Sometimes I wonder if my words and efforts matter. I am easily discouraged when immediate change doesn’t transpire. If we allow it, setbacks can strangle change. We cannot see the course our efforts will take when we are in the midst of it. Two monumental events happened on July 2 that offer hope to us all: On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to free the colonies from Britain. It was a long time coming. Many people shared their voices to move our country forward. During those

“I’ve been farming 60 years and I’ve never seen anything like it.” A farmer said this to me recently. He was discussing the wet cold spring which prevented planting of corn at its normal time. When I was growing up on the farm, my father always said in order to have a good crop the corn should be knee high by the 4th of July. In the past decade the corn has usually been nearly shoulder high by the fourth. This year, however, most corn, if above ground, is only a few inches tall. Thousands of

Imagine living in a simpler time when your family worked hard to grow and care for their gardens to provide food with pride. Children played an active role in the garden while learning basic life skills. Prepping, eating, and storing vegetables was just a way of life. Fast forward to today: why start a garden and do the work when you can just go to the grocery store? It doesn’t matter if an item is in season or not, we get it on demand. Walk down any aisle and skip the vegetables; choose

I’ve been thinking about change a lot more than usual lately. Our youngest child is flying the coop next week to move into a 4th floor walk-up in the Big Apple. As happy as we are that his law degree became a ticket to his dream job, my dread of the looming “empty nest” tempers my delight a bit. As adolescents, we’re driven to test boundaries, take risks, and try on different identities. Those qualities not only make parents eager for their kids to move out, they nurture the courage it takes for

After retirement, my first project was to try to learn Spanish. At my age, I forget a lot of what I learn. So why do it? First, it is fun and it keeps my mind and memory working. It is a kind of puzzle. It is very satisfying when I can figure it out. And I have made new friends; some are English speakers working on their Spanish, others are Spanish speakers, working on their English. When you learn other people’s language, you have a clue as to how they see the world. In Spanish, you need to

When I eat, I flip on the TV or open my phone. I fly into my head, away from my belly. The screens take me away from what I am putting in my mouth. Not being mindful of my eating has packed on the pounds because I don’t settle down to taste my food until the second helping. I am missing out on one of the best pleasures my body and the ground, the sun, the air can offer. As I edge towards my death, I wonder why I am denying myself. Someday this body, these taste buds, this stomach will be buried.

A booming economy masks underlying crisis, a sickness of our national soul. Symptoms include suicide rates at a 50-year high, not counting suicide by opioids. Life span projections contract. Polls indicate that Americans, for the first time, do not expect the lives of their children to be happier than theirs. We could continue, but the news of societal depression is itself depressing. Among the reasons we are so dispirited and disheartened is perceived social isolation. Sociologists speak of

Father’s Day. It’s come and gone. But I’m still thinking about the chair. Dad’s chair. THE chair. Visitors saw a big, comfy recliner. I saw a throne. Put there and protected by Mom. The chair faced the most important scenic view. The television. There also had to be space for the TV tray. It was an extension of the chair. You could eat -- while watching TV. I saw the value of the chair — and the tray. And … the TV Guide. The TV Guide was how you planned your evening. The Guide also was part of

I think all sin can be boiled down to one idea: “ Me First! ” When we close our borders to refugees, take away support systems from our needy fellows, reduce the rights of minorities, we are saying “ Me First! ” in a big way. Fueled by political spin doctors, the source of this attitude is primarily fear. Fear that some of my “rights” will be taken away. That someone else will be helped. That someone else will be “first,” and not me. The Apostle John writes : “ Perfect love casts out fear.”

Did you know animals and fantasy creature are featured more in children’s literature than non-white humans, combined? So, how does that fact affect all children? Last week, the third Social Justice Summer Camp for Educators ran at Northern Illinois University. K-12 educators came to NIU campus for four days and three nights to explore social justice issues in education. Since its first year, the size of the camp has doubled from just under 60 campers to approximately 110 with demand for a fourth