Psalm 23:1-4The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.He makes me lie down in green pastures,He leads me beside quiet waters,He restores my soul.He guides me in paths of righteousnessFor his name's sake.Even though I walkThrough the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil,For you are with me;Many people speak of "the mountaintop" as a desirable place to be while considering "the valley" a place to be avoided. Even this most familiar of Psalms reinforces that idea with the well-known line regarding the valley of the shadow of death. When we are in a valley, our view of surroundings is limited and our ability to scout the terrain ahead is diminished. A valley can certainly be a frightening and difficult place. From a mountaintop, on the other hand, we can view surroundings for miles around and do our best to choose a safe path to travel. This is how things appear, anyway.In my short years I have not learned nearly enough, but I have learned a couple of things about mountaintops and valleys. First, mountaintops are great! I love the challenge of reaching the top, the exhilaration of being there, the fresh air and the incredible view. But second, staying too long on a mountaintop can be dangerous. On our honeymoon my wife and I visited Pikes Peak in Colorado. When we arrived at the top, the day was clear and sunny. By the time we were ready to leave, a snowstorm had started. We drove down the steep and winding road in limited visibility and slippery conditions. We stayed on the mountaintop too long. Finally, mountaintops are generally lonely. The higher the mountaintop, the less likely you are to find anything growing there, let alone another person.This leads me to what I’ve learned about valleys. I lived in Oregon for four years, just 20 miles from Mount Hood, an 11,000 foot peak in the Cascade range. I was never to the top of Mt. Hood, but I didn’t need to get up there to know that it would have been impressive, dangerous, (snow-capped year round) and very lonely. But what I remember about Oregon even more than Mt. Hood is the valleys that surround the mountain. The valleys of that region are some of the most productive ground in the nation for growing apples, pears, and cherries. When you drive the narrow twisting highways of the Columbia Gorge around Mt. Hood, you are constantly driving through fruit orchards. Generally, you can’t see for more than 50 feet in any direction because of the thickness of the trees and the curves of the road. It’s beautiful! The amount of growth that takes place in those valleys is awesome! And then, every few miles you happen into a small town, a hamlet in a valley where a few hundred people have gathered and formed a community. The mountaintop is impressive, a nice place to visit. Be careful though, because it is a dangerous and lonely place to try and live. Valleys can be difficult and far less impressive, but that’s where the growth is, and that’s where the relationships are. David didn’t fear the valleys, even the valley of the shadow of death, because he knew that God was there to guide him through. As our shepherd, God leads us to valleys where the good grass and the streams of water and the other sheep are.Go up on the mountaintop and get a good look around, appreciate the excitement, the breath of fresh air, even the solitude. Then come back refreshed to live in the valley, with the Lord as your shepherd to guide you along.

"I AM AN AMERICAN DAY"The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on May 15, 1942:County Organizations Will Take Part‘I AM AN AMERICAN DAY’ DETAILS COMPLETEBig Parade, Program to Take Place In Luverne on Sunday AfternoonPublic Participation in Patriotic Observance Urged by CommitteePlans for the observance of "I Am An American Day" in Luverne Sunday were virtually completed yesterday, when details for a big parade followed by a patriotic program at the Luverne City Park were announced. Those taking part in the parade will meet at 1:45 p.m. Sunday at the high school, where the procession will form and proceed south at 2 p.m. on Estey street to Main street, down which thoroughfare it will parade to the city park.Parade FormationThe parade will be led by Lloyd Long, astride his riding horse and followed in order by: the Hills American Legion Post, the Luverne Legion Auxiliary, the Luverne Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, Victory Aides, the Luverne high school band, with flag swingers and twirlers, Cubs and Boy Scouts, Luverne firemen and fire trucks, Luverne policemen and their patrol car, the Luverne post of the American Legion and other ex-servicemen, the Luverne post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Co. D, of the State Guard. The program at the city park will begin with Boy Scouts presenting the flag and flag pledge, followed by an explanation of "I Am An American Day" by the master of ceremonies; military drill by high school band majorettes and flag swingers; a vocal solo, "God Bless America" by Russell Haakenson; a reading, "True American," by Alice Hoven, Luverne high school senior; "Victory Overture," played by the high school band, under the direction of Roy Snyder; and "America," sung by the audience.R.C. Engan, Luverne attorney, will act as master-of-ceremonies for the "I Am An American Day" program.In the event of inclement weather, there will be no parade, but the program will take place in the high school auditoriumPublic InvitedOscar Martinson, commander of Dell-Hogan post of the American Legion, urged all members of the post and all other ex-servicemen to report promptly at 1:45 at the high school, to take part in the parade. Members of the committee which planned the affair invited the public to turn out for it in full force Sunday.Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

