"Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.”

For more than a decade now, I have spent my Memorial Day with the same routine. I get up, head out to a Memorial Day Service, take some pictures and take in the ceremony or a couple, then head back to the office for a few minutes before doing what almost everyone does on Memorial Day - grilling and working outside.

I don’t know how you feel, but in my opinion, parenting is hard! Someone must have forgotten to hand me the instruction manual when my children came home. I have yet to meet a parent who wouldn’t appreciate one.

At the outset of the pandemic, the Gerlachs got into the chicken business. Our experience has been anything but mundane. What started as a brood of 20 was chiseled down to a flock of four during the Rhode Island Red riots in late 2020. Ten hens vanished into thin ammonia while six others ran into a fowl finish.

Last Thursday, May 5 , was the National Day of Prayer in the United States. I had the privilege of being the sponsoring senator for the event held in the Capitol rotunda in Lincoln. The prayer gathering was sponsored by Nebraska Family Alliance. Governor Pete Ricketts gave remarks and several ministry, business and community leaders prayed over key prayer focus areas: government, military, media, business, educators and students, the family and the Church. I was asked to pray for government, and here is my prayer from that day:

May 11 to May 16 is National Police Week. It’s an opportunity to show our gratitude and appreciation to the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep our people and communities safe.

Over the course of my career, I have performed countless pelvic exams on women of all ages from all walks of life. There are two common patient behaviors that I have observed. First, most women leave their socks on. This could be the fact that most stirrups are cold, but it also seems like one feels just a little less exposed when wearing at least one item of their own clothing. The other thing that almost every woman does in the exam room is hide her undergarments under her pile of clothes. It is interesting that almost everyone, me included, feels the need to cover and hide their “unmentionables” when they are about to bare the very areas normally covered by these garments.

I know I have been absent from these for a while and thank you to all seven that read these each time for pointing out that I need to get back to it. It has been an incredibly hectic six weeks.

It’s an exciting time of year. The robes, mortar boards, and tassels are on display as Nebraska’s graduates are celebrating with their friends and loved ones. I am always so encouraged to see our state’s young people succeed and pursue new opportunities.

Grit and determination. Readiness to help at a moment’s notice. Willingness to work long and hard. Steadfastness in the face of difficulty. These are the qualities that define us as Nebraskans. And we saw them on full display last month as our state battled the worst fires in a decade.