“A friend is a gift you give yourself.” – Robert Louis Stevenson When I was growing up, I moved multiple times. Just during my lifetime, my United Methodist minister dad served northern Illinois churches in West Chicago, Chicago, Des Plaines, Durand, LaSalle, and Rockford, so we lived in a parsonage in each of those cities. […]
Ever have one of those months where you have a lot of things on your mind and on your schedule, and you need to share several quick thoughts before they disappear? As I start to write this month’s column, that’s where I’m at – too many things on the tip of my mind, both serious […]
Take a moment to look through these names: Ruth Whitfield. Katherine Massey. Roberta Drury. Margus Morrison. Pearl Young. Aaron Salter, Jr. Andre Mackneil. Geraldine Talley. Heyward Patterson. Celestine Chaney. Clementa Pinckney. Ethel Lee Lance. Susie Jackson. Tywanza Sanders. Cynthia Graham Hurd. DePayne Middleton-Doctor. Daniel Simmons. Myra Thompson. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton. Recognize any of the names above? […]
“Just because you have a disagreement with your friends or family members does not mean there are not plenty of other areas on which you see eye to eye. It just means you have a difference of opinion.” – Victoria Osteen In the past decade, no matter which political party you tend to align yourself […]
“Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music, and dancing. She goes Tuesdays; I go Fridays.” – Henny Youngman, comedian “More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse.” […]
Sue Ann Nivens: “I was lying in bed last night and I couldn’t sleep, and I came up with an idea. So I went right home and wrote it down.” Murray Slaughter: “Ted has been in love ever since he was a baby and saw his reflection in the bathwater.” Lou Grant: “If you’ve noticed, […]
Two years ago, this column gave readers something they could have fun with, especially for that time after the family has shared a Christmas meal together, opened any presents they’ve been fortunate enough to receive, and found themselves engaged in some potentially awkward conversation (e.g., “When are you going to find some nice person and […]
“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” – Thomas Aquinas “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.” – Jim Morrison “Where would you be without friends? The people to pick you up when you need lifting? We come from homes far from perfect, so […]
“I love being busy, and I love having a lot going on; it’s exciting.” – Annette Bening, movie actress “One of the nice things about being busy is it makes you focus on what’s important to you and how you use your time.” – Lorne Michaels, “Saturday Night Live” executive producer I tend to agree […]
“NATION IN ANGUISH” “AMERICA ATTACKED” “NIGHTMARE” “NONE OF US WILL EVER FORGET THIS DAY” “ACT OF WAR” – Headlines of U.S. newspapers on Sept. 12, 2001 20 years ago. Sept. 11, 2001. A horrific, tragic day in New York City, Washington, D.C., and tiny Shanksville, Pa. A day when the unimaginable – terrorist attacks that […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
