21 for Illinois at 206: County Seats

Happy Birthday Illinois!

It's time to party like it's 1818 all over again.

There's much to celebrate about Illinois.  I thought about this back in April when I traveled to the southeast part of Illinois to watch the total solar eclipse in Greenup.  On my way there, I briefly stopped in Toledo, the seat of Cumberland County.

It got me thinking about the county seats of Illinois's 102 counties.

To celebrate today, here's a snapshot of what's in county seats in Illinois for another 21 for Illinois list for the 21st state.

1. Cheney Mansion in Jerseyville was once a stagecoach stop called the Little Red House.

2. The Golconda Marina offers access at a scenic spot along the Ohio River.

3. In Princeton is the Lovejoy Homestead, where abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy once lived.

4. In Clinton, the C.H. Moore Homestead was once the home of a leading Clinton citizen and now a museum and site of the Apple 'n Pork Festival.

5. The Bellefontaine House in Waterloo was the second American settlement in the Old Northwest Territory and the first in Illinois.

6. Marshall was near the eastern end of Illinois's portion of the Historic National Road and was named for US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall.

7. Taylorville has the Christian County Historicla Society, with a collection of buildings on its campus including a courthouse where Abraham Lincoln participated in cases and a Bee Castle.

8. The Shastid House in Pittsfield was built by John Greene Shastid after he relocated from New Salem, where he was Abraham Lincoln's neighbor.  Whenever Mr. Lincoln would visit Pittsfield, he would stay at the Shastid House.

9. Mount Vernon has teh Jefferson County Historical Village, a collection of pioneer log cabins and other structures.

10. The Kibbe Museum in Carthage has impressive collections of historical artifacts.

11. Belvidere's Summerfield Farm and Zoo has a collection of exotic animals.

12. Sycamore is the location of the Blue Moon Bikes Vintage Stingray Museum.

13. Oregon, IL, has a Paddle Wheel Riverboat that docks along the Rock River.

14. Monmouth's Stoneware Museum has a large collection of pottery.

15. Macomb has the Living Lincoln Topiary Monument, a mixed media piece of art with stone, steel, and the beard formed by flowers and greenery.

16. The Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello offers the opportunity for excursion rides on vintage passenger trains.

17. The Illinois Riverdock Restaurant in Hardin has great views of the Illinois River.

18. Paxton has a Carnegie Library building.

19. Shelbyville has Lake Shelbyville.

20. The James Millikin Homestead in Decatur was built in 1876, the year of the USA's centennial.

21. The Putnam County Courthouse in Hennepin is the oldest courthouse in Illinois still serving its original purpose.

New Understanding of Sacraments

This evening 20 years ago, I attended the first of a series of monthly Confirmation preparation meetings.

It was the first opportunity we had to assemble in our small groups and meet our mentors.  My group had Mrs. Shinners and Mrs. Bakker as our mentors.

As would be different from the others, we met inside Ascension Church to focus more on our topic, the sacraments.

We were handed a quiz to see what we know about sacraments, and I had rather limited knowledge.  This meeting helped set that straight.  By the time I left, I had a very clear understanding of the 7 sacraments of the church.

It was fitting that the first meeting would have this topic.  As I reflect back 20 years later, I have come, through learning, to even greater understanding of the sacraments. They are encounters with God by which He infuses us with His grace.  Drawing us to Himself, we are brought alive to live with purpose, as I would come to experience myself when I was confirmed.

Dear 1036: The Vessel and the Centerpiece

Dearly Beloved 1036 Clarence,

I rejoice in celebrating this day when our family moved to Oak Park 32 years ago and settled in you.  It's time to party like it's 1992 all over again!  I give thanks for our family's many years in you, and also for my place in this community of Oak Park for 32 years.

As happens periodically, November 28 is on Thanksgiving Day, with a focus on coming together as family around a meal.

Often I have remarked that you have been a home where I have truly made a life.

Making a life has truly been real when I sat down for a meal.

Today is the kind of double holiday that evokes memories of great meals.

One particularly memorable Thanksgiving Day was in 2008.  My cousin from the Denver area, Brian, and two of his Navy comrades, all three of whom had just finished boot camp, joined us for our meal.  Carol Finnegan, a dear friend from church, was also there.  There was a palpable sense of goodness with our family being together and other friends with us, too.

Among the great food we had for dinner day after day, pork tenderloin was an especially tasty meal, particularly when it came fresh off the grill.  So much good food came off that grill.

