Tragedy, celebration, and joy, are parts of life that each one of us encounters, seeks to put into perspective, and must come to understand. No one escapes those elements of life. The vast majority of us prefer to have the experiences of joy and celebration. Reality must be faced.
That reality includes the tragedies of February 15, 2019 when six Pratt employees were shot, five fatally, by an employee, and six Aurora policemen were shot, however, all police officers survived. That cataclysmic day will subside somewhat each year, however, will live on for many years in the lives of many Aurora area residents forever. Many will recall where they were when they heard the news. The tragedy was heard and felt nationally.
The Aurora Historical Society will provide a display beginning February 7 and run through February 29, likely. Some of us will need reminders and additional information. A few of us will understand what happened for the first time. We all go through the process of encountering bad news in different ways.
Tragedy visited the Villalon family, the East Aurora family, and the Aurora family January 11 when U.S. Army Specialist Miguel Villalon died at the too early age of 21 years in Afghanistan after the vehicle he was in hit an IED (improvised explosive device).
Learning to cope with our situations, delightful or devastating, is part of life. Somehow we must make the best of it, see the delight as ephemeral, short term, and see the devastation as an opportunity to find improvement. Can the cup be half full and not half empty?
Joy visits in moments to remember. The boys in the Phenomenal Man Awards offer a cup half full. They are under way to finding a niche, success, and joy with efforts to help themselves.
We can find joy in little things and big things. Life is too short, whatever our ages, 21 or 99, to invite misery. There will be challenges to face for all us, so in between those challenges we can accept joy, fully, as a way of life.
Here are some notes which are important:
• Fermilab in Batavia will hold its 16th annual Family Open House free of charge from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday in Wilson Hall on its campus at the far east end of Batavia. The event will include tours of the Linear Accelerator Gallery and the Muon g-2 experiment and a driving tour of the site.
• Dr. Robert Renteria, international award-winning Latino author and civic leader, has become a partner with Krishna Bansal, Republican Party candidate for the 11th District congressional seat to raise awareness on how to sustain a diverse community. They will distribute at no cost, educational curriculum to support the 11th District’s youth and community. The teaching tools focus on bullying, gangs, violence, drugs, and school drop-outs. Dr. Renteria has written a series on the topics.
• The Naperville Police Department is accepting applications for a 10-week Citizens Police Academy which will begin March 11 and continue every Wednesday evening, except for May 13, through May 20. Classes are free and will be held at the Naperville Police Department from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.. Deadline for submitting documents is Monday, Feb. 24. Send to stockwellk@naperville.il.us, or, by mail to the Naperville Police Department, 1350 Aurora Avenue, Naperville, IL 60540.
• Paramount Theatre in Aurora will continue its Broadway Series with The Secret of My Success with a run from February 12 through March 29. Dates are Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., except February 12; Thursdays at 7 p.m.; `Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.. It is based on the 1987 movie with Michael J. Fox.
Clear and concise, week five:
• Caucus, such as in Iowa Monday, is a noun and not in any form a verb.
• That which has just started is under way and two words.
• Effort and production too often are words used interchangeably. They are not synonymous.