My sister Catherine prefers to be called “Kate.” She is 63 years old and in the final stages of Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare and progressive neurological disease that has slowly taken almost everything from her body. She has been in a wheelchair for decades and is dependent on others to meet her most basic needs. … Continue reading Finding joy in a horse barn
“The best grapes come from the hardest ground,” said Julian Ostermann, our guide at Domäne Wachau, one of Austria’s oldest wineries. He was talking about the terraced vineyards of the Wachau Valley, but the phrase lingered long after the tasting ended. It seemed true not only of the vines rooted in stony soil, but of … Continue reading The Soul of the Danube
My 53-year-old brother Rich Lapham died September 13, 2025, and our family will never be the same. He was the first boy after six girls, born when my dad was 52 and my mother 44. Family lore says Dad nearly fainted when the doctor came out of the delivery room and announced, “Herb, it’s a … Continue reading Loss leaves a hole in the heart
Their faces peer into a century-old camera, framed in the fashionable, wide-brimmed hats of the 1910s — unsmiling, as if they could see what the future held for them. These sisters were the eldest daughters of Noah and Phyllis Brisbois of Ecorse Township, now part of Lincoln Park. The young woman with "Vernie" scrawled across … Continue reading Looking for Stella
If I had to title this column, and I apologize for its length, I would have to call it, "An Audience, a Basilica, and the Final Journey of Pope Francis." I have been fortunate enough to have visited Rome three times, with the second trip in November 2021 being the most Catholic-focused. At that time, … Continue reading An audience, a basilica, and the final journey of Pope Francis
Visitors to our parish office at St. Elizabeth might notice a little motto tacked to secretary Stacey Knepper's bulletin board, just behind her desk. It reads, "You will never look into the eyes of someone who God doesn't love. Always be kind." If you distilled all of the ways we tend to distinguish ourselves in … Continue reading Always be kind
Published in the Tecumseh Herald, Oct. 22, 2024 I'm addicted to newspapers. Not just writing for them, which has been spectacular, but the smell of the ink, the rough texture of the paper under my fingertips, even the sound of the newsprint crackling as its pages are turned. As a kid, I even liked the … Continue reading Newspaper Addict
Published in The Tecumseh Herald, Dec. 3, 2024 I've always had a passion for reading and writing, going back as far as I can remember. The first book I remember reading was "Hop on Pop," the classic Dr. Seuss I mastered before entering kindergarten at Tecumseh Acres in 1963. I remember reading the Beverly Cleary … Continue reading Reading is Fundamental in more ways than one
Published in The Tecumseh Herald, Dec. 22, 2024 It's the most wonderful time of the year, or so we've been hearing since October. Now Christmas Day is upon us--less than 48 hours away as I write this column. Here at the Collins Compound, we've already celebrated with my family of brothers and sisters and nieces … Continue reading Christmas Cards
Published in The Tecumseh Herald, February 5, 2025 Good English is fundamental. That was the headline of an Adrian Daily Telegram article written by Dr. Mary Louise Hall, O.P., an Adrian Dominican Sister who taught English at Siena Heights from 1970 until the mid-1980s, when she suffered a debilitating stroke and no longer could speak. … Continue reading Good English skills are critical
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