AUGUST
2017
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE GLOBE
S2 • The Globe • Saturday, August 12, 2017
A poetry and pictures project Worthington woman’s book combines her writing, photography I felt qualified to write ‘The Neighborhood Naturalist.’” The newly published Sanderson has other credentials, though, than being merely a longtime local resident. After earning a degree from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., she went to Mankato State as a teaching assistant and earned a master’s degree Dianne in English. After her graduation from Sanderson Mankato, Sanderson taught in Fulda for seven years before a life-changing accident. “I had a bad fall from a horse,” she said. “From 1971 to 1977, the fall resulted in several surgeries, all orthopedic. I wasn’t able to do any traveling because of it … and all of my photos are taken within a 10-mile radius of Worthington.” Sanderson has begun writing poetry in high school, she recalled, and calls her writing from her younger days as a “a lot freer and unconstrained” while noting she now “more careful in my choice of words.” Ultimately, she decided to combine her loves of photography and poetry into a single project. “I had taken these photos probably over the course of 20 years,” Sanderson said. “I went back
and looked at some of the dates I have on some of the photos, and I don’t think there’s anything there you couldn’t find today except for some of the butterflies. I haven’t seen nearly as many butterflies now as I saw then. “I thought there had to be something more that I can do with the photos, and I realized if I wrote poem that went with the photos it would be easier … because I would have the inspiration,” she added. Sanderson credits an influential former Worthington High School teacher as being the impetus for compiling “The Neighborhood Naturalist.” “I had a high school teacher that wanted us to write poems that we would find pictures for,” she recalled. “Nancy Wick — my mother had her, my sister had her, my brother had her and my father was her principal — taught in Worthington Senior
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Dianne Sanderson considers “Germination” to be an autobiographical poem. (Ryan McGaughey/The Globe)
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By Ryan McGaughey rmcgaughey@dglobe.com WORTHINGTON — Dianne Sanderson’s book may have just been officially completed, but it’s a project that has been decades in the making. Sanderson recently had “The Neighborhood Naturalist,” a collection of her nature photography and poetry, published last month via blurb.com. The work represents the culmination of a project Sanderson believes she began back in the 1990s, and is written by a woman who is no stranger to her turf. “I’ve been in this neighborhood since 1950,” said Sanderson, of Worthington, with a laugh, “so
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SANDERSON From Page 2
High for at least 60 years. She taught well beyond retirement age, and she was mad when she was told she finally had to go. She was quite a teacher.” There was no order in mind when Sanderson resolved to sort through her photos, as she simply decided to select what she thought were her best images. She eventually began writing in the evenings and revising her poems over a period of five weeks; she saved the original notebook so she could see where she made changes along the way. Getting the photos and poetry published came about thanks to a connection Sanderson had. Sanderson had broken her leg and eventually wound up at an assisted living facility in Heron Lake, where she made a new and important friend in her life. “I was lucky, as I have a very good friend, Donnine Canamar — she actually did the layout,” Sanderson said. “I had a mocked-up back that I’d originally made, so she had something to go by, but I thought she did an excellent job of organizing all the photos and the poems. “I told her I’d written a book, but that it was not published yet and that I’d like to publish it,” Sanderson continued. “She said, ‘I’d be very interested in taking on the project because that was I trained in college to do.’” I don’t know if this is her first book or not; I have a feeling it is because she did it without charge. She’s very talented, as she’s working at an art facility in the Cities and she’s going to go down south to
graduate school in art.” “The Neighborhood Naturalist” is 85 pages and has at least one photo on every page. After first contacting Canamar about three years ago about getting the book published, Sanderson received her initial copy last month. Anyone interested in purchasing a copy may do so at blurb.com. Of those 85 pages, Sanderson has a special place in her heart for what’s on page 57, where an “autobiographical poem” titled “Germination” appears. She has read some of her work at First Evangelical at First United Methodist churches in Worthington, as well as in a private home to a club of “really intelligent ladies who asked such good questions, and I knew most of them, too.” So, now with one book finally wrapped up, is a sequel or other new project in store? “Not with my health in my current state,” admitted Sanderson, who is now participating in physical therapy three times each weekly. “I have too much pain now … and get up to do photographs any more. I can still write, but I’m not as inspired when I’m in pain.” Still, Sanderson plans to make the most of her life, thanks to a newly recovered sense that’s commonly taken for granted. “I had cataract surgery in December of this past year and I’m reading again now,” she said. “I’ve been reading one book after the other because for three or four years, I couldn’t read anything. “I really appreciate being able to read now, and I’m reading every book in the house I wasn’t able to read before.”
