The Fourth Day for One Decade

For a variety of reasons, my time at Valparaiso University was an extraordinary experience. Many of those reasons were apparent within the first few months, during which I saw many good choices bear great fruit.

One of the best choices I made was to be part of the St. Teresa's community, whose members really reached out and showed me God's love.  It was in that spirit that one day in November, Kathy Jackson, formerly on staff at St. Teresa's, invited me to participate in the Kairos Retreat.

I looked over the form she gave me, and it gave a rather vague description about a retreat with presentations by college students.  I was open to going on a retreat, so I signed up.  When I brought back the completed form and my payment to Kathy, she got super excited.

After classes on Friday, January 15, 2010, I packed up and headed over to St. Teresa's.  Community members volunteered to drive retreatants from Valparaiso to the Lindenwood Retreat Center in Donaldson, IN, where we would spend the weekend.

Upon arrival, Father Kevin, then the pastor at St. Teresa's, was there to greet us, which included tossing a couple of snowballs in our direction.  In the past, he had come for part of the Kairos Retreat weekend, especially for celebrating sacraments, but this time, he would spend the whole weekend with us.  I recall some remark he made about how spending the whole weekend on the Kairos Retreat was like a "birthday gift" to himself, as he had turned 50 just days before.  It meant a lot to have him care about us so much that he would be there the entire time.  (Later on in the weekend, someone read a letter from Dale Melczek, then Bishop of the Diocese of Gary, who affirmed us for participating in the retreat.)

I chatted with fellow retreatants and the student leaders as we got settled that Friday evening.  I sensed something amazing was going to happen. 

As we started, we were instructed to hand over all time pieces and mobile devices, which were to be stored in plastic bags.  The idea of Kairos is that we're on God's time, opening ourselves up to His presence, and so we, as retreatants, weren't to be keeping track of time.  I was a bit uncomfortable handing over my watch, which has great sentimental value, but I was able to speak about its meaning later on, which assuaged my concerns.

The first presentation was a good opportunity to reflect on why we came on this retreat, which we discussed in our small groups afterwards.  My group came up with the name "Tree of Life".

The second presenter shared very openly about some more serious matters in his life as part of the topic "Know Thyself", and that really set the tone for the weekend, about being open and vulnerable as we probed deep within ourselves to know ourselves and better examine our relationship with God.

This sentiment was especially true during the third talk, "Life Map", which focused on sharing the highs and lows of our life experiences.  And this continued through all the other talks given throughout the weekend.

In addition to the presentations and our small group discussions, we also had times of meditative prayer.  We attended Daily Mass on Saturday morning.  And we opened ourselves up to God's healing power during a time of reconciliation on Saturday evening.  When we returned to our group's room after reconciliation, Nathan, one of the adult leaders, bid us good night, remarking how it had been "an emotional day".  Hearing him say that struck me as how the efforts of the retreat leaders really bore fruit in making for such an intense experience.

Indeed, the Kairos Retreat was an intense experience like I had never had before.  It's part of my personality to reflect about myself, and that's what this weekend was all about, as I probed very deeply like never before.

The next day, Sunday, January 17, we had the opportunity to meet with our groups one final time to offer affirmations of one another based on the experience we shared during the weekend.  Before dismissing us to meet with our groups, Nathan said we could take a tissue box if needed.

We definitely had great bonding experiences, not just within our groups, but also with all the others present on the retreat.  Besides the times of serious reflection, we also had fun together, putting on skits, and playing games, like when Father Kevin led us in his extreme version of "Simon Says".

At the end of the weekend, we were each given a small wooden cross.  It was presented to us with the words, "Christ counts on you", and we were to respond, "And I on Him."  I was in such an intense state of mind that I actually knelt down when presented with my cross, and then I stood up and shook the hand of the person who presented my cross, who I believe was Tony, one of my small group leaders.

We also departed with other gifts, like a CD with all the songs chosen by each speaker before and after her/his presentation, and we all left with notes that we wrote to each other throughout the weekend.

It's common for people to leave a retreat feeling a spiritual "high", which may settle down after a few days.  But given the intense nature of this retreat, I left in an intensified spiritual "high" that I physically felt within me, and it lasted for days.  I remember after I returned to campus, I checked my e-mail for the first time since before leaving for the retreat, and I was reminded of all the things that were going to happen in the coming week.  Under normal circumstances, I might have felt overwhelmed, but given the intense power that was burning within me, I just couldn't bring myself to worry about it like I would usually.  Indeed, I had a powerful encounter with God on the retreat that would have a major impact.  I still felt it about a month later when I joined a reunion of our Kairos group at a celebration of Daily Mass, the day after Ash Wednesday.  DUring the homily, Father Kevin invited us to form a circle, and he opened up the floor for us to reflect on the experience, and I shared about what I had felt in those initial days afterwards and further on in the month.

Toward the end of the retreat, we were told that we had spent three days on this Kairos Retreat, and all the time of our life afterwards was the "Fourth Day".