Another significant piece of cookware was the crock pot.  One year, for New Year's Day, Mom made meatballs in the crockpot.  We invited both Grandmas to dinner, and both ended up staying home.  As a spur-of-the-moment action, we invited our good friends, the Reiters, who lived a block away. They came with two or three of their tenants who came from other countries.  It was a wonderful meal.

One year on Nativity/Christmas Day, Mom and Dad made a roast in the crockpot which included Coca-Cola.

Mom encountered lots of nice recipes.  One of my favorites was taco pie.  She was also really good at making enchiladas, particularly the white chicken enchiladas.

When Naomi and Eric married, they contributed fine side dishes to holiday meals, like homemade falafel and a wild rice/sweet potato dish.

All of this food gave way to wonderful smells wafting out of the kitchen.  I have memories of so many pleasant smells, a signal that we would sit down and enjoy each other's company with great food.

For many Thanksgiving meals, we had a black pan that came in very handy for cooking the turkey.

The pan was a vessel for the turkey, which was a centerpiece for an august meal.  It's just like you, beloved 1036 Clarence, are a vessel for a huge swath of my life and our family experience. Furthermore, you remain a centerpiece, a special place that will not fade into the background, but remain deep in my heart, deeply beloved.

Through these memories, we remain connected.

All my relations.

You are a place that deserves to be continuously remembered and celebrated.

I declare once again that we're not just lucky for our years with you, but we are blessed.

Joyful, joyful we adore the Lord!

God's blessings,

Paul

Mom took this photo of the cooking pan on the dining room table, both fixtures for years at 1036 Clarence

Thanksgiving Thoughts 2024

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday that combines so many significant elements and evokes what matters most in life.

Life is a gift and is full of goodness, and we see that in so many ways.

Like Presidents Washington and Lincoln wrote in their 1789 and 1863 Thanksgiving Day proclamations, respectively, we can look all around to see robust industry and an abundance of goods, especially from our fields.

Even with the troubles we face, we can still find ways to be grateful.  Case in point, President Lincoln established this day as an annual national holiday during a terrible war that emphasized the intense divides in our country, which we experience in different ways in our own day.

Yet we can still be grateful for what is good about this country and what is working, like the ways that people, even in government, are finding points of agreement and working to serve others.  Furthermore, our country was founded on principles of freedom and liberty which led to a structure that allows us to participate by casting our votes and then engaging in other ways beyond the election.  Our founding principles are truly a gift that make it possible for us to flourish.

It's great that in a month with elections in the first week, we have this holiday toward the end of the month to remind us of what's at our core.

Another important, national-scale event took place earlier this year, the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) in mid-July. In light of the NEC and the four Eucharistic pilgrimages that led to it, which brought thousands together, I'm reminded of how Thanksgiving is so much a part of Catholic practice because the Eucharist, the heart of the Mass, is from the Greek word for Thanksgiving.

Seeing thousands of people come together for the National Eucharistic Congress was so uplifting as we came acknowledging the presence of God among us, and the goodness He imparts to us.

In light of the Eucharist, we see that life is a wondrous gift from God, Who is the source of all goodness. His character manifests timeless realities of Love, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.  He has created us with great value, and fills us so that we can be a gift to one another.

We can summon  goodness and share it with those around us, since our human experience is enriched when we join together in communal experiences.  Thanksgiving Day is a great example of how a meal is great, and it's even better when shared with others.

Indeed, it's a gift that God gave us life, has filled us with His presence and goodness, put us in communal structures, and gives us the opportunity to achieve our fullest potential by being gift to one another.

I spoke with my students in RE class recently about Pope St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body, which answers the question, "What does it mean to be human?"

Life is a gift, and as we are aware of all goodness around us, we live out Who God created us to be, living for His praise because of the many ways we are aware of His goodness.  Indeed, our worth in God's eyes gives us a deep purpose for life.

One great example of someone who lived with purpose was Michelle Duppong.  In both her ministry as a FOCUS missionary and then working for the Diocese of Bismarck, she put faith into action by shining God's radiance toward others and leading them to encounters with Him.  Her faith helped her keep up her morale even in the midst of cancer treatments.  Now, her cause for canonization is underway, and she continues to be a beacon of hope.  Her parents were at the NEC, promoting her cause for canonization, and I met them.

