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Holabird Advocate

Providing all the news we see fit to print since 2002!


Tuesday, March 22, 2011
 
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it.", said Yogi Berra. It's one of his most quoted lines, and quite possibly the funniest. The Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carol's "Alice in Wonderland" was asked by the title character which direction she should take when she came to a fork in the road. the cat just smiled and said that it didn't matter, because both roads would take her to where she was going.
In this Lenten season, I'm reminded of the choice that Moses made when after the Exodus, he led the Hebrew children to the promised land. Had he taken them on the direct path, through the land of the "giants" (Gath?) it would have taken a mere 11 days. Because of lack of faith, and many other wrong choices, but primarily lack of faith, the journey took an extraordinary 40 years to complete. And Moses himself, while he could see the promised land, was not allowed enter into it. Now a journey of 11 days vs. 40 years seems like a no brain-er. But let's look at this from their point of view. See, David taught us that God would deliver the giant into our hands if we believed. Moses did not have that knowledge. He also did not have the faith to lead his people through that way.
How many of us spend 40 years going what we could have done in 11 days but were too fearful to face it head on, I know I've taken the long way around a few times. Peter and Andrew were fishing all day, but didn't catch a thing. Jesus told them to cast the net one more time, and even though they doubted, they did as he suggested, and so great was their catch that James and John had to come over and help them haul it in. They didn't have much faith in Jesus, but just enough to do as he told them. That was all it took. I used to wonder why it worked when Jesus had them do it when it hadn't before. Then I realized, Jesus told the fish to go into the net. Those dumb old fish never doubted Jesus at all, just hopped right in the net. I wish I had that kind of faith. I, like Moses, see the impossible. Joshua and Caleb saw the possible, and they were the only ones of their generation to walk into the promised land. We really can do all sorts of things when we see the possible instead of the impossible. maybe I need new glasses!





Monday, March 21, 2011
 



Well here it is, 1400 episodes in the can. When I started the Holabird Advocate back in 2002 I never really thought I'd ever take things this far. Surely someone would get offended and demand I be shut down! But no here I am, 9.25 years later doing what I have been doing off an on, making it up as I go. As the Holabird Advocate died and the Jerry Hinkle program raised from it's ashes back in 2009, it was a different format, but the same driving force. Fighting ignorance by embracing wisdom and killing hate with love. I've detoured from the mission somewhat. Sometimes the truth was mixed with some fictionalized humor (or as my dad would call it, several times, "fantasy BS") to make the truth a little easier to swallow.
The fact is that when I started blogging, not many were doing it, at least not in South Dakota. After I started, it became a worldwide trend. When I stopped actively blogging, other forms of social media took over. I have Facebook and twitter, but I love going back to my roots when I can. You readers have been with me through a whole lot of triumph and tragedy. We've seen births, deaths, and other kinds of miracles in between.
My favorite story was and continues to be our series on Hunter Mees. Both you and I made a huge difference in that young man's life. Thank God, he's still cancer free! If I could do anything over, it would have been to do more audio blogging when that was available. Especially with Grandad, my interviews with him still make me smile when I think of them.
That was the past! Now to the future! Take a look at the top of the page. You see to your left our current state flag. To your right is a possible new design for our state flag. Is it out with the old and in with the new? Or is it winner and still champion? Please weigh in!


Which design for South Dakota's state flag would you prefer?
Keep the old flag
Use the new design, make the old flag our state banner
Free polls from Pollhost.com





Saturday, March 19, 2011
 
Yesterday The South Dakota Magazine's Facebook page touched the third rail: Change. It started with the first sentence, "South Dakota needs a state flag". OOPS We have one! But that's not important right now!
They posted a photo of a possible alternative flag, created by artist Dick Termes. A proverbial, "run it up the flagpole and see who salutes it" kinda thing. Some have done just that, others have not. I'm caught in the middle. I love the present, it has been our flag since 1963 or so, with the the only change being in 1992, when South Dakota let Florida become the lone "Sunshine State" and we became the "Mount Rushmore State". The flag we have is good enough, and better than most! Do we need to change it? I hope not. I do like the design that was displayed, but the case for change has not been made in my opinion. If it should come to that I'm sure any design will do.
The post sure did stir up a lot of emotions. Some tried to make political hay out of the issue, but there is more to it than that. Change, especially for no reason, is hard for some people. If this story has legs, I'll be walking close behind!
On Monday I plan on posting the 1400th episode of the Jerry Hinkle Program. For this milestone I'm going to dust off the Pollmaster General and have the readers weigh in on the flag issue, I'll see about getting photos of each design and see if we can build some consensus on the need for a new flag!





