A "Moving" Moving Day - Small Towns

As a younger woman, you’ve moved before. You know this will be stressful, uncomfortable, even exhausting. But that doesn’t stop you. Nothing has. Nothing will. Nothing can. Your indomitable spirit is ready for another new chapter. Your favorite chair and coffee table will leave their footprints beside that window. The view beyond that plate of glass will soon be someone else’s. But not quite yet. You’ll look one more time—the final time. You see the strongest of maple leaves finally losing their grip before hang-gliding to earth. The final gaggle of procrastinating geese is preparing for departure—soon to wedge their way through the sky—together, in formation, towards Iowa and beyond. Those school-bound kids walk by again—taller this year than last. Heck, taller this week than last.

In a few minutes, you’ll be downstairs in your senior living community’s dining room for breakfast and coffee with your friends and neighbors. The actuarial life tables and forthcoming post-move distance between all of you indicate these goodbyes might indeed be the most difficult of goodbyes—the final goodbyes.

Later this morning, you’ll be hopping into a truck, your best friend, Lindy, a 14-year-old chihuahua, resting on your lap, the passenger-side window rolled down, parade-waving your way out of town.

Tomorrow, those kids will notice that the woman who waves from the window is gone. It’s good to know they’ll be thinking of you—even telling their friends and family about you. It’s even better to know that later in life, a few of them will tell stories about you.

But today is the day. You are you. Ready for anything. Another adventure—another chapter.

Can You Imagine?

NOVEMBER 16, 2025

Imagine this. Close your eyes for a moment.

Wait. Read the next few paragraphs, then close your eyes.

Give it a try. It’ll be fun.

Imagine this: You’re 95 years old and decide to move. Not the jazzercise kind of move, which compels you to stand up and walk around your apartment. Not a Silver Sneakers stroll around the block. You are planning the bigger kind of move—the life-changing kind. But even there, bigger. Not to a different apartment in your building with a better view of the nearby park, or even a move from uptown to downtown. You’re moving from your small town to another small town 100 miles closer to the North Pole.

Should we go over that again?

You’re 95 years old and decide to move. Now do it. Close your eyes.

Unpack that.

No Frozen Pizza

We don’t want good stories to end. We swipe up, down, left, and right, desperately seeking more; something meaningful. It’s better to be at the beginning of a good story than the end. So, let’s go there. Back to the beginning.

Julia Lindstrom—she goes by Jo—was born into hard times. The year was 1930, just after the Great Depression began. This was a world without a governmental safety net. Families, churches, and civic groups helped when possible. Others faced the option of the ‘poorhouse’—the last resort, with little privacy and safety. Many preferred the street to confinement there.

Unemployment rates rose to nearly 25% during her preschool years. Multiple generations of families moved in together. The Salvation Army, the Red Cross, and churches ran soup kitchens and breadlines for those in need.

One world war had recently ended; another loomed. Her parents may have just seen a film about the First World War at the Rialto Theatre. Soon, they would hear news of the next, starting in the Pacific Theater.

Only ten years earlier, women were finally granted the right to vote. Mighty gracious of those men to allow women to participate in that consequential element of our democracy.

Jo’s childhood was unimaginable for today’s students. Rugged. Pre-technology. Clothes washers, dryers, electric clocks, safe refrigerators, televisions, air conditioning, and frozen foods hadn’t been invented yet. Imagine a life wihtout frozen pizzas, pizza rolls, or chicken pot pies.

If you had a phone, it was likely a ‘party line’ shared with your neighbors—each capable of eavesdropping on the other. Texting?

LOL.

Mobility? Not so much. Wanna’ get away, get out on the highway? The concept of interstate highways was only a dream; still 30 years in the future. It was far more common to spend your entire life in your small town or a tight-knit neighborhood in a big city than to move about the country.

Not feeling well? Limp to the apothecary where the “pharmacist” was licensed to prescribe all kinds of potions and elixirs to cure whatever might be ailing you. If a medication is commonly prescribed or consumed today, it was almost certainly invented or brought to practical use after 1930. Life expectancy in 1930 was 59 years; today, it’s 78 years. Jo has far exceeded expectations.

Large families were the norm—enough parents and siblings to field a football team.

Neighbors helped neighbors.

They had to.

Neighbors helped neighbors.

