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Keep your face always toward the sunshine

It’s October and the temperatures are fluctuating from 70s to 90s. 
  Life is speeding by! And I have ten minutes left to get this paper to press.
 My daily bible verse said, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Proverbs 4:23.
 I noticed the other day when I didn’t sleep much through the night and coffee wasn’t helping the next morning, irritation after irritation started mounting. Old hurts from the past came up and it felt as if the world was darkening before my eyes. 
  Recent celebrity deaths added to that. Why? I didn’t know these people personally. 
But it added onto an already stressful time. 
 Then a few friends were hurting about more serious things. My heart became heavy. 
I looked at the calendar and saw Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins tonight, October 2.
 I learned that Rosh means head. It is the head of the year. 
 Then I saw a video that each day we should begin with writing ten things we are grateful for. 
I know I am a night owl because I try to do this at the end of the day. ha. 
But how we start our day, our year, all adds up.
  I was awake in the night again and I started praying for people. 
  With so much going on in our lives, it is easy to look over one another. It is easy to take offense when someone says something off the cuff that hurts. 
 So much in today’s society is about not offending others, adding trigger warnings, etc. 
 But what if our job is to center ourselves with God and let go of the outside world ?
What if all these frustrations and irritations are meant to distract us from the bigger picture? 
  It can be hard to center myself when I didn’t sleep well, my child a little tired and cranky, and something ticks me off. 
 But it is easier to walk through life when I am at peace within. 
 I let go easier. My judgment is clearer, and I can make better decisions without being irritated and offended.
  No one is perfect. Everyone falls short. Where are you in your walk? 
When there are hard times coming your way how do you handle it?
  I personally tend to get angry, need to vent to a friend, maybe workout, eat some chocolate, and take a nap.
I was out of town and had a nail appointment at a new place. 
The nail technician shared a tremendous amount about herself and then began what felt like an interrogation into my personal life. 
  Throughout the appointment, I sat quietly smiling. Inside I prayed for her and thought about what I should say.
 Ultimately I decided silence was best. For those who may not believe in God, there was a miracle. LOL.
  Later, I replayed the afternoon and found it was uncomfortable but I think I handled it well.  
 What was supposed to be relaxing and a treat to myself didn’t work out that way. 
  My thoughts and attitudes shape my health, my day, my life. 
How is your mind? 
How do you handle pieces of life that are out of your control? 
 I don’t do it well but I am doing it better than I used to. 
  We can get so busy we forget to check in with ourselves. 
 So I am stopping for just a moment to say  I hope you get a chance to look up at the sun today and say thank you. 
  And if it is possible, encourage someone today. We never know the battle someone else is fighting. 
  As Walt Whitman said,  “Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” 

OPINIONS

Purpose in the Pain

It’s November! It’s a beautiful cool, fall Wednesday morning as I write this. I took a walk with my dogs, chatted with my friend, and coughed. But the cough has been way better! Tuesday was Election Day. The contest for mayor of Coolidge was one many were watching.... [More]

Fruit of the Spirit

October is here! The cool mornings are lovely! Looking forward to cooler afternoons too! Thought I would share some quick updates. My respiratory junk is not wanting to exit this human. Got another round of antibiotics and more breathing treatments. Thankfully I am improving. ... [More]

Where Can God Use You Today?

A long haired shaggy white dog, likely a Great Pyrenees, showed up at our farm last week.  After a couple of days, we saw it wasn’t going anywhere. We started to feed it. He let us get closer.  What we found was a skinny, malnourished dog with a horrible case... [More]

How Vulnerable Are You?

