Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back!

At the Le Sueur County Relay for Life on Friday night in Montgomery there were three banners that I can agree with, they were “Celebrate!” “Remember!” “Fight Back!” Yes, everyone will agree with the sentiment behind those banners, but they can also be very personal for many people.

To me “Celebrate” has a two-tier meaning. The first is celebrating those who have beaten the disease of cancer into remission or those who are still fighting it. It’s a hard journey, one that requires support from family and friends and prayers. Or as some people on Facebook will say, “positive energy.”

For me the second meaning of “Celebrate” ties into “Remember,” as we remember those who died from cancer. We can celebrate and remember a person in several ways. In the past, my family has participated in Relay for Life in Thief River Falls for our mom and other family members. Recently with the Silent Lap at Le Sueur County’s Relay for Life, they allowed everyone to go around the course with a candle in remembrance. I took a walk in honor of my mom, other family, friends and my Uncle Lee Gustafson, who died earlier this year due to pancreatic cancer. Other people remembered their loved ones with luminaries lining the track or with the “Messages to Heaven,” the releasing of balloons with notes tied to them.

“Fight Back,” means fighting the disease, whether you have it or by donating to the cause to help find a cure or helping as a volunteer at events like Relay for Life. I saw many forms of volunteering and helping to raise donations with the silent auction, massages, haircuts, temporary body art and games. Help came from residents of Montgomery, New Prague, Waterville, Elysian, Le Center, Le Sueur and other area communities. Personally, I feel we all need to fight back, because we need to end this disease.

Summer’s here

On a lighter note, we can all definitely agree that summer is here, with the warm weather and high humidity and the recent rash of storms. I’ve always enjoyed summer, up to a point. Like most Minnesotans, when the temperature is in the 70s or the 80s I find it a welcome relief from winter. If the humidity is low I’m fine with that, it’s just when it starts matching the temperature that I find it a little unbearable.

When I hear stories about people who go to places just for the air conditioning, I can sympathize. There was a summer or two where I was without air conditioning. The best I could do was open the windows, turn on fans to circulate the air and wear light clothing.

Of course, as my dad would say, if that was worst I had it, I didn’t have much to complain about. Which is true for the majority of us, we have systems that keep our homes comfortable in summer and winter. Even a large portion of our vehicles have air conditioning that can keep us far cooler than the ones built about 20 to 30 years ago.

So when it’s humid this summer, I’ll swelter a bit and likely try to remember that warmth come winter.

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