Didn’t this guy already type that? Maybe he believes that if he repeats it enough, it’ll happen again today—a revival, in a sense, of the best within us. Perhaps he’s first trying to convince himself, then you, that it truly can happen again.

Go The Distance

Today, decades later, it’s moving day in east central Minnesota. There’s a truck waiting outside. Football players, too. Jo’s furniture, clothing, and valued possessions will be carefully loaded and secured before traveling Highway 61 to the north shore.

Wait. Hit the brakes. Back this thing up. Where’d those football players come from?

They emerged from the morning fog rising above the north branch of the Sunrise River. Dyersville, Iowa, had corn fields of dreams. North Branch has a beautiful river. In place of Ray Kinsella, Shoeless Joe, and Dr. Moonlight Graham were Eli, Reegan, Vince, Franklin, AJ, and Gio, and their coach, Justin Voss.

These boys are best known for what happens on their football field and other sports venues. Like it or not, later today they’ll be known for something else. Something more important than wins and losses. Notoriety they don’t seek but surely deserve. They will also learn an old school lesson—the one those southbound geese already know—traveling through this life is better done together than spending it alone.

Enter Bonnie Garner. Bonnie and Jo have a history together. Bonnie was once married to Jo Lindstrom’s son. Unfortunately, that marriage didn’t last long. Bonnie subsequently found 40 years of happiness with her second husband, Jeffrey Garner. Bonnie then had two mothers-in-law.

Wait. What? That’s not how this works. Do we need to back this up again?

Unlike many, the mother-in-law-daughter-in-law connection between Jo and Bonnie didn’t dissolve when the “in-law” part of Bonnie’s first marriage was no longer legally binding. Bonnie doesn’t view Jo as a former mother-in-law. Drop the “in-law” part. Same with “former.” A lifetime later, Bonnie views Jo as a mom. In the realm of special relationships, this one flows to the top of the list quicker than Sunrise River into the St. Croix.

Jo is now at that time in her life where she needs help. She’ll get it. First, from some football players. Then from her everlasting friend. Bonnie has a home near the shore of Lake Superior. She also has one of those most cherished of things—someone beyond her immediate family who traveled this life not far from her side.

Bonnie also now has a new roommate. Her name is Julia Lindstrom.

Even those geese know this is good.

Help

Back in 2022, Jeff Garner died at the relatively young age of 71. Soon thereafter, Bonnie decided to downsize. It was time to move some things out, move other things around. To assist her during this difficult time, Bonnie leaned on a service she’d heard about in her hometown of Two Harbors, Minnesota. A neighbors-helping-neighbors collaboration provided by—of all people, high school football players and their coach, Tom Nelson. (You may have read about them somewhere.) They did the heavy lifting for Bonnie. Most of those football players have graduated from high school and moved on with their lives. But the community service culture in that high school persists. Helping people like Bonnie wasn’t a one-time thing—it’s an every-year thing. It’s been going on for a couple of decades, with at least 400 acts of kindness—all of them softening some of the harder days in Lake County.

Bonnie knew about the football player’s willingness to help in Two Harbors, but what about moving Jo’s stuff out of her apartment 100 miles away in North Branch?

At some point in our later years, we’ll all need help. In most towns during those moments, the high school football coach’s phone doesn’t ring, vibrate, or buzz. But then, most towns don’t have a Coach Nelson. Furthermore, most 70-year-olds who have nothing to do with high school sports don’t have the local football coach’s phone number stored in their Contacts list. Bonnie does, and she’s far from alone.

Bonnie’s dear friend needed help. Bonnie called Tom Nelson.

“Tom, would there be any way I could talk to your football team into maybe coming down to North Branch to help my friend move to Two Harbors?”

And then the question of all questions, the irony of all ironies.

“Or, do you know the North Branch coach and could see if he’d be willing to care for that end of the trip?”

I wish I had a recording of that phone call. Tom Nelson must have been laughing while responding, “Bonnie, Justin Voss is the head coach of the North Branch Vikings football team. He used to be my assistant coach. I know we can make this work. Justin would like to start a program like ours down there. Jo could be the first person they help.

So, Bonnie would drive her truck to North Branch. The North Branch Vikings would load her truck with Jo’s possessions; then she’d drive to Two Harbors, where the Two Harbors Agates football players would unload Jo’s personal belongings and move them into her new home.