Thanks for your patience last week. I am still recovering but have returned to the land of the living! I get frustrated with how slow it takes to recover sometimes when really I should focus on the fact that I am recovering.  I truly feel like I am getting stronger and then... [More]

Let God

It’s the first week of September. After I get the paper onto stands, we are headed to the state fair. They changed some of the stalling procedures this year for sheep which leaves some unknowns for us. But every year we go, we learn new things. After my irritation and frustration... [More]

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Breathing Space

I slipped away for a quick getaway for back to school clothes shopping, visiting family, some good food, and a trip to Barnes and Noble.  We left Thursday afternoon and returned Sunday.  It was triple digit heat when we left our sheep in good hands to be taken care... [More]

Building Moments and Memories

Another week has passed after the fair but I am still not recovered. Monday is the start of school and I am hoping we get a quick getaway even for one night.  I was out of the office on Tuesday while we bred our lambs in Healy, Kansas. We rose early, hooked up the trailer,... [More]

When you don't win

It’s the last day of July. All I can say is fair. Our county fair is over and I am wiped out. Putting this edition together is one of the hardest every year.  It looks to me like most of the county showed up to the fair in one way or the other. Maybe the demo derby... [More]

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SPORTS

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HI-PLAINS ALL LEAGUE

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SHS CHEER TAKES SECOND

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BULLDOGS OPEN FALL SEASON WITH FIRST PLACE FINISH IN GOLF

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LEWIS HEADS TO STATE TRACK

Qualifying members of the high school track team traveled to Hill City Thursday, May 16 to compete in the 2-A regional meet against 15 teams, Ellinwood, Ellis, Hill City, Hoxie, Lincoln, Meade, Medicine Lodge, Oakley, Plainville, Smith Center, Stanton County, Sublette, Thomas... [More]

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BULLDOGS TAKE SECOND AT REGIONALS - HEADED TO STATE

The Syracuse High School boys golf team battled breezy conditions on Monday May 13 competing in the 2-A Regional meet on their own Tamarisk Golf Course.  Adjusting to windy conditions and competing at home paid off for the Bulldogs Monday, placing second, qualifying... [More]

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STATE GOLF RESULTS

State golf on Monday had the Varsity Bulldogs miss playing in the finals as a team by one stroke. They finished seventh out of twelve teams.  On Day 1, Brody Keller shot a 92 missing day two by two strokes. Ian Brummett shot a 95, Mason Scott  and Johnny TeVelde shot... [More]

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JH BASKETBALL WINS

Junior High Boys Basketball A, B, and C teams travelled to Elkhart on Monday, November 21. The A team won 41-34, B team won 26-21, and  C team lost to Elkhart 13-20. Head Coach Vance Keller said, “Elkhart was a tough win for both the A and B teams but both grinded... [More]

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LADY BULLDOGS BORDER WARS CHAMPIONS!!

The Lady Bulldogs were undefeated during the Border Wars, defeating Eads on Friday, 42-7 and Walsh on Saturday 62-5, bringing their record to 3-1. But the winner wasn’t announced until Tuesday evening. Syracuse Athletic Director Josh Johnson explained, “It came down... [More]

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NEWS

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Einspahr Lights Up The Stage As The Nutcracker

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1999 Exchange Student Returns Reliving His Syracuse Days

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Veterans Day Thank You

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1991 SHS Grad Awarded Colorado Water Commissioner of the Year Division 2

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30th Annual Classic and Antique Fly-In This Saturday

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Important Information About City of Syracuse’s Drinking Water

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Urie Takes First at Rocky Mountain Race Week

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Jireh Family Restaurant

Photo - Cintia Tetrault, Maria Vindel, Carlos Vindel, Dalia Vindel/photo by Krista Norton

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OBITUARIES

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Jerry Seybert

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Lester Eugene Harris

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Jean Jorgensen

Jean DeLynn (White) Jorgensen, 83, of Winchester, KS, went to her heavenly home on Thursday, December 4th, 2025, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Lawrence, KS. She was born on July 21, 1942, in Denver, Colorado, the daughter of Robert and Grace (Burdick) White. Jean grew up... [More]

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Jaivaren Smith

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Lenny Thompson

Funeral services for Lenny Thompson will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, November 29, 2025 at Holly Methodist Church in Holly, Colorado with Pastor Kathy Leathers officiating.  Interment will follow in the Holly Cemetery.  Per Lenny’s request, there will be no... [More]

Alfred Hampton

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Rachael Ann Stewart

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Velma Klassen

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