Yes, we have been created as a gift, and we have the great purpose of being a gift of blessing to others.  Thanksgiving Day is special for me as a holiday that reminds me of what's great about the United States, and its spiritual overtones lifts me up to rejoice in God, the source of all goodness.  We realize that we're not just lucky, we're blessed.

On this day that marks 32 years since my family moved to Oak Park, which remains my hometown, I give thanks for my place in this community, in this country, and in the Church, by which we praise our God and live our mission.

God bless the USA!

And here's an inspirational performance of "America, the Beautiful" by Claire and Dave Crosby, to bring it all together on this special day.

Appreciating Chicago Once Again at Open House Chicago 2024

I got to open up Chicago a little bit more once again for the annual Open House Chicago weekend 2024.

Saturday, October 19, was my volunteer day.  I rode the Green Line to Central Avenue, and then walked about 5-10 minutes to St. Martin's Episcopal Church, in what was turning out to be a great weather weekend.  Juding by two windows near the church's entrance, I figured this church was named for St. Martin of Tours.

I kept company with some members of the church seated near the typical entrance of the church in an area joining the sanctuary and additional offices/rooms.

When another church member showed up and suggested opening the main doors, I offered to sit there and watch for visitors.  By this point, the pleasantly mild temperatures were already present, and it was nice to sit the doorway and feel the air.

A woman came with her son, and at one point, they went up to a podium with a microphone and someone from the church encourage him to sing.  I eventually got in on the act and sang some songs I know.

I moved back to the other entry hallway around 4 PM when some of the church members left.

From the front steps looking side St. Martin's

The sanctuary

One of the church members photographed me posing near the altar.

Exterior of St. Martin's

At 5 PM, the visitation period ended, and about 5 minutes later, I was on my way back to the Green Line and then back to Oak Park.  On the platform, I got a great view of the Austin Town Hall, and the Notre Dame Church.  As the train headed west, I got a great view of St. Martin's through some trees.

The next day, Sunday I departed homebase between 11:30-12:00.  As I walked to the Harlem Station, I felt it was definitely another great weather day. I got the eastbound Green Line train departure around 12 noon.

I detrained at Morgan and found some cafe seating to eat my lunch before heading to the CTA Control Center.  When I learned it was suddenly unavailable for tours, I decided to visit the 345 N. Morgan Office building nearby.  This building has lots of great amenities for its workers, including an outdoor terrace.

View toward the Loop from a conference room

Seating

View looking west from the outdoor area

Above and below are views of the outdoor seating.

While I missed out on the CTA Control Center, I did get a great view of a CTA car on top of a nearby building.

By 1:00 PM, I was on the Green Line again.  I rode it to 43rd Street, further south than I've ever gone before on it.  When I disembarked, I walked right next door to the station to visit The Forum.  It was once a performing arts venue in Bronzeville.  Now efforts are underway to restore it.  While there, I was also glad to learn that the neighborhood is now part of the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area under the auspices of the National Park Service.

The stage

Looking out a window toward the east along 43rd Street

Interior view of the Forum

Above and below are pieces of artwork on the walls of The Forum.

Plaque on the exterior wall of The Forum

The Forum as viewed from the platform of the Green Line 43rd Street Station

Next, I rode the Green line to Cermak-McCormick Place and walked from there to the Wheeler Mansion.  On the way to Bronzeville, I saw an OHC volunteer who was headed to this mansion.  I decided, on a whim, to check it out.

Front of the Wheeler Mansion

Inside one of the bedrooms

A model of the USS Constitution

ABove and below are photos of other bedrooms

A parlor space near the front entrance

The kitchen in the lower level

The two mansion dogs, Chloe (right) and Windy (left) with their handler

Decorative window over the staircase

The backyard space

Patio out the back door

Outdoor seating on the north side of the mansion

Then it was back to the Green Line for a short ride to the Loop.

I intended to visit teh Cliff Dwellers' Club, not realizing it was open only on Saturday.  Yet it was right by Orchestra Hall, so I visited there instead.

I got to go up on stage and pose at the conductor's stand.

View of the stage

View from the stage toward the seating

People could go up on stage and pose at the conductor's stand, and I certainly took advantage of the opportunity to strike a pose for conducting my own symphony:

I believe someone on the CSO staff took my photo, as she was doing for others.

Then I went to the Thomas Room on the ninth floor, which had outstanding views of Grant Park and the Lakefront.

