Coming home: When the war follows you to the farm

Colleen Stegenga
Nov 11, 2025
Nov 11, 2025

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The phone call came on a Friday morning, just as I was heading over to my brothers’ farm to give them a hand with some household chores. A fellow farmer, I'll call him John, reached out after reading one of my articles. His voice was steady but tired, the kind of tired that settles into your bones after carrying something heavy for too long. His story his shared here with permission.

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Colleen Stegenga, MSW, LCSW-PIP, QMHP, is a therapist and owner of Embracing Change Counseling Services, with offices in Sioux Falls and Mitchell. Reach her at colleen@embracingchangecs.com or visit www.embracingchangecs.com.