Bonnie spoke of her overwhelming relief.

“I was willing to pay the Two Harbors football players to follow me down there in my truck, pack her up, pick her up, and bring her back. But the two coaches worked it out so that I could get both ends done on the same day. It was amazing.”

Past / Present

Seven North Branch Vikings arrived at Uptown Maple Commons to help a woman they had nothing in common with. Separated by three generations of life, how could they? What could have happened during Jo’s life that would be relevant to theirs? Or did they? Unbeknownst to the football players, during Jo’s school years, folks were busy inventing things of utmost importance to the students roaming the halls throughout Minnesota.

When Jo was in 9th grade, the “ENIAC” was invented—that was the first general-purpose electronic computer. During her Junior year, the transistor was invented. A few years earlier, it was Polaroid photography.

When Jo was 12 years old, a former actress named Hedy Lamarr teamed with George Antheil to invent the radio guidance system known as the “frequency-hopping spread spectrum.” Today, this serves as the foundation for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

A woman named Gladys West was born in the same year as Jo Lindstrom. Gladys became known as “Dr. Gladys West.” An AI search retrieved the following information:

“Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician, whose work laid the foundation for the global positioning system. West’s contributions impact everyday life, from aviation and emergency response to guiding people to dinner dates and job interviews.

West devoted herself to solving one of science’s most complex challenges: accurately modeling the shape of the Earth. Her painstaking calculations and programming helped transform raw satellite data into precise geodetic models, enabling reliable satellite-based navigation. That work ultimately became the backbone of the Global Positioning System (GPS) — now essential to aviation, shipping, emergency response, smartphones, and daily life worldwide.”

Those smartphones in the pockets of every boy on those two football teams were made possible by Jo’s generation of Americans. To put it bluntly, Jo’s contemporaries were legit. For all you Gen Z and Gen Alpha readers in the audience, I’ll attempt to put this in your terms; to speak like you.

Dr. Gladys West —she’s her, she’s up, she’s goated. The same applies to Lamarr and Antheil. All pioneers.

Others like them set the stage for Steve Jobs to congregate their inventions into a device foretold by Spock, Dick Tracy, Maxwell Smart, James Bond, and George Jetson. A magical device connecting Jo’s generation with the present.

Unfortunately, nobody has figured out the “beam-me-up-Scottie” part yet.

Dr. West died recently, on January 17, 2026.

The Kids are Alright

The following high school football players were interviewed for this story:

From Two Harbors: Cameron Poe-Johnson, Ryan Stone, and Carter Nelson

From North Branch: Reegan Dick, and Eli Herron

Eli Herron of North Branch described the process for getting involved:

“So, we’re hanging out, and Coach Voss sends a text. Something like, “Hey, can we get a couple of guys to come help move someone out of her apartment?”

And of course, I mean, you know, we’ve got to jump in there, help out whenever we can. Like, that’s just what you do, you know?  So, yeah, all the buddies and I came over and helped her out. We got there, and she was a super nice lady. I mean, unbelievably nice. It wasn’t a hard job—just had to move a couple of pieces of furniture down through the lobby, out to the truck, load up, and then that’s about it. She was super appreciative throughout the whole thing. I mean, every time we went upstairs to grab something, it’s a “thank you,” and a “God bless you guys,” and all that. It just fills my heart to help her out, you know? Wouldn’t want her to do it without us.”

Reegan Dick laughed while saying, “Eli kind of said it all, huh?’ then continued:

“Eli is right about all of that. I received the text, too. I wasn’t doing anything, so I figured I might as well go help. When I got there, everyone was super nice. Like everyone, saying ‘thank you’ and showing their appreciation. It was an easy job for us to take care of, so why not help? It was also nice to get some team bonding there, too.” 

How Do You Think Jo Felt?

Carter Nelson said, “I think she felt respected because we could have said that we have better things to do in our day, and we don’t have to help this elder, but I think it’s good that she feels respected and that she knows that people will help her out. It probably was hard for her to leave her home in North Branch. I hope it made her feel good that she was moving to a nice place and that it’s going to be a good move forward for her.”

