Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on our lives and the many blessings we all receive.
      I am most thankful for my wife, my family and for the many opportunities that have found their way to my door.
    I am also thankful for the people who have crossed my path and who I have made a positive impact on in some way with the talents God has bestowed upon me.
    My life has been rich because of it. Thank you for reading my stories and columns and looking at my photographs. Thank you for supporting this paper and sporting my work. It is much appreciated!
     I attended a Veteran’s Day program in Brooklyn last week. It’s a wonderful event hosted by the Brooklyn Ruritan Club. The guest speaker was Ray “Bubba” Sorenson II, the founder and creator of the original Freedom Rock, a 12-foot, 60 plus ton boulder on Highway 25 in rural Adair County and of the 99-county Freedom Rock Tour, which just wrapped up in September.
    Poweshiek County’s Freedom Rock, which is on the southeast corner of the courthouse square, was painted in August 2016.
       Sorenson shared the story of how it all started in 1999.
      The original boulder, which is located by a quarry on private property, was discovered in the 1960s. The quarry tried to lift it out, but broke the crane, Sorenson said. They finally were able to push it using several pieces of heavy equipment to near the highway, cutting a four-foot deep swath in the road as they moved it.
       In the years following, the rock became a place to paint graffiti by folks passing by. He said the rock featured Santa Claus mooning the world. 
      Inspired by the movie Saving Private Ryan, Sorenson asked his mom for $50 to purchase paint and supplies to paint one side of the rock in honor of the military. It grew from there and now is painted free of charge every Memorial Day holiday.
     Sorenson shared that while painting the rock some years back, a cavalcade of Viet Nan Veterans pulled up on their motorcycles.
       One of the Veterans approached Sorenson, asking if the group could spread ashes of their fallen comrades at the rock.
       Sorenson encouraged them not to do that, saying that it was quite windy and that people walked all around the rock. Instead, he suggested the bikers and veterans pour the remains into his green paint, which he applied to a helicopter on the rock.
     In the years since, Sorenson has added the ashes of many fallen veterans in his green paint.
       “I have some ashes in my truck right now,” he told the gathering in Brooklyn.
     He then shared a story of a father and son who showed up at the Freedom Rock. As the father videotaped the rock, the son, who he said was about age 3, walked up to the helicopter and put his ear to the rock.
       “Dad,” the boy said. “There’s people in that helicopter.”
     What’s amazing is that neither the boy or his father knew anything about the ashes that were added to the paint each year.
Freedom Rock Tour
      Based on Sen. Charles Grassley 99-county tour, Sorenson and his wife, Maria, came up with the idea to paint a Freedom Rock in every county in Iowa. At first, Sorenson said he thought the tour would get off to a slow start. In his first year, he had 16 communities across the state sign up. His first Freedom Rock was painted in 2013 in Pocahontas County. His last Freedom Rock was painted in Linn County in September 2021, an eight-year span.
       On Thursday, the day following the Brooklyn Veterans event, Sorenson announced that he would paint a 100th Freedom Rock at Adventureland Park. He told the gathering in Brooklyn that he wanted to end the tour with 100 rocks. Adventureland won the opportunity by bid with the proceeds to benefit two Veteran’s organizations. Sorenson said he plans to finish that rock on July 4, 2022.
     Sorenson has also painted rocks in other states including South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri. He plans to paint rocks in Ohio, Illinois and Oklahoma. He also paints indoor murals and what he calls Liberty Rocks. And when not painting, Sorensen is an elected Iowa Legislator in House District 20 during the legislative session. Sorenson and Maria have three children.
        For more information on Sorenson and the Freedom Rock, visit the: thefreedomrock.com or check out the Freedom Rock on Facebook.
     I leave you with this, an old friend of mine once told me that, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”
       It's words of wisdom to keep in mind in the crazy days ahead in this world.
      Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

     I was strolling through the breakroom at work one day last week humming, “Hark, The Herald Angles Sing.”
      A co-worker heard me humming the song and asked, “Is that Christmas music?”
     “Yes,” I said.
     “Isn’t it a little early?” she said.
     “I’m just trying to keep up with Wal-Mart,” I replied as we chuckled.
   I love a good old rock and roll song and even a number of country hits, but there’s something about those old-time hymns that bring peace to my soul and memories of days past.
    I’ve mentioned the Jackson Family Christmas gatherings in the past, but every now and then, I like to reminisce again.
      My mom’s mother was a Jackson and her brother, J.B. Jackson and his wife, Rosemary, who he met in college, lived in a stately antebellum two-story home near downtown Tulsa.
      They raised four daughters, Mary Gail, Kay, Jan and June, all of who I remain in touch with to this day, thanks to Facebook.
      My mom said Uncle J.B. and Rosemary where the reasons she moved from Van Buren, Mo., following graduation in 1955, to Tulsa.
     The Jacksons had a furniture store in downtown Tulsa for years and later Uncle J.B. worked at the Tulsa Business School. My mom had a $2 bill and when she needed money, she’d give Uncle J.B. her $2 bill in exchange for a couple $1 bills. When she had enough money, she’d buy her $2 bill back. I kept the $2 and have it among my many family treasures.
