To hard-working mothers.

Today, we take a minute with the rest of the world to stop and honor the mothers in our lives.

The celebration of Mother’s Day began in the United States in the early 20th century. The mother of a woman in West Virginia named Anna Jarvis had just died, and Jarvis wanted a way to honor her mother and others.

Her mother, Ann Jarvis, was a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the Civil War.

The holiday is now celebrated all over the world.

Thank you to the mothers who have made a difference.

 

To the Blue Zones Project walking moai kickoff.

It was fun Saturday seeing hundreds of Albert Lea residents out socializing, meeting new friends and getting some exercise during the kickoff of the summer walking moais.

Walking moais are groups of people who are coming together to walk at least once a week for 10 weeks. The term “moai” originates in Okinawa, Japan, where children are put into small groups with other children when they are young. The children stay with the other members of their group throughout their lives. They walk together, talk together, garden together, eat together and share life’s experiences together.

The goal of the walking moai is to create something similar as in Okinawa, where people are engaged and connected to each other.

We look forward to hearing the stories of camaraderie and togetherness at the conclusion of this event. The benefits of walking are an added bonus.

Congratulations to the residents participating who are striving to live healthier lives.

 

To people who donated to the National Association of Letter Carriers food drive.

Albert Lea mail carriers collected food for area food shelves on Saturday in the National Association of Letter Carriers food drive.

Albert Lea has participated in the national food drive for 21 of the 23 years it has been in operation.

We commend those people who took the time to set food out for the carriers to collect. Once the food was collected, it was weighed and donated to food shelves.