Flatland

1 week ago | flatlandkc.org | Mike Sherry

Share this story 8 minute readMelissa Johnson knows her life is hardly unique. The Oak Grove, Missouri, woman cares for her infirm 72-year-old mother, who lives in her own home nearby. She calls her mother daily. She brings dinner to her several times a week. Johnson, who coordinates care with her aunt, a team of therapists, and a nurse, is also a mother of a 17-year-old daughter. “At some point, you will be a caregiver,” Johnson said.

3 weeks ago | flatlandkc.org | Mike Sherry

Share this story 8 minute readSix years ago, Robert Franke’s heart doctor suggested he get more exercise. Some would have received that news and headed to the golf course or pickleball court. Franke headed for the closest cemetery. There he pursued his new calling as a Find a Grave volunteer — or “graver,” as some of them refer to themselves — finding, photographing, and uploading the grave markers of the previously non-digitized deceased.

1 month ago | flatlandkc.org | Mike Sherry

Share this story 5 minute readHarry S. Truman would scarcely recognize today’s technological wizardry and business advancements, 80 years after his instrumental role in the Allies’ victory in World War II.

1 month ago | flatlandkc.org | Mike Sherry

Share this story 5 minute readStacy Crow made sure to check the outdoor cameras at Shirley Crow’s house in Wichita every now and again. Stacy lived five hours away from her 85-year-old mother-in-law, and the video check-ins were necessary because Shirley had Alzheimer’s disease and needed regular medication. “We did like to just see her out on her porch drinking coffee and know she’s doing well,” Stacy said.

1 month ago | flatlandkc.org | Mike Sherry

Share this story 5 minute read Stress — including that caused by our nation’s current political turmoil — is such a common experience that people have devised many ways to describe it, including the simple exclamation “I’m stressed out.” There’s also the phrase you’re likely to hear only in parts of New England: “I’m right out straight.” Sometimes people under age 40 or so put it this way: “I’m out of bandwidth.” And among residents of the South, it’s more common to say “I’m fit to be tied”...