Sleep deprivation has become such a great problem in our country that it’s keeping us awake at night. The National Sleep Foundation recently reported that 75 percent of Americans have trouble sleeping, and while we should have seven to nine hours of sleep at night, our average snooze is 6.9 hours. Night after night, it all adds up. Although the sleep foundation didn’t mention the symptoms of extreme sleep loss, these obvious signs might be of some help:You startle awake halfway thorough your drive to work. When you arrive at work, you discover one of your shoes is a brown loafer and the other is a pink, sequined beach sandal. At the same time, you notice that your workplace parking lot is deserted and the doors are locked. Struggling past a sleepy stupor, you realize it’s Sunday. On an actual workday, you find out too late that you grabbed the wrong lunch bag off the kitchen counter when you left home. While your third grader will undoubtedly complain about having a container of unsweetened, plain yogurt and carrot sticks for lunch, you will have to settle for a peanut butter sandwich and a Twinkie packed in a SpongeBob SquarePants lunch box. The trusty old briefcase you grabbed in the hallway this morning turns out to be your wife’s sample case for her door-to-door cosmetic sales. You don’t know there’s a problem until you reach into the case during an important meeting, whip out a tube of bright red lipstick and announce, "This is what will keep our company from the brink of disaster."You’re a woman, you’re at work, and by 9 a.m. you find yourself in the vise-like grip of your daughter’s too-small pantyhose. Apparently, you weren’t very alert when you dressed in the morning and you failed to read the size tag in the back seam of the undergarment. As a result of the pantyhose trying to get back to its normal shape and size, you have no feeling below your waist. In general, your thought processes seem to have slowed down. When someone inquires about the names and ages of your children, you draw a blank. "Let’s see. There’s that one blonde girl and that other one that wears glasses. That’s all I can remember right now, but I’ll get back to you, OK?"There’s also the added weight problem, one of the most noticeable symptoms of sleep loss. Another study released recently by the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk found that total sleep time decreased as body mass index — a measure of weight based on height — increased. In other words, people who sleep less tend to be fat. In this case, look for these symptoms:The good news is that your closet is filled with clothes. The bad news is that they’re in eight different sizes. Snacking between meals has become such a habit that you eat leftovers directly from the refrigerator, leaving the door open. Forks and spoons are kept in the dishes so you won’t have to waste time and energy walking to and from the silverware drawer a few steps away. Finally, you know you’re experiencing a severe case of sleep deprivation when more often than not your typical response to a cheerful "Good morning!" is, "What’s so good about it?"

We are writing this letter in response to the School Board’s recent decision to take away all day every day kindergarten from our child and his classmates. First of all, this decision seems very "convenient" for the School Board to make after the open enrollment deadline. Parents that would have chosen to open enroll their children with other school districts who offer all day every day kindergarten are no longer able to do so.Secondly, forcing parents to pay a high tuition for the enrichment program is unethical when all families will not be able to send their child. These kids have a right to be treated equally in regard to their public education. Is it fair to use these young children to set an example to the community for not passing the referendum? Kindergarten children’s academic success should not be at stake in order to fix the district’s financial problems. We wish the School Board would reconsider their decision to take away the current kindergarten program and do what is best for our children. Jason and Karla KruseLuverne

I’ve never heard of "all day every day" kindergarten. What would be next, all day every day every night kindergarten? When all day kindergarten (just five days a week) passed here, we called it taxpayer-subsidized daycare. I’d be more concerned about teaching approaches than length of time in a kindergarten class. My six-year-old goes to a public school optional half-day kindergarten and she'll enter first grade as a competent reader. Her older brother did, too. Almost all half-day kindergarten kids in the school do, and have been for 25 years. The school is called an Alternative Basic Curriculum (ABC) school. Did you ever think you’d live to hear that successful basic education approaches in grade school would be alternative instead of required? Our neighborhood public schools with full-day kindergarten produce new first graders that can’t read for the most part. If your concern is not free daycare and is really a good education for your offspring, make sure you have a proven phonics approach and experienced kindergarten teachers that know how to teach it. A disciplined school environment wouldn't hurt either. Jay Page Anchorage, AK

The past two years have been challenging and difficult years for advocacy and support service providers for sexual assault, domestic violence and general crime victim/survivors. Justice program funds for southern Minnesota judicial districts were cut by 25 percent.The service providers spent three months reviewing and revising the look of victim services in our area. Cuts were made in staffing, programming and the services which were offered. One program was forced to merge with another. Many difficult decisions were made to ensure that all victims in need of service would be able to find those services. Above all, that was the most important thing — no victim would be denied access to services.One of the positive things that came about in this process was a renewed collaboration among these programs. At 4 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, the Accord Training Academy will sponsor an informational meeting at the Southwest Crisis Center, 920 Diagonal Road, Worthington, for professionals and volunteers interested in providing support to victims of crime. The Academy will provide to all interested a FREE 40-hour training in Worthington. You can make a difference in your community by becoming a volunteer for any local agency or by educating yourself on the issues of victims and violence. Even if you choose not to volunteer for an agency, you can make a great difference to your family and neighborhood by being informed. Join the Accord Training Academy for the opportunity for education. To contact Accord Training Academy, call 507-831-1612 or atacademy@qwest.net.Ruth HubblingWorthington