Cameron Poe-Johnson added, “I think she definitely felt respected; maybe even a little hope regarding the kids or our generation. I think it’s good that we are setting a precedent that we’re gonna’ keep doing this in the future, we want this to continue because it’s important not just for the community, but for our football team, because it helps us build relationships, and it’s just good. It’s also good that the younger guys are getting in there, being part of this, giving back to the community. I’m really happy that she appreciated our help. I just love giving back to the community because they do so much for us, like filling out the stands on Friday nights to support us.”

Ryan Stone added, “I hope Jo feels important and valued, that people are willing to come out and help her. Hopefully, it made her feel good. I think it’s very important for the younger players and people in our Agate community to be involved in helping others, to interact with the community whenever we can, and to continue the program Coach Nelson started. I think everyone should do this in every community. It would make life better for everyone if we just helped each other.

Peaceful Rivals

When these two towns meet on the football field, each side wants to win. They compete as hard as they can. Emotions get a bit out of control—at least for a moment or two—and I’m talking about the parents in the bleachers, not the boys on the field. Everyone wants their team to win.But when each side is helping a 95-year-old woman move from one town to the next, it’s next-level stuff with the athletes demonstrating uncommon maturity.

Ryan Stone offered, “We have to compete and all that, but it’s nice to know that they are a well-run program that does the things the right way and helps people. It’s a nice feeling. When we play them, you can tell they do things the right way based on how they play, how they talk, and everything they do. They are a very strong, respectful team, and they do things the right way in general, unlike some other teams we have played. I think it’s very cool that we have two teams coming together, that we can work together off the field, in support of a good idea, and help people outside of football. I have a lot of respect for North Branch.”

Cam Poe-Johnson : “Yeah, they’re a respectful group of guys. There wasn’t anything going on after the play, you know? Some of them put me on my butt a couple of times, but helped me up after. They’re good guys. Like Ryan said, I definitely still have to compete, but I definitely respect them.”

Carter Nelson: “My dad and Coach Voss have been friends for a long time. So, when we played them last year, it was different. Like, it was cool how Coach Voss’s move to North Branch now ties our two teams together. I’d say about 95% of their team is super respectful. There’s no trash talking. They’d help you up, and you could communicate with them through the game. We didn’t have to be straight serious the whole time—we could have a little side conversation every now and then, which was cool. You’re always going to have a couple of guys who take it too far. Our team has a couple too, but it was cool that compared to some of the teams we’ve played that are traditionally good and think that they’re better than you. North Branch has kept it well run.”

Carter didn’t mention what he thought of the other 5% of North Branch players. 🙂

What about the North Branch boys?

Eli Herron: “You know, in the moment, I didn’t think of it as an opposing team. I thought of it as two groups of guys uniting to help out in their communities. I think it was great to come together and help Jo out. On the field, you’re thinking about the game, but off the field, we’re just one big family, you know? And that’s Coach Voss’s former team, so we just need to show him which team is better!”

After we stopped laughing, Reegan Dick (North Branch) mirrored Carter Nelson’s thoughts:

“Yeah, I think Two Harbors was one of the most respectful teams we played this year. It was nice to partner with them on this.”

Did Anyone Notice?

Coach Voss mentioned, “There must have been some sort of luncheon or breakfast in the community room, and a lot of folks came out and asked if we were associated with the football team. I exchanged email addresses with one of the residents and let her know that if any others need help, we’ll be there for them. It was just really good, positive connection.”

“We’ve done a few other things around town, too, and I think folks appreciate seeing our young people helping out. I mean, that’s what you hope to see. So we have a little connection here prior, which has been good, and we’ll keep doing that, of course, and hopefully we can do a few more things along the way to help folks move or whatever they might need.  

I asked the North Branch boys whether news of this had reached any of their classmates. Do they even know what you did?  

Eli Herron nailed the response: “You know, I don’t think I think it’s about having other people know. I mean, I think personally, it’s helping the lady and having her know she’s got people willing to back her up and help her. It’s not about the popularity—it’s about doing the right thing and helping out when it’s needed.”

COACH VOSS

“I thought the boys were great. I just think it’s so hard to get people to do things because they have this or that going on, or work, or family events. You never know who’s going to be available when you send a text, but I got some great responses and felt like we had enough to take care of the job. So I just think it’s at times a lost art, maybe, of having people help people out. And it was really moving when you see young people say, I can give up part of my Sunday before the Vikings game to help. I just love that stuff. And I hope that we can do more of it because it just strengthens our community.  I was very proud of the guys. It was also fun to visit with Bonnie and the other ladies who drove down from Two Harbors. We all agreed we need to find more ways like this to help each other.”

