Local Stories

It was a perfect fall day for a run—sunny and cool—at a particularly stressful time in my life. Running in a nearby nature preserve offered both quiet reflection and a welcome opportunity to refocus thought. Then, without warning, I began experiencing symptoms of heart trouble.

A while back, I woke in the middle of the night; my breathing was difficult, and I had sharp chest pains.

On a mountain hike last summer, I experienced this transformation of thought out of darkness into light. While on the trail, I began to feel faint and thought I might pass out.

We had set up a cooling area in our basement, and as the day got hotter, my wife invited the workers inside for cool refreshments and lunch. But I felt we could do more.

Whether you are in a store, at work, on the road, or climbing a mountain, you can truly be a light in the world.

When things seem unfair or deeply disturbing in some way, it can be so easy to be frustrated and to react with anger. I know—I’ve been there.

Several years ago, I was hit by a car while crossing a busy street in a large city. My knee was severely damaged and I was in a great deal of pain.

I received in the mail a photo taken of our building during business hours. It said I was in violation of a village ordinance and must appear in court on a specific date to pay a fine of several hundred dollars.

In the fall of 2018, after what had seemed to be only a slight back-pulling injury, my condition rapidly worsened. At times I was nearly immobile and almost always in great physical discomfort.

For several days I would suffer from acute stomach pain whenever I had something to eat. It didn’t matter what I’d eaten.