Uphill idealist

If I could, I'd take all of the favorite days and place them in a frame. This would be perfect, except there are too many moments to fit any size frame. There were dreams - and they came true. There a people I longed to meet - and did. There are songs that were written - and played. There were paintings painted - and displayed. There were broken hearts - and they were mended. There were strangers - and now they are dear to me. All of this - all of these people are infinity. They can't fit into a frame, but they can reside... in my memory, in my heart  and  in my pockets... I'm taking you with me. Poem and image by T.L. Eastman copyright 2015

When words don't cut it and emotions run deep. When life is shifting in all the places feet sweep. When hearts are full and beats loudly bleat. This is the place that verklempt and I meet. For family. For friends. For foes who once were friends and those no longer foe... when verklempt comes to visit - you pray for the shortest stay, this about verklempt... I know. T. Eastman

Over the last two years, First Lutheran Church has been making an intentional effort to reach out into their surrounding neighborhood by using their parish house, “First House” as a place for community gathering and outreach. Since January, First House has been open to the public every Friday afternoon for a time dubbed “Friday’s with Friends”.  “Friday’s with Friends” is a free coffee house that offers youth and adults coffee, cookies, and comfortable-supervised space for conversation, reading and playing board games. (Janet Wahlberg, Kairie Williams, and Jim Wahlberg) Every Friday is run with a team of volunteers from the church and community. The summer time hours will be from 1-3pm each Friday or when our open sign is placed outside by the sidewalk to the front and kitchen entrances of the building on 116 Chandler Street. Earlier this year, First Lutheran Church was awarded the Karl Peterson Field of Interest Fund by theCommunity Region Community Foundation