Archive for Neal Hagberg
TLC Blog – What Am I Missing?
The three TLC supervisors sat down across from me at the coffee shop almost ten years ago at the end of a TLC summer. Liz. Jordan. Angie. I had been director for about three years. Liz (now our Assistant Director of Tennis Programming, then a TLC Supervisor), began calmly. “Women are not being treated the […]
“Oh, For —-‘s Sake!”
When I am upset, sometimes I say something like, “Oh, for Pete’s sake!” When I am really upset, I may say something like, “Oh, for (a different four-letter word than “Pete”’s) sake!” But what would happen if I spent more time focusing on another word? This is gleaned from a February 15 ESPN article. Last week, […]
Steve Wilkinson Slipped Away Quietly Eight Years Ago
Steve Wilkinson died eight years ago last week, on January 21, 2015. Eight years is a long time and the blink of an eye. People, when they found out he was in home hospice, all wanted to see him. TLC campers, instructors, former Gustavus players, friends, family. They lined up for a chance to say […]
Ten Questions About Light for You and Your Family
Today is Winter Solstice. The longest night of the year. OR the day the light begins to return in greater chunks each day for the next six months. Depends on how you look at it. It is the season of light. Hannukah. Christmas. Kwanzaa. Solstice. St. Lucia. All celebrate bringing light into the dark world. […]
TLC Thanksgiving Blog – The Three Crowns According to My Dog
I’m not a huge dog fan. You have to feed them, let them out, pick up their poop, listen to them howl or bark at things that pose no danger, and then watch them sit silently when an actual threat appears. They are like babies that never grow up. So, not a huge fan. Until […]
At What Cost?
One of our campers shared a story this summer in an off-court classroom session that still haunts me. It didn’t have to be this way. He is the greatest kid. He was courageous to share his experience. And everyone in the room left thinking more deeply about what is important to them, and what should […]
The Power of “We”
When she crossed the finish line and collapsed, after a lifetime of training, brutal workouts, and a grueling finish, she said, “We did it!” Wait, this was an individual event. Jessie Diggins had just won a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics, the first individual medal by a U.S. Olympian in women’s cross country ski […]
Seven Years Gone, And Still Changing Lives
I was snuck up on yesterday. By sadness. I had been going along at a lovely pace of “accept what you cannot change and work towards changing what you can” for the past three months. Pretty content. Envisioning the future of TLC and the wonderful things unfolding, as well as the challenges we face […]
The Season of and Secret of Delight
Our daughter Madeline’s piano teacher, Mrs. McGuire, started teaching Madeline when she was four. She made it clear from the start that her goal was not to turn our daughter into Rachmaninov. Her goal was for Madeline to love playing piano for the rest of her life. Because students who are cajoled/pushed/dragged to the piano, […]
The Shortest TLC Thanksgiving Blog Ever
Each year I have written a Thanksgiving blog. This year I wrote two long potential Thanksgiving blogs. I worked very hard on them to make them “meaningful”. I woke up this morning and tossed them. What I really want to say is it is not as complicated as we make it. […]