Most people look forward to “going home” at the end of a busy day. Home has a different meaning for everyone; family, security, peace, love, comfort, rest, relaxation…the list is long. At this juncture in my life, it’s about a sense of belonging or “coming home.” I am a local girl, born and raised in Milbank by parents with great faith and a strong work ethic. According to my mother, I was born with a strong will and as the oldest of four children, I readily embraced “being in charge.” My youth was filled with fun and frolic and launching quickly became about “getting out of here”…whatever that meant to a feisty teenager in the early 70’s. Once I wised up, education became my vehicle to freedom and independence. After college, bouncing from coast to coast building my career through my 20’s, I ended up spending the past 30 years as a healthcare leader in northern Arizona (Flagstaff). I am proud to have recently retired as the founding CEO of a vibrant comprehensive primary care system that operates 25 service sites in 14 communities and employs over 500 area residents with a 55M operating budget. Needless to say, it was a lot of work that most people couldn’t or wouldn’t take on, much less stay with for decades. I attribute my resilience to both nature and nurture. The ambition, single focus and discipline required for this kind of career success came with a high price for me in that I didn’t get to the family piece of building a rich full life during those years. Love came later for me; I met my husband, Paul, at 50. He is a wonderful worldly chap but not quite ready to make Big Stone Lake his year round home.
Many of my early summers included time at Big Stone Lake, specifically Hartford Beach. As such, my annual treks home included stays at the lake while visiting family and friends. As an organizational leader I ask a lot of questions so every year I would discover something new and interesting about local people and the area I grew up in. Over the decades this continued to heighten my appreciation and longing for my “place of origin.” At the same time, it caused a bit of internal angst given my early goal of getting out of here and never coming back. Since then, I have traveled the world and the Midwest, of all places, is calling me home? At the end of my annual vacations I didn’t want to leave and became increasingly convinced I needed my own “cabin on the lake.” More on what that “small cabin on the lake” became later. After years of looking, I finally purchased a lake lot almost 20 years ago and started working harder than ever to make my dream a reality.
So now, I have “come home” and continue to become more enamored with my place of origin and the people who live and thrive here. Based on my life experiences and the world view I have acquired through decades away, I think this is a cool place and you are friendly, helpful and industrious people. I want to share my growing up and re-entry experiences with you as this is once again “my place” and you are “my people.” I want to meet and/or get reacquainted with you, learn about you and your life, discover and applaud your knowledge/interests/talents and share this wealth of knowledge, from my perspective in A New Lens! 2017