It is the season of giving. Every year the holidays bring an abundance of generosity. We talk about toy drives, food drives, and free turkeys. A conversation we should be having is how to ensure our neighbors aren’ t poor. We should be asking questions about why when there is more food distribution than ever before the need continues to grow. For many decades we have been living a lie about solving hunger in America. We have been told that giving food to those living in poverty will fill their

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is currently drafting rules for the historic Industrial Hemp Farming Act that passed this summer. This will allow those with a permit to grow, cultivate, or process the non-drug, agricultural varieties of cannabis. I am among those eager to get acquainted with this versatile crop. As a first- generation farmer, a business owner, and a citizen concerned with the ramifications that intensive farming has had on our environment and health, I am rooting for this

Last week’s Winter Solstice marked the arrival of l onger days and shorter nights. But w e still have to make it through a dozen winter weeks before we can believe that spring will come again . Although not everyone will experience a full-blown case of Seasonal Affective Disorder, most of us do feel twinges of discontent when daylight grows so scarce. T he lack of sunlight throw s off body chemistry . W ith less sunshine, we produce less serotonin . That decreases melatonin production. And t his

I carry a myth of immense proportions in my imagination. I see my favorite chair in front of our imaginary fireplace (hmmm). I am sitting in it with a warm blanket around me and a mug of hot chocolate at the ready while outside the snow is gently falling. As I watch the snow fall, I linger on the memories of holidays past. I am peaceful, serene and calm. While this vision lingers in some wishful place in my mind, the reality is far different. As a busy small business owner, community volunteer,

A pending criminal justice bill offers Congress a rare opportunity for bipartisanship instead of the usual toxic hyperpartisanship . Importantly, passage would acknowledge that our tough-on-crime policies of the past generated unanticipated and unfortunate‎ consequences. The severity of a sentence is not the primary deterrent. Certainty of apprehension and punishment are more effective. In our zeal we also neglected incentives for good behavior and rehabilitation. Wiser, not harsher, policies

The best Christmas gift ever. Do you remember? When I was a kid every Christmas morning was amazing. Christmas Eve was at my grandparents' house, my mom’s parents. Aunts and uncles and cousins — lots of relatives, lots of food and lots of presents. Christmas Day at home was early and opening gifts was first. Everyone in pajamas found a spot, piled their gifts and then dug in. Everyone smiled and laughed. It was perfect. Later we drove to the other grandparents, my dad's family. This gathering

We heard him before we saw him. “I may be ugly, but I still need help!” the homeless man shouted good naturedly as he waved his paper cup in front of the crowd crossing Michigan Ave. My six-year-old granddaughter and I were on the street corner headed to the Art Institute for her first visit to the Thorne Miniature Rooms. As we crossed the street, he repeated his self-deprecating plea: “I may be ugly, but I still need help!” Suddenly, a handsome, well-dressed man in front of me yelled out in a

“The harvest is ended, the summer is past and we are not saved , ” rattles through my mind like a chant this holiday season. I have bowed under the yoke of chronic grief laid across my shoulders every Christmas for years. My grief was too smelly to allow me to sit at the table. When there was room, they weren’t my people. How my family did Christmas -- gone forever. Sobs roared when this hit home. Even Jesus seemed fierce. (Have you read what He says in the gospels? His stories are no warm

As a rebellious teenager, I’d scheme up ways to push my dad’s buttons - like dating guys I knew he wouldn’t approve of, or saying I would vote for Hubert Humphrey (if I had been old enough), or deciding to quit our Southern Baptist church since I realized I was a pagan. My introduction to paganism was through the transcendentalist writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman and their evocations of the natural world. With the winter solstice upon our doorsteps I’m feeling a reawakening of my

One of the most challenging problems facing Illinois education is the teacher shortage affecting bilingual educators. Although a statewide issue, most students affected are concentrated in underfunded low income districts attended by large numbers of children of color, many who come from non-English speaking backgrounds. And this is not an issue for Spanish speakers but over 140 other languages as well. To address the shortage, the Illinois State Board of Education has released the report, Teach