Julie Saffrin

Rope Holders

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I awoke with the memory of a woman I haven’t seen in 37 years. I wondered why I woke up with her on my mind. Once I dated my BlessBack letter, I understood. July 2, 2012 marked the 11th year that my father passed away. How like God to prompt me to write a BlessBack in a missing-you state-of-mind to a woman whose husband went missing in October 2011 and wasn’t found until six months later on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday 2012. You might think that because I wrote BlessBack: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life…

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A BlessBack Review From England

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Today I received a lovely review on Amazon from a thrice-published British author. I’m humbled . . . and yes, I’m going to say it, gobsmacked. Here’s what Sue Russell (writing as S. L. Russell) had to say about BlessBack: ‘BlessBack’contains a beautiful idea: that of thinking back over one’s life and thanking in a very positive way those who have had some good influence on us or done us a kindness. “Be causal,” Julie Saffrin says. Our actions can have a ripple effect beyond our expectations. The idea of happiness coming from a sense of connectedness, compassion, a desire to…

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Bloomington Sun Current editor, Mike Hanks, gives a BlessBack

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For years I worked at writing BlessBack: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life, hoping people who read it would be moved to write BlessBacks of their own. But never did I think I’d read about a newspaper editor doing so. But that is what happened this week. Mike Hanks, the editor of the Bloomington Sun-Current, interviewed me in early June 2012 to do a story on BlessBack and highlight the Bloomington stories within it. One of those whom he attempted to contact was Harry Driste, a custodian during my elementary years at River Ridge. But Harry, who was still an…

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BlessBack story in Bloomington Sun Current

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Today was a surreal day. I went to Harry Driste’s funeral in Paynesville, Minn. at Paynesville Lutheran Church. I went to honor and pay my respects to Harry, 101, a favorite janitor from my elementary years at River Ridge elementary in Bloomington who later became connected to our family. Just before the funeral service began, I met many wonderful people who loved Harry, including his wife, Viola. They married when Harry was 85. “Harry asked the Lord to give us five good years. He gave us 16.” His previous first wife to whom he was married for 56 years, Mabel, preceded him in death, as…

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Harry Driste, a hero to Bloomington River Ridge Elementary kids

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Black and white picture: Harry Driste receiving a plaque and being presented with a tree planted in his honor at his retirement as janitor at River Ridge Elementary School in Bloomington, Minnesota. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.  — Woodrow Wilson Every once in a while someone comes along and changes your life. Harry Driste was one of those people. Harry passed away on June 3, 2012 at the age of 101 1/2. Until two days before his death, Harry was alert, making jokes and reaching into his storehouse of…

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BlessBack, A Dream of Mine

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February 2012 Blog BlessBack, This Dream Made Real “ … there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.” — Friedrich Neitzsche, Beyond Good and Evil February, 2012 I am sitting here, like I do most daylight hours, trying to create a worthwhile combination of words — words that will evoke meaning and emotion. Words that will make someone’s life different, if only for one hour. Seems like I have sat here for years, typing in the same direction, trying to make…

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Perham’s “The Gathering Grounds Coffee Shoppe” where Gouda and BlessBack come together

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Sometimes you happen upon a place with just the right ambiance to change your mood to a happier one. That happens every time in Perham, Minn., when I walked into the Gathering Grounds Coffee Shoppe. The shop is so much more than a place that serves coffee. It has cold and grilled sandwiches, wraps, weight-watcher friendly meals, a children’s menu and amazing desserts. A month ago, I ordered takeout from them and when I arrived at my destination was surprised my meal not only had a loaded and great-tasting sandwich but also fresh fruit and a wedge of Gouda. Yes,…

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Bev’s Book Nook in Perham now carries BlessBack

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Since we bought our cabin on Dead Lake six years ago, one of my favorite stops when friends and family come to visit is Bev’s Book Nook. Beverly states on her Facebook page that her shop is “a unique little bookstore located in the heart of lakes country in Minnesota. We stopped there over the Memorial Day weekend and my son Sam picked up a Fitzgerald, two Steinbecks and a “newer” novel. Opened in 1988 as a bookstore that carries gently used book, classics, rare books, new books and everything in between including puzzles and cards, this gem (conveniently located…

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BlessBack now available at Dot & Minnie’s in Perham, MN

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Congratuations to Andrea Greiff on the opening of her new store, Dot & Minnie’s in Perham, Minnesota. She has the coolest clothes, accessories and gifts….and now she carries BlessBack, right next to these cool blessing bracelets. “Dot & Minnie” were her grandmothers’ names. “Now they continue to be with [me] every day,” she says, according to her Web site. Look for BlessBack: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life for sale at her shop! Thanks, Andrea, for taking a chance on my book. Best of success on your new business. Your grandmothers would be so proud of you. You make Perham proud of…

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