As of today, I've spent a full decade in the "Fourth Day".  In that decade, I've come to appreciate even more what Kairos time is all about.  We sometimes refer to time in terms of the Greek word "chronos", which is a specific time of day, a certain period of time, or measurements of time like hours, days, months, and years.  The term "Kairos" refers to a sense of time in which we have critical moments, and in the sense of faith, those moments are about encounters with God.

There's no doubt that the Kairos Retreat was a weekend in which I had many Kairos moments in encountering God by more deeply pondering who I am and my relationship with Him.  And as I look back, I think that's the value I can continue to find living in this "Fourth Day", as I open myself up in chronos time to Kairos time, in having those profound encounters with God's presence, which are all around me.

Here is a "selfie" of sorts I photographed showing the Cross I received 10 years ago along with the Kairos t-shirt.

Gifts 2019: Reflecting in the Spirit of the Magi

Epiphany Sunday reminds me of Father Larry McNally, former pastor of Ascension Parish.  He would use his homily on this feast to reflect on his recent Christmas gifts.

I have much to reflect on with my Christmas gifts, especially in how my celebration of the Lord's Nativity played out for this Christmas Season extending from 2019 into 2020 for the Epiphany.

My parents decided to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and dog in Miami for the holiday, while I remained in Chicagoland.  As a sort of gift to them, I took them to Midway Airport on December 19, and saw them off for a special time of being with them for their first Nativity Day celebration since the three of them moved there.

In the days afterwards leading up to December 25, I had plenty going on that poised me to be ready for the great feast.  Advent was a great time for me to become more aware of what's around me, especially as that awareness helps me prepare my heart to welcome in God's presence.

On the First Sunday of Advent, December 1, as I like to periodically do, I attended Mass at Holy Family Parish, the home parish of my Uncle Bernie, my Confirmation sponsor.  Before he began offering the Eucharistic prayer, Father Terry pointed out something about the prayer, and in the spirit of being aware, he told us to pay attention--I think it may have had something to do with the uses of words like "we" and "us".  That really helped reinforce the sense of using Advent as an opportunity to become aware.

On December 22, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, my Abuela Velia and I gathered to make tamales, a long-standing family tradition.  In the week that followed, I gave tamales as gifts to family and the Dames, the neighbors across the alley.

Here are the trays of tamales following the cooking.

(Please note, all photos in this post are mine unless otherwise specified.)

In an effort to simplify my gift shopping, I decided to do most of it at Trader Joe's.  They have a great selection of products I find suitable as gifts, particularly their biscotti.  I made sure to tell that to the people who handled my transactions when I checked out.

I was at Church on two different days getting the decorations in place for the Christmas Season.

I got this close-up photo of a candle in the wreath hanging above the pews at Ascension Parish, after I helped decorate the wreath and light the candles.

On Nativity Eve, my Abuela and I went to Mass at St. Cornelius, which is always special for me because that is where I was baptized.

Abuela got this photo of me posing by the outdoor Nativity scene at St. Cornelius.  Behind the wooden shelter are the windows right by the baptistry inside, where I was baptized.

The children present were invited to place small candle lights around the Nativity scene.  And the musicians went through a good round-up of Christmas carols.  One of them simultaneously played the organ with one hand and a trumpet with the other hand.  Back at my Abuela's place, as she got dinner ready, we videocalled with the family gathered in Miami.

A few hours later, I walked out in a temperate night to Ascension Parish to attend Night Mass for the first time ever.  It was something I was interested in doing at least once at some point in my life, and I felt this was the right time.  The choir led us in such great music, which included the half-hour before Mass started at 11 PM.  In the dark of the night, Mass was a wonderful opportunity to behold the Light of the World.

Night Mass at Ascension

While serving as Eucharistic minister, I was stationed by the Nativity scene, which is in the photo directly above.  As I handed the Body of Christ to each person, I connected the Body of Christ in the host with the Body of Christ in the baby in the manger.

In the morning, I was back at Ascension for 11 AM Mass.  I could tell how wonderfully mild it was set to be that day as I walked out of the house to Church--only 20 degrees cooler than Miami as I pointed out to my family there.  And there was so much sunshine.  The combination of the mild temperatures and the sunshine really elevated my mood to the great level of joy that befits this Holy Day.  I sat in the north transept of the Church, opposite the stained glass window with the Nativity scene.  At that hour of morning, the immense sunshine flooded the window with light, and it was a glorious sight to behold.  And then there was the mystical effect added with the incense creating a cloud that looked and smelled so divine.

While this photo above can't fully do it justice, it does capture the flood of sunshine pouring through the Nativity scene in this stained glass window.  The photo below certainly shows light filling the interior of Ascension Parish.

