It is a complicated world out there. There are times you can feel like you are on a merry-go-round that keeps going faster and faster.   Mentally you wish that you could get off - even if it was for just a little while - but reality tells us it isn't going to happen. Things just keep getting more intricate and technical. It is a constant job trying to keep up with all the changes that are occurring.

Technically, the kids that are in school today are way ahead of us and they seem to be able to handle the things that complicate our understanding. There are so many things available today that they can enjoy and take part in. Being able to do that is great, especially when they find something that is of special interest for them.

It can be hard to be a family today. Family life is challenging.  Changing values, overcrowded schedules, information overload, cultural and economic pressures all make family life more challenging than it has ever been. 

Yet, no single unit of society is as important as the family. For it is within the family that we are all fashioned into the persons that we are. Our individual traits, our unique talents, and our strengths can be enhanced in countless ways. We all need to plan, set goals, and dream about the future. We need to think and talk about what we would like to do, where we would like to go, and what we would like to be as a family. It all deepens our sense of identity, solidarity, and purpose.

A healthy family strives for balance. When the demands of work, school, social activities, and church or civic responsibilities rob us of precious quality time and our family needs, everyone suffers. As you gather to celebrate holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, use these milestones to create traditions.

We also need to remember we need to take time for breaks, maybe just for a few minutes, several times during the day, which will give us time for a “brain” break. Learn to say "no" so you can say "yes" to what matters most.

We can learn so much from some of our older people like Hilda Dobberstein, who had lived to be over 90 and experienced so many different things in her lifetime. During a visit that I had with her I learned a great deal. Some of the "old things" she talked about, and we often overlook today, made common sense.

I learned a lot from Hilda Dobberstein and I will always remember one of the great things that she said, such as, "Sometimes I just sit and think." That advice is good as gold, especially now.

Loving memories live on forever.  Even in sadness we hope that we can hold on to the thought that a life lived with so much love never really ends, but goes on forever in the hearts of those who remember.

My mother has a picture on the wall in her kitchen that also shares some of those same thoughts.  Earth...the perfect place to dream, dance, walk in the rain, eat apples, walk barefoot, whistle, do cartwheels, hum, see a sunrise, keep a promise, love, share, sing loudly, smell the roses...be happy.

Life isn't always fame and fortune. Maybe we should think about "living the good life" by doing simple, doable things that tend to make our life run smoother and give us many moments of satisfaction.  Celebrate the joys, the wonders, and the blessings of being a family.

Mother Theresa once said, "Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love."

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented they like to read about events such as family and school reunions, birthdays and anniversaries, and birth and wedding announcements.  In order to read about these important things we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us.  Also if you have an idea for a story that you think would be of interest to our readers, please contact me. 

If you have birthdays and anniversaries you would like include, or news to share please contact me via e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; by postal mail, P.O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035 or telephone, 507-256-4405.

This week’s birthdays and anniversaries include:

• Thursday, March 26th: Amber Luella Theobald, Nikita Zelpha Peterson, Jackie Draayer, David Hanson, Ray Coxworth, Lonnie Misgen, Ginger Cornelius, Dillon Hanson, Daryl Jensen, Duane Morreim, Amy Dobberstein, Marge Wobschall, Mary Lou Spurr, Gerrit & Jean Molenaar, Jeff & Robin Christensen, Jennifer & Matthew Dinneen

• Friday, March 27th: Kim Weckwerth Farr, Jim Ottesen, Verona Winegar, Tom Lund, Tina Jensen Wangen, Jodi Loverink, Neil Born, Ralph Randall, Todd & Sheri Utpadel, Wes & Julie Schroenrock

• Saturday, March 28th: Jordan Brye Wagner, Katie Ann Lee, her 10th; Daryl Van Ravenhorst, Alan Olson, Paul Marlin, Josh Stevens, Daniel Suleter, Richard & Lisa (Long) Hocking

• Sunday, March 29th: Taran Waalkens, Heather Lyn Shearman, her 9th; Dylan Lee Ingvaldson, his 8th, Becky Johnson, Amanda Bergerson, Judy Strenge, Dorene Richards, Bruce Jensen, Linda Seykora

• Monday, March 30th: Leah Brittany Moststad, Gretchen Jensen Ray, Darrell Hanson, Kim Roberts Sletten, Aiden Michael Berg, his 8th, Matthew Cornelius, Fern Robertson Sommers

• Tuesday, March 31st: Jinny Nielsen, Hannah Haroldson, Melissa Collins, Carson LaShawn Ray, his 7th; Jill Anderson, David Hemingway, Ross Johnson, Shane Johnson, Doug Hunt, Joanne Neuhart. Mollee & Joseph Tscholl

• Wednesday, April 1st: April Fools Day!  Madison Hanson, Irene Paulson

• Thursday, April 2nd: Harold Wayne, Leanna Burns, Deb Nelson, Luke Miller, Joyce Tufte Sorenson, Sonja Larson, Teresa Jensen, Kaleb Smith, Dwight Schewe, Greg Nelson, Matthew Halla, Genevieve Wayne, Bill & Pat Draayer, David & Shelly Mangskau, Brian & Lois Nelson

• Friday, April 3rd: Solvieg Sorenson, Linda Goodnature, Mikayla Moon, Joanne Christensen, Randy Kronberg, Patty Slater, Jase Dean Knudson, Kevin Born

• Saturday, April 4th: Daryl Paulsen, Jena Richards Thompson, Erik Smith, Rachael Nicole Roades, Erin Elaine Peterson, Nathan Spande, Theresa Kasper, Danny Larson, Don Larson, Ann Michelle Larson, Diane & Dave Broskoff

• Sunday, April 5th: LaVada Jensen, Colette Bauers, Samuel Thompson, Alyssa Haried, Brian Schultz, Duane Nelson, Mike Johnson, Gary & Sue Hunnicutt, Dale & Nancy Kelly

Surprise somebody. Call someone. Send a card and make their day.  Little things mean a lot.