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We represent Redeemer Lutheran Church of Hinsdale and its ministry group called Church and Community. The mission of this small group is “to inspire (our) members to work in areas of important social concern.” The Black Lives Matter movement is undeniably one of the most important areas of social concern for all of America. Our members marched with other Hinsdaleans in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter message. We appreciate the students who organized the march and respect our local police officers. This was not a pro...
Writing is a strange profession - especially when what you write is likely to be tossed in the recycling bin within 24-72 hours of its publication. And yet, writing is something I've always loved, from the time one of the poems I wrote in elementary school was published in "King Arthur's Court" in the Homewood-Flossmoor Star. The rest, as they say, is history. Most writers agree the craft isn't something you choose to do - it's something you have to do. "The impulse to write...
My family recently moved to this beautiful town filled with wonderful people and great businesses to raise our young family and plant roots. I am very disheartened to hear that the Verizon 5G rollout is still on track to install over 140 unsightly and potentially dangerous towers throughout our scenic town. The poles are expected to be 32-45 feet tall with a 6-foot tall humming power unit at the base. This will massively affect the aesthetics of our village and will surely decrease property values. More importantly, 5G...
I had a nice, safer-for-all pipe dream about a small Illinois suburban village whose citizens unanimously approved an overhead satellite that controlled and limited all non-emergency vehicles to the posted speed limit. And they all lived happier ever after. — Ralph Homann, Hinsdale...
These days, I find myself waking up to what sometimes feels like one long day on repeat. As our routines have changed, the days have a way of blending together. Occasionally, I have to remind myself what day of the week it actually is. I watched the movie "Groundhog Day" recently, which, in light of the COVID 19 quarantine, has taken on a slightly new meaning to me. This classic old movie imagines a moment when a cynical local weatherman, Phil Connors, gets caught in a time...
The detailed official notice on the Hinsdale Plan Commission’s June 10 public hearing (7:30 p.m. via Zoom) to receive residents’ input on a proposed moratorium on demolitions of certain historic homes and other buildings is on the village website’s home page at https://www.villageofhinsdale.org, under Featured News. Importantly, the notice references and provides a link to the 1999 “Hinsdale Reconnaissance Survey,” prepared by Historic Certification Consultants at the direction of the village to do the groundwork for more rig...
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We are all hurting. And we often are unable to comfort one another, as we focus on our disagreements and divisions rather than coming together to find solutions. To whom can we look for inspiration and solace? We turn, as so many have before us, to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His words, spoken more than half a century ago, could have been uttered this week. Let them serve as both comfort...
This is the worst letter to the editor I ever saw (John Salidas letter of May 21). This guy sure is a sweetheart. Maybe we should have masks that look like him and ring his bell on Halloween. I feel that Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot are trying to keep Illinois people safe. — Joe Legner, Hinsdale...
Two recent experiences in the last 10 days seem worth sharing. Last week on one of the warm days I was leaving the hardware store in Clarendon Hills. A small group of young children with several moms was at the ice cream store while practicing social distancing. When I walked by, a girl about 7 years old said very kindly to me, “Have a good day.” I thanked her. It was my most pleasant experience of the day. Yesterday while leaving the Walgreens in Hinsdale, a woman who like me would be eligible to shop during senior hou...
Dr. J. Richard Spatafora passed away suddenly on May 24. We are going forward with love, strength, tenderness and togetherness. He loved his family enough to last a lifetime and then some. We will miss our Rick desperately; a devoted, thoughtful, patient, deeply decent man. He would hope, with all of his heart, that we carry him with us in the form of a generous spirit, an open heart and a peaceful mind. To keep him alive and present within you, within this community he cared for enormously, within all of us, tell your...
I'm going to be honest: the bloom is off the rose. I'm done with family time. What little attraction shelter-in-place once had for me is now gone. We can say how nice it is to slow things down, but all we're really doing is putting lipstick on a pig. I've pretty much run the gamut here. From the initial elation ("Finally some quality time together!") to my manic board game phase ("See? This is FUN! We're all together and we're having FUN!") to my manic baking phase (enough...
I’m not very skilled at saying no. I have such a hard time, in fact, that one of my friends/co-workers suggested a simple remedy if I find myself unable to respond in the negative when asked to do something I don’t want to do. I should write “No” on an index card and hold it up. I know I’m not the only person who struggles with this. And the reasons why I do are many. First of all, I’m a people pleaser. This is a role many of us — especially women — have been raised to fill....