I heard Father Hurlbert's Nativity Day homily twice.  One major idea he presented was how objects can connect with us other people or things, just as Christ came to Earth to be God in the Flesh, making visible the invisible reality of God.  I see connections in objects to so many things in my life, and so his homily got me thinking about those connections I make.  I wear a bolo tie that I bought at the 2018 Winnebago Powwow, during my first visit back to St. Augustine Mission since my 2013 trip there.  I also use a bag from Nayarit, which was a gift brought to me by my relatives who live there when they came for a visit to Chicago.  I often get asked about the bolo tie and that bag, and those questions give me the opportunity to share those connections.

As I continued pondering this idea from his homily, I thought about a collection of chess pieces I took from my Great Aunt June's house after her passing as mementos to remember her, which are in the photo below.  Those were among many items she collected in her many travels, especially numerous trips to Europe.  I noticed those chess pieces in her living room, and they stood out because they looked identical to images of chess pieces I saw in my social studies textbook during 6th grade.  Those images were likely in a chapter about medieval history.  That topic of study came in a year when we studied ancient civilizations, which included the three major religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which led into the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance and Reformation, then to a field trip to Medieval Times.  Those topics of study were part of why my middle school years were so significant, as I came to understand more about others, and also myself.  I took one of those chess pieces to show Father Hurlbert a week later as I expressed how that major idea in his homily resonated with me.

Back to December 25, shortly after I returned home from 11 AM Mass for the Nativity of the Lord, my Uncle Brian arrived, and the two of us went to my Grandma Dottie's residence in Lombard.  It was such a delightfully mild day.

We had a fine meal in the dining room.  We then went to her apartment and had videocalls with those family members in Miami and those in Tucson.  Then we played a card game called Golf.  By the time 18 rounds were over, the sun had set, and then I took Uncle Brian back to his place.  We stopped for a few minutes to see the lights display at Lilacia Park. 

Uncle Briain got this photo of my enjoying the night of Nativity Day in Lilacia Park, mild enough to go without a jacket.

And I then we took a fine drive into Chicago.  Even though there wasn't much to see of Lake Michigan while driving on Lake Shore Drive, the Lake had its own beauty in the dark of night.

After dropping Uncle Brian off, I drove back to Oak Park.  I rolled down the windows and soaked in the temperate conditions.  As I drove along, something stirred in my soul.  I thought about something else Father Hurlbert mentioned in his homily.  There's something really special about this time of year, which society at large deems Christmas cheer.  As people of faith, we call it Christmas grace.  Driving home that Nativity Day night, I came to understand what that grace is all about:  I realized that God is the source of all goodness, and there was so much goodness I got to experience over the past 24 hours or so.  I got to be with my grandmas and my uncles in Chicagoland, which is what I was really looking forward to as December 25 drew near.  I got to experience wonderful weather, and could go outside without a jacket.  And I could also delight in the celebration my parents were having in Miami.

As great as Nativity Day is, the mystery of the Incarnation gives us a lot to unpack, and so I'm glad there's a Christmas Season that extends the celebration out several days.

It also gave a fitting chance to exchange gifts with my parents after they returned, which we did on December 29, the Feast of the Holy Family.  I gave my parents biscotti.  Dad had also gone shopping at Trader Joe's, and he gave me a Snowman treat that I could put in heated milk to turn it into hot chocolate, which is in the photo below.

I had it a couple days later on New Year's Eve as my parents and I played a train game.

My parents also gave me a pillow.  I look forward to using it on my next overnight train trip.

A couple weeks before this exchange of gifts, I got a handful of gifts from my RE students.  One student gave me a photo greeting card her family had made to distribute.  As I looked at the photo of the whole family, I paused to take stock of the reality that I have been the teacher of all three children in the family.  Looking at that family photo was a great chance for me to acknowledge the impact I've had by teaching for so long, extending on through whole families, by going from older siblings to younger siblings.

Another student gave me a wonderful handwritten note, thanking me for the effort I put into teaching class, and how much she gets out of class, and her Nativity Day and New Year's wishes.  It was so heartfelt and written truly as an expression of herself.  I was so touched this student took the time to express her gratitude by writing this note.  These gifts, along with the others I received from students and their families, gave me much reason to marvel in the opportunity to embrace the calling to participate in the work of handing on the faith to the youths in my charge.

Indeed, I had experienced so much grace during these joyful days surrounding Nativity Day.  I think there's a lot to be said for gifts that keep on giving, that extend their impact, and that help us connect with God.  While He's so mysterious and beyond us, He loved us so much that He came to be with us in a tangible way, as the Word Made Flesh, born of Mary.  And we have so much reason to celebrate because He continues to be with us, manifesting His glory, which now abides even within us.

The Nativity scene at Ascension

Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth, peace, good will toward men.

Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.

20 + C + M + B + 20

The above is an inscription used for the house blessing on the Feast of the Epiphany.  The year 2020 flanks both sides.  C, M, B represent the traditional names for the Magi, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.  The four crosses represent the four seasons.

Grapes of Anticipation 2020

It's time for New Year's Day and the fresh feel it brings with a strong sense of anticipation for the year that is starting to unfold.

