Oh, the lessons I’ve learned. And, farewell.

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press Opinion page, October 4, 2019 It’s said that the right decisions are the hardest ones to make. That’s certainly been true for me. In 1993, I was a practicing attorney with a baby on the way when my two-year-old son was diagnosed with autism. Autism – one new word,…

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9 Secrets to Thriving arrived at the right moment in this year of adversity

  From the St. Paul Pioneer Press Opinion page,  September 20, 2020 Why do some people survive, and others thrive when faced with adversity? That question plagued Emma Bell during her childhood as she noted how she and her two siblings responded differently to the same challenging circumstances. It followed her into her career as…

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Coronavirus and the circle of life

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press Opinion Page, April 5, 2020 We may be in the midst of a global health crisis but the circle of life continues. An invisible foe, the coronavirus, is changing the way we begin life, live life, and end life. Earlier this week my family grew by one. Spring flowers…

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Choice and coronavirus

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press Opinion Page, March 22, 2020 Whenever I’m buckling in for a flight, I survey the strangers seated nearby. If the engine were to sputter or a passenger to suffer a seizure, these would be the people with whom I would navigate a crisis. That realization can be comforting –…

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Holiday Tradition – With a Twist

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press Opinion page, Dec. 8, 2019. It feels like a mad dash from Thanksgiving to Christmas and a new year. Like everyone else, I’m juggling lists and plans as we race to the finish line of 2019. My mind feels like a mosquito that darts from target to target on…

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How Taking a Chance Transformed Me from Survivor to Thriver

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press Opinion Page, Nov. 28, 2019 It’s here. The time of year when we pray, plan, and prepare for what we hope will be a period of joyful celebration. That dream has not always been reality for me. But I have a good feeling about this holiday season. Next month…

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We don’t know what we don’t know, and I didn’t know about Gander, Newfoundland

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press Opinion Page, Sept. 8, 2019 We don’t know what we don’t know. That thought coursed through my brain as I sat in a New York City theater last June and learned about a remarkable display of generosity and goodwill. I never knew there was a place called Gander, Newfoundland,…

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‘Better Angels’ — Pushing Back on Political Polarization

As seen in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on March 24, 2019 Bill Doherty gets emotional when he recites a favorite quote from President Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic…

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Finding a Way Through Alzheimer’s

As seen in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on March 10, 2019. It’s been a painful slide into the sunset for Patty Sagert and her family as the man who was a successful entrepreneur and family patriarch has slowly left them, another victim of Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a group…

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