COACH NELSON

“I feel great about this project. From the moment Bonnie contacted me about the possibility, I was all in, and I knew Justin would be too. I went up to Bonnie’s house a couple of times and talked through his stuff. I like to go up there. She’s super respectful, and she’s so thankful for our help. She’s also a huge fan of the Minnesota Vikings and football overall—everything in her house is Vikings!

Here is the thing: Justin is a very important person to me. Over the years, we have shared many great times together, as well as some challenging life moments. Because of this, we have laughed a lot together and cried during difficult times. It is a special friendship, and I am really proud of him and thankful for our friendship.

All of this made sharing this unique collaboration between the two programs really special.”

What about Jo?

Bonnie relayed Jo’s reactions to the day:

“Jo said she was very appreciative. She was amazed that they would do this for her. At 95, you see the world changing, and she’s getting a little jaded about the kids. Then this happened.”

Before I could ask Bonnie the “what about you” question, she seemed to anticipate my thoughts and naturally flowed into her answer.

“I think this is a wonderful thing that Coach Nelson is doing because older people might panic when they don’t have any means, maybe no kids of their own, how are they going to do this? Even at 95, Jo is very sharp. She said, ‘I can’t believe they were in and out of here in an hour. They were very pleasant, very nice.”

Bonnie went on, “Well, you know what? This has filled me with hope, too. I’m 70. I honestly don’t know Tom Nelson very well. I know his family; it’s a small town, you know. But I didn’t realize what a big impact he’s had on this community. I relied on him and his football players a few years ago, after my husband died. When I saw what those kids did today, I thanked him and offered to give them a tip, but they were so kind. They said, ‘Don’t worry about it, we do it for free. We don’t care about getting money.’”

“We just…”

Bonnie trailed off, then paused for a long moment before collecting her thoughts again.

“We’re just so grateful that Tom is not only having that service, but he’s teaching those kids a very, very good way of life.”

As for Jo, she was an active participant in the move. She was scouting as the Vikings loaded the truck in North Branch and the Agates unloaded it in Two Harbors. She was taking mental notes and even offered a football scouting report for the game scheduled between these two teams when those geese start gathering later in 2026. Jo said:

“No wonder North Branch always wins. Their football players are bigger.”

From 1930 to 2100

Good stories tend to stick around—there are no “Best By” dates on books and movies. Their shelf life is potentially eternal.

As these high school football players approach age 95, the calendar year will be approaching, even surpassing the unimaginable year of 2,100. Coach Nelson and Coach Voss won’t be around unless eating at Taco Johns every day indeed extends lives by an additional 50 years. Without people like them—and the young athletes who follow their lead—will that spirit of community persist or just become a distant memory, an ancient story carved into a website wall?

Maybe—just maybe—one of these boys, then a senior citizen decades from today, will need help. Perhaps then, a truck full of high school kids from a new generation will roll into his driveway. They’ll load up the truck and exchange polite words—if pleasantries are still common practice 80 years from now. Overwhelmed by the support they’ve offered, he taps into memories of one of the best moments of his schoolboy life.

“Before you young men leave, can you stay for a few minutes? I want to tell you a story. I was once your age. It seems like yesterday. We had a great football team.”

Oh boy. Here it comes. The young men know they are about to hear of his heroics on the field—all his touchdowns and tackles. But the next 10 minutes are spent flipping the calendar back to 2025, then a lifetime further.

The boys leaned closer to hear his once-booming, now-fragmented, frail voice.

“Boys, thanks for helping me today. It means more to me than you can imagine. Now, let me tell you a story about my high school football team. We once crossed paths with a woman named Julia Lindstrom.

She goes by “Jo.”

Postscript

Bonnie and Jo didn’t abide by the wishes of the football players regarding anexchange of currency for the services provided. While this service will be rovided for anyone in need for free, the team received and appreciated the donations made by Jo and Bonnie.

The North Branch Vikings

Vince Kaiser – Isaac Cornelius- Eli Herron – Reegan Dick – Franklin Yang – AJ Kleschult -Gio Marazzo

The Two Harbors Agates

Carter Nelson – Cameron Poe-Johnson – Ryan Stone – Luke Senst – Eli Fransen