To reflect on what I'm anticipating, I shall follow the model I used to reflect on 2019, and share 12 grapes for 2020.

Grape #1, Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics: I am eager to follow the coverage of the athletes and see what kind of show Tokyo puts on as the Olympics continue at yet another Asian city.

Grape #2, reading plans: I'm always eager to keep reading.  Included on my list is Nikki Haley's newest book With All Due Respect.

Grape #3, exploring more of Illinois: All the traveling and exploring I did for Illinois's Bicentennial has piqued my interest to continue sightseeing in Illinois.  I look forward to doing a short road trip somewhere in Illinois this year.

Grape #4, the 2020 presidential election: While election campaign seasons have gotten more fickle in recent years, I still appreciate that we have a process in the United States for electing officials, and I look forward to seeing the American governmental process play out in 2020.

Grape #5, milestones in the family: I think about milestones ahead this year for members of my family, particularly my parents.

Grape #6, 2020 Census: I look forward to hearing about the results of the census.

Grape #7, trips: I already have been making plans for a trip to the Southwest USA.  I'm also hoping to visit my friends in Madison, WI, and take a trip to Columbus, OH.  There's even a possibility for another trip to Philadelphia.

Grape #8, leadership transitions: I look forward to following the changes in leadership that are on the horizon.  I'm looking forward to hearing about Robert McClory's work once he is formally ordained and installed as the next Bishop of the Diocese of Gary.  I'm interested in learning who will become the next President of Valparaiso University, and the next pastor of Ascension Parish.

Grape #9, Leap Day: It's kind of interesting to have an extra day in the calendar every year, and I anticipate what I can do and what will happen in this year's Leap Day.

Grape #10, being in the audience of great content: Since I enjoyed some great presentations in 2019, I hope to be in the audience of more great speakers, whether in person, or on the radio, with Relevant Radio programming, and the Roys Report, too, along with more great podcasts.

Grape #11, commemorative anniversaries:  There are some anniversaries coming up that have meaning for me personally.  Maine celebrates its Bicentennial as a State on March 15, which reminds me of the summer vacation my family had there back in 2000.  The Bicentennial of Florence Nightingale's birth is on May 12, which makes me think of nursing, a profession with which I've had close contact in my life.  And just days after that is the Centennial of the birth of Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope St. John Paul II.  His biographical story has inspired me since elementary school.  I feel this occasion is suitable time to delve into his biography Witness to Hope, much as attending World  Youth Day 2019 and the 40th Anniversary of his October 1979 United States trip got me pondering his life more and more.

Grape #12, personal anniversaries: I will mark 15 years since my 8th grade graduation and my Confirmation.  I look forward to be renewed in what those experiences mean for me through my celebration of them.  I have felt the impact of those two significant days in the way I live my life fully, especially in putting faith into action, as I do so significantly in Religious Education.  I'm eager for new opportunities to offer the gift of what those occasions brought me as I continue teaching RE.

Indeed, God has granted us the gift of another year, this 2020.  I pray we embrace the opportunities to offer it back to Him as the blank slate starts filling.

Grapes of Reflection 2019

It's a special time of year when we change calendar years.

Many people take time to look back on the year that's closing, and I certainly enjoy doing that myself.

I here now reflect on 2019 in accordance with the Spanish custom of eating 12 grapes for the New Year's holiday.

Grape #1, World Youth Day 2019: This trip was the experience of a lifetime, and I'm sure I'll be thinking and sharing about it for a long time to come.

Grape #2, Washington, D.C., trip: There's so much to see in this illustrious city, and I enjoyed yet another opportunity for sightseeing there, doing so for an extended weekend with Mom, longer than the multiple layover visits of the past few years.  And we traveled there in style, riding for the first time in Amtrak Sleeping Class accommodations.  This year's trip came 20 years after a spring1999 family trip there and 15 years after a December 2004 trip there, during the latter of which we stayed at the same place in Alexandria where Mom and I stayed this time around.

Grape #3, more celebrating of Illinois and its Bicentennial: All the exploring I did during the Illinois Bicentennial year in 2018 made me eager to keep exploring Illinois, which included more traveling around the state outside Chicagoland, including the Shawnee National Forest, Vandalia, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Springfield (on multiple occasions), Tampico, Dixon, and Quincy.

Grape #4, CAC tours: Coming alongside exploring more of Illinois, I enjoyed the opportunity to explore various buildings and areas in Chicago, and nearby, through wonderful tours that helped me appreciate the finer details of the architecture, not to mention Open House Chicago.

Grape #5, trip to Michigan: It was really special to visit Michigan for the first time in 14 years.  I did some great sightseeing at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, and the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids.  I also spent a magical evening visiting my cousins in Portage, which gave me much to ponder about the meaning of life, librarianship, and family.

Grape #6, visit to West Branch, IA: I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to visit the sights of Herbert Hoover in West Branch, and it was particularly special to be there on his birthday, August 10.

