Alva Review-Courier -

When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, it was the end of a 400-year sojourn in the land of Egypt; but it’s also remembered as a new beginning. When Joshua led the next generation of Hebrews across the Jordan some 40 years later, it marked the end of a long era of transition from slaves to conquering army; but we recall the battle for Jericho as the start of a new reality in the land of promise. And so it goes. Each ending brings its own new beginning.

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of sitting next to State Sen. Roland Pederson on the stage at NWOSU’s Spring Graduation exercises. I was sl...