Written by Kylie Burks In the past five years, Michael Gerke has been able to say “yes” a lot more often than “no.” “I don’t have the personality that I can sit still very easily. I always need to be doing something,” he explained. “My retirement has given me more opportunities to say ‘yes’ to things. It’s given me a lot of freedom.” If the activity is skiing in the Rocky Mountains, fly fishing in Ozark lakes and rivers, sitting down to a new historical fiction novel, t

Written by Kylie Burks When Becky Tims’s daughter Michelle, a sweet girl with Down Syndrome, became what many parents would label as a “runner,” Becky knew that there would be at least two places where she would never have to worry about the little girl straying beyond her reach: at home and at church. “Everyone watched over her. She would be running all over the church and you’d hear [someone yell], ‘Michelle’s out!’ and someone would always find her and bring her back,” B

Written by Kylie Burks Life moves in seasons. With the passing of figurative springs, summers, winters, and falls, people come and go, priorities change, and growth occurs within and outside of a person. For elder Robert Carr, his season currently revolves around his family: his wife Sarah and their four kids. “90% of my energy is dedicated to my family; it’s all about the kids in this phase of life. We’re making sure they’re getting the education they need, the r

Written by Kylie Burks When people think of home, most assign the term to a certain state, city, or house. For Carl Gerhardt, “home” was never about location. He preferred to live his life jumping from one adventure to another, meeting new people and experiencing new things in what he would call a “nomadic lifestyle.” “We always enjoyed going to new places and building houses and that sort of thing and it ended up being our lifestyle,” Carl explained. Carl’s job in the