Magazine Articles

Shotgun Lovesongs By Nickolas Butler This is a tale about five friends from Little Wing, a small town in Wisconsin near Eau Claire. Henry, Lee, Kip and Ronny are the four male characters in this novel. Beth, the only female, is married to Henry, but their lives are all intertwined. A wedding brings the now 30-somethings together again. A secret is shared, and lives begin to fall apart. Will a marriage persist? Will forever friends remain friends? You will find the answer when you read this well-written story. Having grown up in small town America, I was really able to …

I am excited to marry my faith with my love for food to create a recipe that embodies this edition’s theme “mindfulness.” Lent, which starts February 14th this year according to the liturgical calendar, has me thinking about mindfulness and love. To me, the most important message of Lent is to slow down, reflect and appreciate. Don’t rush through life without stopping to think about all the gifts we’ve been given, and maybe even share them with those you love. We northerners tend to find ourselves wishing for warmer weather to accompany Easter. The sunny flavor of freshly-squeezed orange juice …

By Katie McKy For Ann Brand, the founder of Ann Brand Mindfulness, mindfulness is academic, personal, and professional. Brand earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with an emphasis on child development and families. She was studying “experience and expression of emotion” at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD. There, she plumbed the research that shows “mindfulness supports attention and memory, emotion regulation, stress reduction, and positive relationships among other things.” That’s when it became personal, for Brand was “suffering from grief after her mother’s death.” “The experience of grief after the …

While putting away a few Christmas gifts this year, I found a note my grandma wrote. My grandma’s words warmed my heart, but what I found on the back of the note caught my attention. Grandma likes to recycle her daily quote calendar pages. This one read, Comparison is the thief of joy. –Theodore Roosevelt. A simple, yet profound quote. Recently, I told my mom that if a spot opens at her medical sales company that I would like to apply. If you know me, you probably know that I am a much better nurse than I would be a …

Embracing Mindfulness: A Journey towards Self-Rescue with a Dash of Humor Life can be a rollercoaster ride, filled with unexpected twists and turns. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs. It’s been a journey for sure, and at times I’ve asked God if he was punking me. I have come to humbly realize that through it all, I had a power all along—the power of mindfulness and being present in my life. So, grab your sense of humor and join me on this journey as we explore how mindfulness can empower us in life’s challenges. Mindfulness is like …

By Katie McKy Many women dream of launching a business one day, of rolling the dice and being their own boss. Given that almost 20% of new businesses fail in their first year, and over 30% percent fail in the first two years, where does a fledgling entrepreneur summon the courage? Amy Wahl is a local woman well-positioned to answer this question, for she launched a business. Then another. And another. And another. “I have Pink Orchard Salon, a chair rental salon for independent stylists, Pink Orchard Boutique, Banbury Candle Company, and a brick and mortar art studio where I …

By Katie McKy Toni Mattson, born and raised in Medford, WI, loved horses from the get-go. “I grew up horse-crazy, and at the age of five, our parents leased ponies for my sisters and me,” Mattson said. “My little mare was named Heidi. It was love at first sight, and she’s what cemented my love for horses.” Mattson and her husband, Bill, bought Pinewood Stables in 2002, 67 acres south of Eau Claire, and renamed it Trinity Equestrian Center, a proclamation of faith. The property looks a lot like a Kentucky ranch, with its white fences. It has a 17-stall …

Helllllllo friends…I’m back! I took a few years off from “Rays of Grace” to heal and grieve after my parents’ divorce. During my hiatus, I stayed pretty busy. I met, started dating, and got engaged to the best person I know. Most recently, we became dog parents. I also graduated from accelerated nursing school and got a job at a pediatric hospital on the hematology/oncology floor, where I have worked as a nurse for a year. Pediatric Hematology/Oncology floors take patients who have blood disorders and childhood cancers. My patient population often consists of patients with type one diabetes, sickle …

The Fiery Spirit: A Woman’s Wisdom, Courage, and Ginger Hair In the depths of adversity, there exists a woman whose spirit burns bright with wisdom, courage, and a fiery mop of ginger hair. She has traversed the treacherous paths of hell yet emerged with a sense of humor that can light up the darkest of rooms. She embodies the resilience and strength that comes from facing life’s trials head-on, all while embracing her unique identity. With each step she takes, her ginger hair serves as a vibrant symbol of her individuality and strength. It is a crown of fiery determination, …

The brokenhearted are the bravest among us. They dared to love. –Brené Brown Hello, my sweet friends. I hope that you are enjoying this gorgeous summer that Central Wisconsin has served us. As I write this, I am still in the flannel I sported all weekend at Country Jam—enjoying a late-in-the-day coffee, as I just spent the last two hours looking for my readers (finally breaking down, running out to buy a new pair), only to find the glasses I was looking for on my head. That, my dear, is a bath of vulnerability, truth, and a splash of ADHD. …