The easy and loving breath of fresh air personified by Valentine’s Day should be the approach every week of the year. Well, some may say the pressure to please should be less than once a year. Nonetheless, think of the greeting card companies, chocolate companies, floral shops, teddy bear brigades, and restaurants which gleefully participate in padding their income for one day or one week. It has become a national tradition. Making money on special occasions, that is, not the wholesome love feast is an objective to emphasize, for some. Men spend more money on women than women do on men at Valentine’s Day. We must live up to expectations, then, too, we think it is worth it to build on our relationships, not detract from them. It is what makes the world go around. Let’s be clear!
Special Valentine’s Day wishes to all: Love, not fighting, in every sense of the word.
My wife, Donna, repeats the phrase that in political situations we should stress that we must work for change and not fight for change. Words matter. Fight mentality really can be counter-productive. That is the heart of the matter in our world. It starts with love….
• Having a heart is emblematic with the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry, so, it is starting an evening distribution from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month for those in need of assistance. The Food Pantry reminds us that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, seven percent of the workforce in any community is still living at the level of poverty.
• Illinois House of Representatives assistant majority leader Linda Chapa LaVia of Aurora was the first female military veteran to preside over the Illinois House of Representatives. She said, recently, “Sitting in the Speaker’s chair this afternoon gave me the opportunity to break-through a glass ceiling in the Illinois House of Representatives. I was humbled and honored by this historic moment to be the first Latina to preside over the House. We have more women and minorities serving in the General Assembly than ever before…which demonstrates our diversity and commitment to the future for all of our daughters.”
• Aurora will receive $1 Million dollars in grants for parks in Aurora, it was announced last week, according to this week’s advisory by Richard C. Irvin, mayor. The grant application for the renovation and expansion of Wilder Park in Aurora was written by the city government grant writer, John Russell. He has written or helped to write 230 grants.
• Income taxes and retirement free workshops will be at the Tap House Grill, Oswego, Thursday, Feb. 21 in one-hour sessions starting at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m..