly 4,000 individual needs
have been met this year, so far.
We are incredibly honored
to work alongside so many
thoughtful individuals that make
this all possible. The results we
are seeing in families becom-
ing more self-suffi cient, experi-
encing less stress, and improv-
ing children’s performances in
school is astounding.
None of this is possible with
out the kind support of our com-
munity. It’s astonishing to think
that private donations have
helped Love INC – Heartland
make a tremendous difference
for people in need in our area for
the last 12 years. As this year
comes to a close, we wanted to
make sure you know that your
time, energy, effort, and dona-
tions of items and fi nances are
making a dramatic impact on
our neighbors in need, and for
that we are immensely grateful.
You are a blessing to us.
You can’t dim our spirits
TONY HOPPA
Delano
Last night, Dec. 17, at about
8:30 p.m. or so, on 3rd St. SW
in Westridge Hills (Delano),
someone vandalized our out-
door Christmas decorations and
the decorations of some of our
neighbors, as well.
The blow-up snow globe that
they wrecked wasn’t worth much
money, and the plastic Santa that
they ripped from our yard and
left in the street still works and
will go back in the yard.
More importantly, I want who-
ever did this to know that we feel
sorry for you. You are obviously
a troubled soul and do not under-
stand the joy of this season.
I’ll fi x my Christmas lights, as
will my neighbors, and our spir-
its will not be dimmed by the ac-
tions of someone so obviously in
need of help.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Holiday greetings from Rep. Jerry Hertaus
FROM STATE REP. JERRY HERTAUS
(R) DISTRICT 33A
Greetings as we prepare to
celebrate the Christmas and New
Year holidays.
As joyous as this season is,
December’s hectic pace can
make it challenging to fi nd time
for refl ection. Introspection has a
way of bringing a spiritual cen-
teredness to oneself, and I fi nd it
to be a productive exercise that
restores peace and eases life’s
daily complications.
I am eternally grateful for
my loving family and friends. I
respectfully remind you to con-
sider the many blessings in your
own life and to refl ect on the joys
that the holidays bring.
I also am thankful for the men
and women serving our armed
forces, many of whom will be
unable to share the warmth of
loved ones in person this holiday
season. Please say a prayer for
those brave souls as they make
immense sacrifi ces to serve us.
The dawn of 2018 also brings
us closer to the start of a new
legislative session. The House
and Senate are both scheduled
to convene Feb. 20 in St. Paul.
Preparation for the session al-
ready is underway, and I encour-
age citizens of District 33A to
reach out to me with input on any
number of issues. Your thoughts
are crucial to me, as I continue
doing my best to represent the
wishes of people in our area at
the Capitol.
Another round of challenging
subjects and important decisions
await the start of the 2018 ses-
sion. Look for more information
regarding top issues as we move
closer to the start date.
Until next time, have a merry
Christmas and a happy New
Year. Please be safe on the roads
as you travel this holiday season.
House District 33A includes
the cities of Corcoran, Green-
fi eld, Independence, Long
Lake, Loretto, Maple Plain,
Medina, Minnetrista, Orono,
St. Bonifacius, and Wayzata in
Hennepin County.
Letters to the
Editor
• Letters should be 300 words or less.
• Letters may be edited for clarity, grammar, libel, etc.
• Include your name, town, and daytime phone number.
(phone number will not be published)
Address letters to:
Gabe Licht, Editor
PO Box 498, Delano MN 55328
[email protected]
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