Grape #7, another reunion visit to Winnebago, NE: I was glad to have the chance to visit again the St. Augustine Mission and its environs, to reconnect with the extraordinary experience I had there.  Connecting again with this trip has made me all the more eager to support the campaign for a new school there.

Grape #8, books: I read, and listened to, a good number of books this year. I won a copy of David McCullough's Pioneers book in a Goodreads contest.  I also had many "Aha" moments about how to live life meaningfully reading 90 Seconds to a Life you Love by Joan Rosenberg and Called to Forgive by Anthony Thompson.

Grape #9, movies: I saw some meaningful movies.  Coco had a great family-oriented message.  I unexpectedly and delightfully gained great insight into what it means to be called watching Moana.  And it was moving to watch Unplanned, on opening day, March 29.  I later had the opportunity to meet its star, Ashley Bratcher, at an Aid for Women banquet on May 1.

Grape #10, the Roys Report: Julie Roys used to have a great radio program on Moody Radio, but after she blew the whistle on upon uncovering misdeeds at Moody Bible Institute, she was terminated from employment there.  I was so delighted to encounter the news about the launch of her new program, The Roys Report, during the summer.  She has great content on her program and engages in meaningful discussions on current issues in church and society.

Grape #11, personal anniversaries: There are two notable personal anniversaries in 2019 that come to mind:  In May, I celebrated 20 years since my first communion in the St. Giles Family Mass community.  I attended Mass there as part of my celebration, my first time back there in many years.  Later that day, I was spontaneously invited to the first communion celebration of the daughter of a former co-catechist.  I also marked 10 years since starting at Valparaiso University, which was intimately tied in with the 10th anniversary of my first Mass at St. Teresa's, which I continue to regard as a truly life-changing event, for what happened during that hour, and the impact it had, and continues to have, for a long time.  And while not a personally-oriented anniversary, I took much delight in marking the 150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike Ceremony, because I am so enamored with trains.  I was glad to do something for it when I visited a special exhibit in honor of this anniversary at Historic Union Station in Springfield, IL.

Grape #12, relationships: I think about the important relationships I've participated in throughout this year.  I'm glad for the visits my brother made to Chicagoland after his move to Miami for a new job.  And I had further opportunity to get to know my sister-in-law Naomi and Weasley the dog before they moved.

Furthermore, I think about the importance of relationships I fostered within church context.  I formed great relationships in a young adult small faith-sharing group during Lent.  It's been a joy to keep up with the people, especially with significant life events, including a marriage, an engagement, and two new babies.  I was at the baptism for one of them, and was spontaneously invited to join the family at a celebration afterward.

I was able to share a special experience with my Uncle Bernie when we attended a Dynamic Catholic event at St. James Parish in Arlington Heights, attending with my Uncle Bernie.  We heard from Allen Hunt, who talked about four practices to reinvigorating our spiritual lives.  (This talk highlighted the continued opportunities I've had for lifelong learning, just as I had more opportunity to learn much upon getting my first ever smartphone on June 19, learning about all the functions of this tool.)

I am also pleased that I got acquainted with Stars for Life, the pro-life group at Dominican University.  With the extreme abortion legislation in Illinois, I got on the Illinois Right to Life e-mail list, and did my part to oppose the legislation.  In the wake of its passage, I first became aware of Stars for Life when an e-mail from Illinois Right to Life told me about a banquet they were hosting at the end of June.  In November, they hosted a mini-conference on Theology of the Body.  One of the speakers was Sister Helena Burns, who spoke so eloquently on the subject, and there were numerous "Aha" moments during her talk, as my eyes were opened even wider.  Indeed, I was glad to have opportunities to support this pro-life group at my alma mater.

And I delight greatly in the sense of connection I've forged with my RE students.  I've had great groups of students in both RE years that have spanned this calendar year.  And giving a presentation on my trip to World Youth Day for the middle school students in RE provided me a great chance to interact with the students who were coming down the pipe, many of whom are in my 8th grade classes this year.  Particularly notable for the 2019-2020 RE year is how many students in my classes are younger siblings of former students.  It's special to continue interacting with the families, and speaks to the impact I have had on people's lives, and how much meaning I've found in my life by making an impact, and living out my own faith, especially as I was inspired to do upon my own Confirmation, and teaching RE for middle schoolers, as well as being a mentor at Confirmation meetings.

Despite the challenges associated with adult life, and some of my own personal internal struggles, not to mention the troubles in the world at large, I continue to be very satisfied with the state of my life, and I continue pointing to teaching Religious Education as a large part of why that is.

So as I mark a significant change in chronos time, I look upward to the God Who has gifted me 2019 and I think about the opportunities I've had to use the chronos time of 2019 to attain to Kairos time, by which I may encounter Him through offering 2019 as a gift back to Him in thanksgiving.

2019 News and Events in Review

Just as many news outlets and other organizations do, as the calendar year 2019 draws to a close, I think back upon the news and events of this year.