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Dianne Sanderson’s book “The Neighhborhood Naturalist” features photography and poetry of the longtime Worthington resident. (Ryan McGaughey/The Globe)
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Behrends: a willing spirit with an unholy schedule His superpower wish: To be in two places at once By Jane Turpin Moore The Globe WORTHINGTON — “If someone had told me 20 years ago that I’d be a deacon someday, I would have thought they were nuts,” admitted Vern Behrends, Worthington. But time and circumstances have a way of altering a person’s life, and as of this month Behrends has been an ordained Catholic deacon within the Diocese of Winona since 2009. “I came from a very faithful Presbyterian family, and I thank God every day for the parents I had,” said Behrends, who converted to Catholicism upon marrying his wife, Joan, 53 years ago (as of Aug. 18). A native of rural Iona, Behrends graduated from Chandler High School and, when first married, worked for the Dairy Herd Improvement Agency as a milk tester. “I never farmed,” he said. “My family included four boys and a girl, and both the oldest and youngest wanted to farm. “As the middle child, I was the odd man out,” he chuckled. Behrends continued through a series of jobs, including a stint in Luverne (at Nelson’s Department Store as a serviceman and at Van Wyhe TV)
before choosing to sign on at Wilmont’s Tri-City Gas. “I figured I wanted to do something that got me outside more,” he said. When he began working for Great Plains Gas in 1977, the Behrends family (which had expanded to six, with three sons and a daughter) moved to Worthington. Vern Behrends Ultimately, Behrends returned to Tri-City Gas and retired from there in 2009. But Behrends’ present life as a 72-year-old has little to do with his earlier career moves. When his father died unexpectedly of a heart attack 23 years ago, Behrends found himself doing some significant soul-searching. “It got me thinking if I was on the right path, and I began looking for more ways to serve and pay back for the gifts God had given me,” Behrends reflected. Behrends delved deeper into the practices and principles of the Roman Catholic Church, attended a lay ministry class, dug into the Bible and was accepted into the Diocese of Winona’s deacon
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training program. “The year before I was ordained, I was seeking a practicum for social ministry,” he shared. “There was an opening on the Manna Food Pantry board so I volunteered for that.” Behrends has been a board member and volunteer there since 2008, offering regular hands-on help with unloading trucks, installing a walk-in freezer and collecting weekly food donations from Walmart. “I’ve been doing that [picking up items] for the past year and a half each Monday,” he said. “Monday used to be my day off,” he joked. In his role as a Catholic deacon, Behrends is authorized to perform baptisms, weddings and funerals. “I’m registered with the state as a minister,” he stated, noting that being a deacon is nevertheless an unpaid, volunteer position. Additionally, Behrends assists at several masses each week, teaches pre-baptism classes and, with his wife, Joan, teaches pre-wedding classes.
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deacon west of Mankato, Behrends’ services are in constant demand. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak,” he smiled. So if Behrends had a superpower, he’d choose the gift of being in two places at one time. “I don’t have that ability, but I’m going to keep going as long as my health and mental status hold out,” he expressed. Besides his efforts for the Catholic church and at the Manna Food Pantry, Behrends’ favorite thing is spending time with his wife and family.