I am writing this in response to the recent letters in the paper about the budget cut the School Board has made recently. All day every day kindergarten will no longer exist. While I am also very disappointed this cut was made, and that we will now be mixing private education with public education, I feel that people are missing the big picture.This is NOT the fault of the Luverne Public School system. They are short on money and they need to save somewhere. The School Board was forced to make a decision they did not want to have to make. They tried desperately to pass a referendum in the November 2004 election. The community voted to not support education, not the school. We cannot blame the school for this — they tried. The community believed that the school would not need to cut essential programs, and now they have.However, this is even bigger then the Luverne community. Education at our state and federal levels of government has taken drastic if not fatal cuts in the last four years. The Luverne Schools have been flat-lined in recent years while being asked to do even more with their money because of new federal standards. Recently a budget resolution was passed in the U.S. Congress that cut funding for education billions of dollars. In the last two years Gov. Pawlenty cut education 187 million dollars!I understand everyone's disappointment; I feel it, too. Before we start blaming the local people who are trying to make it better, we need to contact our leaders at the state and local levels: State Rep. Doug Magnus, State Sen. Jim Vickerman, U.S. Senators Norm Coleman and Mark Dayton, U.S. Rep. Gil Gutknecht, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and yes, even President Bush. We need to let these people know that our education is vital and does not deserve to be cut! It needs to be funded.Sadie DietrichLuverne, Minnesota

Hills-Beaver Creek Dist. 671Minutes4-25-05The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board met for its semimonthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the library in Hills. Board members present were DeBoer, Larson, Harnack, Esselink, Boeve. Absent were Baker and Leuthold. Superintendent Deragisch and Principal Holthaus were also in attendance. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Harnack. Motion by DeBoer, second by Esselink, and carried to approve the agenda. Visitors to the meeting were recognized by the chairman. The only visitor was Lexi Moore of The Crescent. Patriot Pride: Jesse Zarmbinski placed in the Spelling Bee Juniors for doing a fine job with Prom Junior parents for the after-prom party Cassi Tilstra in the Howard Wood 400 special feature race Elementary report was given by Mr. Holthaus.High School report was presented by Superintendent Deragisch. The minutes of the last meeting were approved as sent out.Motion by Esselink, second by Larson and carried to accept with regrets the resignation of elementary secretary Connie Olson effective June 30, 2005. The board thanks her for her many years of service to the district. Motion by DeBoer, second by Esselink, and carried to accept with regrets the resignation of board member Matt Larson effective May 30, 2005. The board extends their appreciation for his years of service to the district. Legislative update was presented by Esselink.First reading of Policy #205.First reading of Policy #206.First reading of Policy #208.Dates to Remember: May 9 School board meeting May 23 School board meetingAgenda items for next meeting:Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.Ann Boeve, Clerk(5-12)

10 years ago (1995)"Incumbent Dan Siegfried and challenger Lloyd DeBoer were elected in Tuesday’s school board election, an election that brought out 657 voters."25 years ago (1980)"Effective June 1, the Rock County Senior Citizens minibus will provide increased service in the Hills and Steen areas. The bus, which currently makes one stop per week in the area, will now make two trips per week Tuesdays and Fridays."50 years ago (1955)"The Hills Christian Reformed School held graduation exercises last Friday evening for five eighth-grade graduates, namely Betty Berghorst, Charles DeBoer, Anna Jean Esselink, Charles Top and Leland Van Tol."75 years ago (1930)"The staff for the Hills School News is as follows: Anna Nuffer, editor-in-chief; Pearl Skovgaard, ass’t editor; Harriet Hoyme, sports editor; Opal Sjolseth, senior reporter; Clarice Sundal, junior reporter; Doris Rogness, sophomore reporter; Howard Hagen, freshman reporter; and Clarence Funk, grade reporter." 100 years ago (1905)"Happenings round about us. Five saloon licenses have been granted in Luverne. The Beaver Creek Banner last week had two legal notices, being redemption notices for taxes. This is good for the Banner, but looks bad for the town. The Magnolia post office was robbed on Monday night of last week.The Beaver Creek Banner last week appeared as a four-page paper, but Brother Misener does not like the change so will change back to eight pages."