Oak Park news came to my block as my neighbor Susan Buchanan was one of 11 candidates running for 3 seats on the Oak Park Village Board of Trustees.  That reality certainly made for a notable campaign season, sorting through all the candidates.  I went to an election night gathering at her house, and was there when the election results noted her as one of the three victors.  She actually earned the most votes of all the other candidates.

There was also a crowded field of candidates for Chicago mayor.  The February election resulted in a runoff between two African-American women, Toni Preckwinkle and Lori Lightfoot, and the latter was elected in the April run-off election.  Mayor Lightfoot set about making numerous reforms in Chicago, even proposing drastic measures to address the budgetary problems in Chicago in a speech later in the year.  She wasn't so successful in addressing the concerns of the Chicago Teachers' Union, which resulted in a strike in October.  Right before that happened, she announced an end to overdue fines at Chicago Public Library.

JB Pritzker was inaugurated the governor of Illinois in January.  He hit the ground running to push his agenda through, including a raise in the minimum wage and the legalization of recreational marijuana, the later of which is set to take effect on January 1, 2020.  He also advocated for an increase in access to abortion.  That legislation ended up getting snuck through the General Assembly toward the end of the session by being reworked into legislation that included financial matters.  I remember keeping an eye on the legislation as it worked its way through committee hearings during Memorial Day weekend and filled out witness slips when I got alerted by Illinois Right to Life.

Illinois wasn't the only state to take drastic action to expand abortion services.  The abortion controversy flared up when states like New York passed laws to go so far as to deny protection to babies that survived abortion attempts, partially as a means to protect abortion services should the US Supreme Court reverse the Roe vs. Wade decision, an increased likelihood with President Trump's two Supreme Court nominees' taking seats.  These extreme abortion laws in placed like New York caused the pendulum to swing the other way and states like Alabama pushed back to restrict abortions.

It was a chaotic year for Planned Parenthood.  Leana Wen became its president to succeed Cecile Richards, but Dr. Wen left after only a few months, following comments she made referring to her unborn child.

The US government's shutdown mode continued into 2019 after starting in late December 2018.  It finally ended when President Trump caved to pressure from Congress.  Tucked into the legislation ending the shutdown mode was a provision that made Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore the latest US national park.

Controversy over President Trump's questionable actions culminated in a vote in December by the US House of Representatives to impeach him, with not a single Republican vote.

In February, President Trump had a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Hanoi.  And then President Trump became the first US president to set foot in North Korean territory when he visited the Joint Security Area at the Demilitarized Zone.

President Trump held a large "Salute to America" rally on July 4.  And on October 1, Jimmy Carter celebrated his birthday and became the oldest living ex-president in US history.

Difficulties in making a Brexit deal led to Theresa May's resignation as British Prime Minister.  She was succeeded by Boris Johnson in July, in the midst of an intense heat wave in western Europe.

In Israel, difficulty in forming a coalition government led to the announcement of another round of elections in 2020.

Owing to his declining health, Japan's Emperor Akihito abdicated, which was an unprecedented move, and his son Naruhito took the throne as Japan's new emperor.  President Trump was the first foreign leader to visit the new emperor.

Roman Catholic leaders gathered in Rome in October for a synod to discuss meeting the pastoral needs of the Amazon region in South America, and to discuss faithful stewardship of Creation.  Indigenous idols were brought into churches, and some individuals took them out and tossed them into the Tiber River, and filmed it, as a way to take a stand against idolatry in the midst of the synod's proceedings, which some said was filled with heresy.

On Holy Monday, the heartbreaking news came out of Paris that the Notre Dame Cathedral was on fire, after having survived centuries of war and turmoil.  An hourslong effort finally doused the blaze, and though the spire was gone, the Cathedral's towers were still standing.  Even with Europe's trend to secularism, there's no doubt that churches like Notre Dame are an important part of its heritage, and are truly treasures for all the world to behold.

Major natural events included a major cold spell throughout the United States in late January, as well as another cold spell in November that wasn't as intense, but still penetrated much of the country.  Hurricane Dorian was a catastrophic storm that devastated the Bahamas before moving up the East Coast of the United States.  And California experienced an earthquake in July, and then large wildfires in October, the latter of which nearly threatened the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley.

Among the departures this year included former Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens, actor Albert Finney, author Toni Morrison, former French President Jacques Chirac, and Paul Sirba, Roman Catholic Bishop of Duluth.

Among the anniversaries this year including Sesame Street's 50th.  There were also two significant technological anniversaries: 150 years on May 10 since the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, and 50 years since the first manned moon landing on July 20.  Alabama marked the bicentennial of its statehood on December 14, one of a string of state Bicentennials in the course of about half a decade that gives us much to look back upon as we march into the future.

AMS Centennial

The American Meteorological Society was founded in 1919.  The AMS has celebrated its centennial throughout 2019, which is to culminate at the 2020 Annual Meeting in Boston, the city of its headquarters.

