Curtis, Nebraska

A younger me in the embryo lab

We made a quick trip this past weekend to visit the town of Curtis, Nebraska. Curtis has a population of less than 1000 people and is located about 40 miles from anything larger. It is where I had my first professional job after grad school to help manage aspects of an embryo transfer business, working with beef cattle producers from around the region. Curtis is where I owned my first house. It is where I experienced coon hunting with dogs and watched golfball-sized hail batter my newly-purchased pickup that later acquired the name Dimples. And it is where I got involved in a church where I have been blessed to maintain connections to this day.

We arrived in Curtis midday Saturday and had a classic Midwest town experience. The kids played at the park, and we spent time sitting on our friends’ front porch watching life along the main street through town. Most exciting was the tornado warning which we tracked closely on our cell phones, deciding it was probably OK to stay on the porch and experience the brief storm. We survived. Later, we enjoyed a nice pot roast and mashed potatoes dinner.

It’s interesting to reflect back on my times in Curtis in the early 2000s. In those days I was very single, working out some of my life priorities and Christian walk. Both back then and this past Sunday, I appreciated an environment of welcome to anyone coming in the front doors of the church and the sense of community during worship. I learned a lot in that church, despite my brief time living there. I suppose it’s a bit of a “rock of remembrance” for me.

One other funny highlight this past weekend was noticing the hills, trees, and greenness around Curtis. Visiting there after living in Fort Morgan for a couple of months revealed a new perspective. This was the first time I’ve ever referred to southwest Nebraska as being so hilly and green!