Historic Preservation Month typically comes and goes without controversy. Past commemorations have included coloring contests for kids and the presentation of awards from the Hinsdale Historic Preservation Commission. We’ve published everything from a single article or editorial to a month-long series reminding residents of the architectural treasures the village is fortunate to have within its boundaries. This year the discussion around historic preservation has reached a fevered pitch. Many preservations argue the only w...
I don't remember much about my high school or college graduation - and neither does former President Barack Obama. He said as much in his Saturday night speech during the "Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020" program, which aired on many networks. There are some advantages to not attending a ceremony, he noted. First, there are no speakers who drone on too long - as he said he can do at times. "Also, not that many people look great in those caps,...
If this interminable COVID lockdown nightmare extends into October the children of the Prairie State should take a stand against the scary monsters who rule over Illinois. On Halloween children can choose the appropriate mask and mock the monsters who took away our rights and freedom. Ring all the doorbells you can then shout “tricked!” The brainwashed adults who support eternal subjugation will be spooked when they answer the door and see those frightening faces of Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot staring back at them. The...
We moved to Hinsdale when I was 3 years old. I never could have guessed just how great this town would be, and I never could have imagined that the day I'd have to leave would come so quickly. Although I have always loved Hinsdale, it is the daunting task of saying goodbye that has made me realize just how special and important this town really is to me. As a kid, Hinsdale was swinging on the tire swing with friends and playing "cherry cherry" at Robbins Park. It was block...
In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place, and in the sky, The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead; short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe! To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high! If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. — J...
I’ve always loved writing Shakespearean sonnets as an English major so I decided to write one about our current time in quarantine. The Ides of March befalls our precious world, As children say goodbye to days at school, They carry books and plants with tendrils furled, To shelter them under domestic rule. “We’ll make the best of it” we daily say, With music, baking, walks, and riding bikes, We’ll garden, dance, and read throughout the day, And spy a turtle on our nature hikes. We keep our frontline workers in our hearts, C...
I wanted to make you aware of an idea that the village board of trustees discussed at last Tuesday’s meeting that has received some media coverage. Now that Gov. JB Pritzker has put into effect a phased plan for re-opening various businesses in our state, we want to explore how we could enhance our downtown area for our residents and allow for businesses to prosper in new ways. Following social distancing guidelines set by the state, restaurants will need more space for seating. We discussed the idea of closing down p...
The current crisis has triggered the recollection of a question in the muddle in the middle of my head, where there's plenty of room for faint relevance. The recollection was of something I'd read, perhaps 30 years ago, in a Chicago business publication. It was an exchange between several real estate agents about what they'd do with bookcases encountered in houses they were trying to market. All agreed bookcases were a problem, and the solutions they offered ranged from the...
Schools have been closed since March 13. Quarantine has been in effect since March 21. We've adjusted our celebrations of birthdays, anniversaries, Passover, Easter and Mother's Day and graduations. And now it's the middle of May - a month that has both taken forever to get here and has shown up without any of the usual markers that prepare us for its arrival. May is also Mental Health Month, which seems oh-so-appropriate this year. So many have ongoing struggles with mental h...
Beep, beep, beep. Let’s back up a bit. Despite the media hype that might suggest otherwise, Hinsdale will not offer outdoor dining on its downtown streets in the near future. Village officials are not planning to violate Gov. JB Pritzker’s five-phase plan to Restore Illinois. What they are doing is starting a conversation about steps the village could take to expand restaurant capacity once eateries are allowed to reopen in phase 4. Many expect that won’t happen until the end of June at the earliest, but the time to plan is n...
The list of canceled events at times overwhelms me with sadness. When the state lockdown began on my birthday, it wasn't too difficult to shrug it off. "We'll celebrate later," we said. Then there was my father-in-law's 91st birthday in April. "How lucky we had that great party for his 90th last year," we observed. Then came Easter. "Thank God for Zoom church services," we prayed in thanksgiving. Then the scheduled Indian Princess campout - the one that would have been...
I'm doing final edits to this column on April 28. Perhaps things have changed by the time you're reading it, but I hope not. So far, our family has weathered the pandemic by being very careful, especially those of us who are 75 - but we also worry and grieve for families who have suffered terribly. With time for idle thoughts, I realized that, after the kids moved out 30 years ago, my husband and I have experienced three distinct phases of "togetherness," defined as "time...
Mother’s Day may have changed a bit in the way it’s commemorated since it became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. But the special place moms hold in our collective heart has been steadfast as reflected in recorded thoughts on maternal virtues across the generations. Here is a selection of quotes from past and present observers: • Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; a mother’s secret hope outlives them all. — Oliver Wendell Holmes • Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother. — Oprah Winfrey...