“My oldest grandkid is 28 and the youngest is 1, and doing things with the family, keeping up with the grandkids, is the highlight,” he said. “Joan and I also enjoy traveling, driving the back roads.” At some point down the line, Behrends said becoming a senior deacon might be an option, but he doesn’t anticipate that to be anytime soon. “It’s been a great life, very fulfilling,” he confirmed. “Some days I don’t feel like I’m retired, but I do have a choice; I choose to do this, and I don’t
get paid so I don’t keep track of the hours.” For others who are willing to lend a hand for one cause or another, Behrends has a simple piece of advice. “There are a lot of good people here in Worthington, and many who have served, but there are a lot of needs, more than we can handle, so if you want to serve, go and ask where you can help,” he advised. “Learning by doing is the best way, and if there’s a need, investigate it — and if possible, help.”
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“I try to visit nursing homes, too, but a lot of times I don’t get there as much as I should,” he said apologetically. Balancing the demands of being a deacon with other aspects of his life is a constant learning process, especially when it comes to making time for everyday chores such as lawn-mowing — and, more importantly, being present for his wife and family (daughter Pam lives in Adrian, son Tim lives on the rural Iona farm where Behrends grew up, son Jay lives in Aberdeen, S.D., and son Brad owns Behrends Signworks in Worthington). “I’ve been reminded that marriage is as much a sacrament as ordination,” laughed Behrends. “Being a deacon has been a journey, but a good one that I’ve never regretted,” Beh-
“You help anybody — you don’t judge first to determine if they’re of the right color or the right faith,” he affirmed. “We’re out there to help anyone. “There’s a guy I read — Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest in New Mexico — who wrote something like, ‘The definition of a Christian is to see Christ everywhere,’ and when you think about that, and how God has created everyone, then if we aren’t seeing Christ in everything and everyone around us, we’re not looking hard enough.” As the only Catholic
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rends said, adding that he enjoys reading and was a 20-year member of the Southwest Bowbenders archery club. “I realize how much God has given us, and that we can never adequately pay Him back, but we can do what’s humanly possible. When you have that transformation, that calling that God is bigger than anything else, it makes it easier to give,” he said. Behrends feels he’s grown in empathy for other people over the past decade and finds himself adhering to the idea that service and care take priority.
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S6 • The Globe • Saturday, August 12, 2017
Weekses fill their days with laughter, love and service Hands stay occupied with mission projects ballpoint pens, an eraser, a simple pencil sharpener and a ruler, the supplies are an incredible gift for students who cannot afford even the most basic items to aid their studies. It’s hoped they provide necessary tools to encourage and support the learning process. “Often the backpacks go to girls,” said Marie. “We found out recently that if you help educate a girl, you’re really educating 10 more people because the girls will usually go home and teach what they’ve learned to other family members, and eventually to their own children. “It’s a good investment.” Added Dennis, “In so many Third World countries, girls end up spending their days walking to and from water sources and just carrying water. “When they get a chance to attend school, it’s important to help them where we can.” Additionally, Marie and Dennis regularly craft bandages for Global Health Ministries (“We wind up white sheets, cut them in strips and Dennis made a simple machine to roll them up,” explained Marie) that are sometimes the only bandages medical workers (such as those in Doctors Without Borders) may have at their disposal. “And we pack baby care kits for parents of newborns, which include 36-inch squares of muslin,” said Marie. “Some of those go to Lutheran World Relief and some to Global Health Ministries. “We know where all the good thrift stores are,” she laughed. “That’s not something we often discuss with most of our friends.” After attending a Silver Sneakers fitness or yoga class at the Worthington Area YMCA on most weekday mornings (Dennis is a current YMCA board member, as well), the couple tends to spend their afternoons sewing, stitching and stuffing batting. Sometimes they can be found at their church, where they are stewardship committee members
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Marie and Dennis Weeks display a recently completed quilt in the quilt room at their Worthington home. (Jane Turpin Moore/The Globe)