I first became aware of the AMS as a meteorology undergraduate at Valparaiso University.  We had a student chapter for the AMS and another organization, the National Weather Association (NWA).

After hearing about the AMS a lot while at Valparaiso, I had the opportunity to participate in the organization in a larger way when I attended the 2013 Annual Meeting in Austin, TX.  This conference played a part in helping poise me for my professional life after college by putting into the mindset of a professional through the events and interactions at this conference.

At the start of the conference, there was a large gathering held with Boone Pickens.  The moderator had a dialogue with Mr. Pickens as he shared his experiences.  It caught my attention when the moderator did something a little bit different, introducing those gathered to Mr. Pickens.  The moderator referred to the AMS attendees present as a community of people who were involved in some way in the science of meteorology.

The AMS is an organization that brings together thousands of members in academic, public, and private sectors of meteorology.

There's no doubt that weather affects all of us in some way.  And it's very likely the vast majority of people check the weather before headed out for the day.  The information people get about weather has so many people behind it.  Certainly, there are the meteorologists who look at the current conditions and other available information to make a forecast about what will happen.  Much of the information used to make forecasts is the result of research, and a huge sector of the meteorology community is involved in scientific investigations to better understand the atmosphere and how weather happens, because there's so much unknown about the atmosphere:  for example, one of the most attention-grabbing aspects of weather research is storm chasing, where scientists head for severe thunderstorms to better understand why some storms form tornadoes, and others don't.

Some researchers are at universities.  Others are part of government agencies.  The US government also has operational meteorologists who forecast the weather, particularly in the National Weather Service.  And there are people who work at private companies who forecast the weather, often in a pointed way focused on the interests of their company, like meteorologists who work for airlines.

Probably the most visible meteorologists are those who are on TV telling us the weather.  Two people I've followed closely are Tom Skilling on WGN-TV Chicago and Brant Miller on NBC5 Chicago.  And I know a number of people among my friends, classmates, and colleagues during my years at ValpU who are broadcast meteorologists.

While I was studying meteorology, people would often ask about my being on TV.  While I first became interested in weather after watching Brant Miller, my interests involved, even beyond a growing awareness of the less glamorous details underneath the surface regarding the hard work of TV meteorologists.  While at ValpU, I became aware of all the ways meteorology can applied in various aspects of society.  Attending the AMS Annual Meeting increased my awareness of those applications, like with the group Atmospheric Science Librarian International.

There are so many working behind the scenes toward a better understanding of the weather, so that we all have the best information available when headed out the door.  Even if they're not in visible roles like those on TV, they are still providing an important service, looking to the skies to better understand what's happening up there in all its complexity, and helping the rest of society make sense of it in a down to earth way.

Indeed, it would be difficult for the average person to make sense of all the complex movements in the atmosphere, with much technical language used to describe it, and complex mathematical equations behind the language.  (If you want to have a sense of how technical meteorology can get, read an area forecast discussion written by an employee of a local NWS office.  Go to weather.gov, type in a location in the search box, and then scroll down past the forecast to where it says "Forecaster Discussion".  Depending on what office it is, you may very well be reading something written by a ValpU alumnus, maybe even someone I know, as they are at numerous offices throughout the country.)

With so much happening in the skies above us, it's great to have people who dedicate their life's work to doing something about.  They go beyond the adage, "Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it."  Meteorologists help people make sense of the weather.  But you can't necessarily blame them for it:  At a presentation by NWS employees when I was at ValpU, I heard the Meteorologist-in-Charge of the Northern Indiana Weather Forecast Office say that meteorologists are in sales, and management is way above.

Aware of all that goes into the science of meteorology, I have much reason to celebrate the AMS Centennial, for the role this organization has played in bringing together the members of the meteorology community to advance the science in our society.

21 for Illinois the 21st State at 201

After an exciting Bicentennial Celebration last year in 2018, it's time to celebrate Illinois's birthday once again, and the 21st State is now 201 on December 3, 2019.

It is an occasion to think back upon the scope of Illinois in its history, and what Illinois means for me.

Illinois was first inhabited by many indigenous groups, including the Illiniwek people, and one of their large cities was Saukenuk (#179), located where the Rock River meets the Mississippi River, located at present-day Rock Island in the Quad Cities.

We have to give a lot of credit to Nathaniel Pope (#180) and David Pope Cook (#181), both of whom were instrumental in getting Illinois admitted as the 21st State of the Union, and even having Illinois's northern border positioned far north enough to give Illinois a shoreline on Lake Michigan and the mines near Galena.

Abraham Lincoln certainly is a larger-than-life figure in Illinois history, and the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area (#182) covers a large area in central Illinois that includes many sites pertinent to his life.

The Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor (#183) was the first such corridor designated by the US government.  It stretches from Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood nearly 100 miles away to LaSalle, preserving sites of the old I&M Canal.  A canal towpath still remains along parts of the corridor to provide wonderful recreational opportunities.