Wednesday, March 09, 2011
 
The Come Hahn Inn was a term coined by my Aunt Jo in reference to Grandma's house. Grandma was prone to take in strangers who became family the minute they walked in the door. There is a fellow called "Basement Ken" in there now, but here have been many others who rented Grandma's basement for a spell who became like family, at least for her.
One man that sticks out in particular was this traveling salesman from Bemidji, Minnesota. It was harvest time and both of Highmore's motels were full. He was sent to Grandma's house. He also asked where the best place to get a steak was. He was told where, but he was also told he wouldn't need it, and he didn't use it as it turns out. He happened to be there just as Aunt Jo, Uncle Ken and Cousin Anne were visiting after their big adventure in Tanzania. Grandma had all the home folks over for fatted calf, or whatever was close enough to it at the time, and he joined us. He watched the home movies along with the rest, and seemed to enjoy it. One things is for sure, he went back to Bemidji with one heck of a story to tell! That kind of legacy is hard to live up to.
So yes, this episode is brought to you by the Come Hahn Inn, where love is always on the menu and the leftovers are just as good the next day! Grandma may be gone, but it is my hope that the Come Hahn Inn doesn't close down! I hope it just changes management like when Sam Walton died and left Walmart to his kids. I hope that even if the someone outside the family buys that house, they will carry on her spirit. And as far as that goes, may there be other locations added, such as Holabird, Yankton, Forrest City, Fridley, Aberdeen, Faulkton, and other places outside Highmore where if someone needs a place to stay, they will find that kind of hospitality. Yes it will be hard to live up to the standards set by Grandma, but as E.E. Hinkle used to say, "Do the best you can"





Tuesday, March 08, 2011
 
Happy Mardi Gras everyone! Let those people in New Orleans raise their shirts for beads, but it's too cold to do that here in beautiful downtown Mitchell! After a week like the one I've had, I'm ready for some pancakes and sausage!
The Methodist church here is having a pancake feed tonight from 4-7 pm. For $6 you can eat your fill of pancakes and sausages!
I need to find something to give up for Lent! Any ideas?
As you recall, a week ago last Saturday, My Grandma Agnes died. At the time I was at the local Cracker Barrel Session and turned my cell phone off. My family tried to get hold of me all day long and as a last resort called me at work. I was not to happy about that, but I'm sure it wasn't exactly a picnic for my mother to call and tell me that her own mother had passed away.
I went back home last Monday, the family services were a week ago last week, and the funeral was a week ago tomorrow.
It hasn't been easy for anyone, but as hard as it's been for my family, I personally can't complain. I was very blessed to have Grandma in my life for as long as I did, more than 40 years! Not everyone on earth was as blessed as I to have a grandmother or any other relative that wonderful or for that long. Still I was glad to to have a speaking part, since my voice started faltering while we were singing "In the Garden". Grandma wanted, as she often did, for those who sang in church to do so with "gusto". It was hard to do that, but many rose to the occasion, even though I was not able to do the same!
My cousin Susan, was the soloist for "eye on the sparrow" She tried to find a recording with gusto to show her how it was done, but didn't find one. She winged it, and I must say she did beautifully. It's a shame that more singers don't give it the same treatment. When someone belts out "I sing because I'm happy", they should sound like they are indeed happy. I suppose that now Grandma is happy, because she is free.
That's why I'm ready for pancakes! It's time to start living, and to accept the gift that God gave us in this day. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness are ours! So on this Mardi Gras, I'm going to live with as much gusto as I can. I could dwell on my loss, but Grandma would not approve! Where she is now, misery is not allowed, so why should I be miserable? Because I know Jesus cares!




 





Tuesday, March 01, 2011
 
Last Saturday morning, My grandma, Agnes Leona Haiwick Goehring Hahn, died. When I heard about that, I was not prepared. Nobody really is prepared I guess. I've had many ideas on what I could write about Grandma, but I don't want to write too much, and I don't want to merely repeat what everyone already knows. So I came up with a fictional situation, and how I imagine she'd react to it.
Imagine if Grandma had been the innkeeper in Bethlehem at the time of the Christmas story. Would she have turned Joseph and Mary away? I doubt it! She'd have seen to it that Mary had the best bed in the house. She would have sat Joseph down at the table and gave him a cup of coffee right after he staked the donkey out in the back yard. When the shepherds showed up, she'd have made them take their boots off, but she wouldn't turn them away. Grandma would have even put up with that drummer boy as long as possible before taking away his drumsticks.
How do I know this? I don't, really! This is just how I'd imagine it! But, I do know that she was a kind loving person that would never turn down someone in need. That's what made her a good daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother. She even touched the lives of her neighbors, and the neighborhood children also called her grandma if they felt so inclined.
It has been my privilege to be the grandson of such a wonderful grand lady. To share her with the world, while at times difficult, was an overall pleasure. I was blessed to have her in my life, and to keep someone as wonderful as her to myself would have been unthinkable! And yet, what God has given, he as also called back. Hers was a life well lived, we should all do likewise!




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