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By Jane Turpin Moore The Globe WORTHINGTON — If the couple that stitches together stays together, then Dennis and Marie Weeks have a seamless bond that is bound to endure. With his-and-hers sewing machines at the ready in their quilting room, this energetic 78-year-old couple stays busy from their first cups of morning coffee until twilight, sharing plenty of laughter and a mutual commitment to serving others. “Marie is important; I’m not,” quipped Dennis. “We do enjoy each other a lot,” said Marie. “And if you can’t laugh, don’t even bother getting up.” Last year, the enterprising duo crafted 250 quilts in their basement workroom, and with 165 already done as of Aug. 1, they’re well on their way to matching that total in 2017. “We gave about 20 of them to Nobles County Community Christmas Baskets, but most of them are shared through Lutheran World Relief,” explained Marie. Because of tracking slips, the pair knows their quilts have been distributed in Thailand and Cambodia, among other places. “The most recent 85 quilts went to Syrian refugees,” said Dennis. “We always find out where they go.” Quilt-making is not their only endeavor, however; via an effort at their home church (American Lutheran), Marie has also been involved over the past three years in sewing 450 string backpacks that are destined to be filled with school supplies for underserved students in Third World countries. “The congregation as a whole has contributed to them, and Stacy Bickett [the church’s youth director] had the youth doing them at first,” said Marie. “Last year, a big portion of them went to kids in Pakistan and Honduras,” added Dennis. With each backpack containing four notebooks, a blunt scissors, a box of crayons, five pencils, five
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Marie and Dennis have been a twosome from the time Dennis’ family, formerly of Hanley Falls, moved to Ruthton to operate a restaurant when Dennis was a high school junior. There he met Marie, whose father was the local doctor. “We graduated from Ruthton High School in 1957 and got married in 1960,” said Dennis. At age 21? “I was 21, but Dennis was still 20; he was a baby,” teased Marie. “He still is.” “We get along pretty well, but when I said ‘for better or for worse,’ I had no idea how ‘worse’ it would get,” he joked. They initially tried to go their separate ways — Marie completed a year of college at St. Olaf in Northfield, while Dennis went to Aberdeen — but they both graduated from South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. As Dennis taught high school mathematics in George, Iowa, Marie was initially focused on the
home front and their six children. She later taught preschool and kindergarten for 20 years. After a stint in the insurance industry, Dennis accepted a position as a math and physics instructor at Minnesota West Community and Technical College (then Worthington Community College) in 1996, ultimately retiring from that position in 2007 but continuing as an adjunct instructor through 2012. With 19 grandchildren ranging in age from 13 to 35 (four of whom will be high school seniors this
year, and another four will be eighth-graders), hopping about to sporting and other school activities also keeps the couple on the go. One 21-year-old grandson, Daniel, lives near Dubuque, Iowa, and is autistic. Nevertheless, he makes fire starters (for campfires, fireplaces, wood stoves or grills) out of reclaimed materials. Naturally, his inventive grandparents have a hand in collecting items for his work. “They’re called JT Firestarters, and they’re sold at the Daily Apple in
A pile of rolled quilts await delivery to Lutheran world relief at the home of Marie and Dennis Weeks. The couple made and donated 250 similar quilts in 2016 and are on track for the same in 2017. (Jane Turpin Moore/The Globe)
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Worthington,” announced Marie, saying they gladly accept candle stubs and cardboard egg cartons to support Daniel’s efforts. Whether quilting, counting, collecting or stitching, spending so much of their time in service is a no-brainer for this industrious pair. “God’s been very good to us, and we aren’t put on this earth to sit; we’re supposed to do something,” reflected Dennis. “Our God is a giving God, and if we don’t give, we’re not doing what we should. “It’s God’s work and our hands — that’s pretty much it.” That shared philosophy was only reinforced when Marie’s younger sister, a volunteering dynamo named Mary Ann, died last year. “A few years ago she was receiving a community volunteer award at a banquet, and others who’d gone up before her delivered long speeches,” related Marie. “When Mary Ann was introduced, she stood up and said only, ‘If you see something that has to be done, do it.’ Then she sat down.”
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• Saturday, August 12, 2017 • S7