View looking southeast toward Grant Park, with the hourly jet plume shooting up from Buckingham Fountain

View looking northeast toward the Art Institute and Millenium Park

View looking straight east toward Lake Michigan

View of the terrace outside the Thomas Room

Inside the Thomas Club

View looking out from the Thomas Club

View inside the Thomas Club

To cap off my time of sightseeing, I got some more great skyline views at 333 S. Wabash.  There was an empty floor space with great views toward Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, and Lake Michigan, to the southwest, and to the Sears Tower to the west.

View looking southwest

View of the inside of the floor open for viewing

View to the east-southeast toward Buckingham Fountain

View to the south, including the elevated CTA tracks

View to the west, including the Sears Tower and 333 S. Wacker

View looking up at the exterior of 333 S. Wabash from the ground level outside

A fellow visitor photographed me with Grant Park in the background.

A fellow visitor photographed me with the Sears Tower in the background.

Following my visit there, it was just a short walk to the Green Line and then back to Oak Park.

Once again, OHC was a great weekend in which I connected more deeply with Chicago.  I got to see a great mixture of places, even when my plans worked out differently than I thought ahead of time. There were also some pleasant surprises along the way in visiting places I hadn't planned for ahead of time. All in all, I enjoyed everything that I saw, and it gave me a profound sense of satisfaction and pride to be part of Chicago.

Beginning a Kairos Journey 20 Years Ago

On the evening of Saturday, November 20, 2004, I went to the Pine Room in the lower level of Ascension School.  With my already well-established typical flourish, I signed my name in a book, by which I began the process of preparing for Confirmation.  Following a short meeting, the whole group of Confirmation candidates went to 5 PM Mass at Church.

Given how much of an impact my Confirmation has had on my life, I'm eagerly looking ahead to October 15, 2025, when I mark the 20th anniversary of that sacred Kairos moment.

Today, I reflect on what happened when I started the process of preparing.

My parents both had to complete a form that officially registered me.  I remember glancing over it, and noticing what my parents said in response to a question about what made me ready.

At that time 20 years, as might be typical for many at that age, I participated in Confirmation because there was a parental expectation, much as I was taking on many responsibilities as I journeyed through adolescence into adulthood.

Yet as I reflect back on the experience, I think I was ready for more than just going through motions of expectations.

The great irony in my experience of attending Percy Julian Middle School, a public school, is that encountering people of other cultural and religious backgrounds caused me to turn inwardly and reflect more on who I am, which led me to more greatly appreciate who I am.

I laid aside disinterest in religion, including Mass attendance, and I embraced who we are as a Church and what we do, along with my part in it.

That appreciation grew throughout 6th and 7th grade, so that by the time I began preparing for Confirmation in 8th grade, the Spirit had been at work to make me ready for what I would learn and how I would encounter God.

20 for 20 Years of National Treasure

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the theatrical debut of a movie that is among my favorites: National Treasure.

To celebrate, here is a list of 20 aspects of National Treasure I like.

This list reveals parts of the plot, so if you haven't seen the movie and want to keep it unspoiled, please feel free to continue reading this post after you've watched it.

1. The epic panoramas of Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and New York City

2. When Ben's grandfather John shows him the eye on the back of the 1-dollar bill

3. When Ben's grandfather John knights Ben

4. Ben's determined remark about stopping Ian

5. The collection of George Washington's campaign medals

6. When Abigail states that she's seen the back of the Declaration of Independence, and what she says is there is true, it's not a Hollywood fabrication.  Then Ben reveals it's an invisible map.

7. The scene in the rotunda of the National Archives after Ben and Riley talk with Abigail in her office, and Ben makes a profound remark about a phase in the Declaration.

8. The views of the west end of the Mall as Ben and Riley talk at the Lincoln Memorial

9. Researching in the Library of Congress

10. The background music at the gala

11. The decoy Declaration of Independence that successfully fools Ian

12. The hot breath that reveals the hidden script

13. The $100 bills inside Common Sense

14. The Silence Dogood letters display

15. The profound words that arose when Abigail and Ben were inside Urban Outfitters before Riley arrived

16. When Riley notes that there was no Daylight Savings Time until after 1776.

17. The visit to Independence Hall, with the view of the Centennial Bell and especially when they're in the Assembly Room

18. Heere at the Wall

19. The soundtrack is fantastic music and I play it all the time as background music.

20. It's the only movie I can think of that stars the Declaration of Independence.

Huzzah!