That canal corridor brought all the world to Illinois, as Chicago turned into a "great commercial tree" like the Illinois state song says.

But it was more than just commercial activity that brought the world's attention to Illinois.

The crowds came out in Chicago for the visit of Pope (St.) John Paul II (#184).  He came to Chicago for a couple of days during his visit to the United States that lasted nearly a week, which was 40 years this past October.

During his time in Chicago, he attended a CSO concert at Holy Name Cathedral (#185), celebrated Mass at Five Holy Martyrs Parish (#186) on Chicago's Southwest Side, and celebrated Mass with nearly a million people in Grant Park (#187).

Probably one of the most notable events in the history of Illinois was when the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series Championship (#188), breaking a nearly 108-year World Series drought, an event that resonates with me because I was born on the North Side of Chicago at Swedish Covenant Hospital along Foster Avenue (#189).  Three miles west was the first home I ever lived in on Lockwood Avenue (#190), one of the L streets between Cicero and Central, part of a plan to make mail delivery easier by naming streets in mile-long stretches according to the same letter.  A few blocks west of that home is St. Cornelius Parish (#191), where I was baptized by Father Ed Pacocha (#192), who served as pastor there for many years before his retirement.

After living on the North Side of Chicago, I moved to Oak Park, a community that has made me who I am in so many ways.  And I follow as the second generation of my family that has been shaped by Oak Park, as my Mom and her siblings grew up in this community.  She tells many interesting stories about her block on Highland Avenue.  One notable Oak Park person who grew up a few doors away from her was Jayne Carr Thompson (#193), former First Lady of Illinois as wife of longtime governor James Thompson.  She grew up on Highland Avenue a few doors away from where my Mom and her siblings grew up.  My family tells the story about how Jayne came to see my Grandpa Martin one day and asked for advice about life.  Later, Mrs. Thompson mentioned my Mom's family at the Illinois Governor's Mansion.

The people of Oak Park have much to offer, and one person who's stood out to me is author Harriette Gillem Robinet (#194), who wrote several historical fiction children's books featuring African-American protagonists, which I enjoyed reading in my so-called tween years.

I fostered a lifelong love of reading and learning by spending time at the Maze Branch of the Oak Park Public Library (#195), which I believe is where I first encountered one of Mrs. Robinet's books.  This branch was named for Adele Maze (#196), the longtime librarian at the south side branch she advocated for.  And I was privileged to work at the main Oak Park Public Library (#197) for nearly 2 1/2 years, which was a fine time at a wonderful institution.

Also on my side of town is Oak Park Conservatory (#198), constructed back in the 1920's.  It's a gem of a place, providing a space to relax in the quietude of the flora, and some fauna, too, as there are a few birds there, including George the Double-Yellow Headed Parrot (#199), with whom I enjoy talking.

And then there's the place where I grew up, which has provided me such a strong sense of home in Oak Park, giving me that sense of roots in Oak Park and Illinois.  One aspect of the neighborhood I enjoy is the block parties that my neighbors and I have (#200).  Oak Park started block parties back in the 1970's as a way to enhance community relations, and I enjoy the opportunity they provide to build relationships with my neighbors.

As Illinois marks another birthday, I feel strongly that there is so much to celebrate because of the goodness that we find in this land and in the people of Illinois.  It's been great taking trips around Illinois over the past 2 years to see places that have made Illinois what it is, and learn more about the people who made it what it is.  Learning more inspires me to take my part in continuing to shape Illinois, as it has shaped me.  All the learning I did in celebrating in the Bicentennial Year of 2018 has made me so glad to be part of the great story of Illinois.

That's why I was proud to display that I am part of the story of Illinois at World Youth Day 2019, waving around my Illinois flag, still fresh in Illinois Bicentennial fever, along with my US flag.

It's also why I've kept celebrating by traveling to other places in Illinois in 2019 to learn and experience more.

And that's why I'll keep embracing further opportunities to learn more about, engage with, and live the story of Illinois day by day and to furthermore contribute to the vision of Illinois for the years ahead, for I am proud to be an Illinoisan, born and bred.

God Bless Illinois, my home sweet home. And God Bless the United States of America.

Mom took this photo of me posing in the Wolf Road Prairie near 31st and Wolf, by the Chicago suburb of Westchester.

Huzzah for Illinois!

Here is a list of all the blog posts with my second 200 List of Illinois Notables:

"In Celebration of 200 Years of Illinois and Beyond"

"The Heart of Illinois"

"Illinois Bicentennial Follow-up, in Vandalia"

"New Outlooks Around Me on the Pleasant Peninsula"

"So Much to See Drawn from the Land"

"Along the Mississippi"

"From Illinois to Beyond"

And this post has a round-up of my first 200 List of Illinois Notables:
"Partying 1818-Style: An Illinois Bicentennial Salute"

This post also has an item in the first list that was omitted from the aforementioned post: "Gifts 2017: Reflecting in the Spirit of the Magi"