     I’ve heard many stories my mom told about coming to Tulsa and the hardships she faced along the way. One story in particular she shared on occasion was about her waiting for the bus in front of an ice cream shop to go to work and not having an nickel to buy an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.
   Growing up, I never did without and most certainly had my share of ice cream cones through the years. Not one birthday or Christmas rolled past that I didn’t get a gift or two and lots of love. I’ll never know how my folks, who both grew up poor as a church mouse, accomplished so much in life with so little. I’m so blessed.
     My co-worker and I were talking about being poor and I was telling her that my mom often got an orange and apple for Christmas and Pepsi on the Fourth of July. I also shared the story about my mom getting sick when she was 12 and my grandpa carrying her to the doctor on a homemade bed on the back of the plow.
     “They didn’t have a car or truck,” I said, also sharing a story about my dad picking corn by hand. “They were poor.”
      “Do you think your parents thought they were poor?” my co-worker asked.
      “No,” I responded. “That was the only life they knew.”
      It’s a life that I have never had to experience and hope I never do.
      Eventually, my mom’s entire family had made the move from the Missouri Ozarks to Tulsa by the early 1960s.
     About mid-December, Uncle J.B. and Rosemary would host a get together for Christmas. Aunts, uncles, cousins and all came to celebrate Christmas and time with family.
       The large dining room table at the Jackson home was filled with food that spilled over onto the buffet and into the kitchen. If you went away hungry, it was your own fault.
     No matter if you arrived early or late, J.B. and Rosemary kept the door open, the coffee brewing and the love of God flowing.
      After an hour or two of the adults visiting and catching up, mostly because that was the only time everyone saw each other, we gathered around the grand piano and sang a number of old-time Christmas favorites.
      I don’t remember if we prayed before or after, but we always prayed. Each person received a mini songbook filled with old-time hymns. The Jacksons kept them tucked away in the piano bench.
     “Hark, The Herald Angles Sing,” was one of the songs we sang. Others included “Away In a Manger,” “Silent Night,” “O Holy Night,” “The First Noel,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and more.
      After we sang the dozen or so songs, Santa made a special visit and with the help of many elves, handed out gifts to all. Everyone, both young and old, received a gift.
      Soon, it was time to head home. There were lots of hugs and handshakes as everyone bid farewell and headed out the door. Such great memories.
     With the holidays around the corner, I hope you can give work and life a break and join your family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. May the holidays be filled with memories, good times and full stomachs. And while you are at it, take time to sing some of those old-time Christmas hymns. They have a way of soothing one’s soul. Blessings to all!
      Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.

 ​     The one thing life has afforded me is the opportunity to meet, visit and make friends with strangers. That happened earlier this month at a craft fair in Clarinda, in the southwest corner of the state.
    Debbie and I traveled there to sell our books at a popular craft fair that has been in business for 62-years. 
      Two older ladies stopped at our booth in the early afternoon and struck up a conversation. One of the ladies purchased Debbie’s first book, The Auctioneer, and was wanting to have it signed.
      Debbie had stepped away from the table. As we waited, I mentioned that my mother-in-law was 80 and still worked at the bank.
     “We are about that age, but we’ve been retired for a long time,” one of the ladies said as Debbie returned to the table.
      I said something to them about wanting to visit the Ax Murder House in Villisca while in the area, but that we didn’t get there in time to do so.
   One of the ladies pushed her mask down, rolled her eyes and said, “Don’t give them your money, it’s not haunted.”
    They went on to say that they had grown up and went to school in Villisca and neither of them had heard about the ax murder as youngsters. Both said they attended a Halloween party while in school when they had no idea that an ax murder had taken place there.
     “We noticed an ax over the door, but never gave it any thought,” one of the ladies said.
After high school, they traveled to Estes Park, Colo. to work for the summer. They were talking to someone they met the first night in Colorado and said they were from Villisca.
     “That’s where the ax murder took place,” this person said.
    “Ax murder, what ax murder?” they both asked. “We haven’t heard anything about an ax murder.”
     They called their mothers back home and asked about the murders.
    One of the mothers said, “Yes, there had been an ax murder in 1912. Relatives still lived in town (at the time) and it was a sensitive topic and we just didn’t talk about it.”
     Their mothers told them all about the murders and what had happened. 
     They were having a good talking about the ax murder house. It was no big deal to them. We had to chuckle at it all.
     Anyway, we stopped in Villisca on the return trip home. I noticed two cars filled with ladies parked by the house. They emptied out of the vehicles and headed into a barn-like building behind the ax murder house. Debbie and I figured they were spending the night in the house, one of the offerings available to visitors.
     Maybe we can tour the house the next time we are in Villisca. I don’t know if Debbie will tour the house, but I will.
      If you want to learn more about the ax murder house, visit http://www.villiscaiowa.com.
    We enjoyed our time in the area. The craft show, which is located in five buildings across        Clarinda, was great. We had a steady stream of customers all day. Many stopped to check out our books and some, like the ladies, stayed and visited a spell. 
    We spent Friday night in Shenandoah, home of the Everly Brothers, and enjoyed supper in an old train depot turned restaurant. They had good food, good prices and good service.
    We are looking forward to having a booth at the 2022 show and maybe while in the area, I can visit the ax murder house and get there early enough to look around the area more.
    Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.