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The Source, Jacksonville, IL (2025)

09/01/2025

Chautauqua celebrates city’s 200 years
Annual cultural event to focus on Jacksonville’s bicentennial celebration

By Ben Cox
The Source Newspaper

The Morgan County Historical Society will help celebrate the City of Jacksonville’s bicentennial by making the anniversary the theme of this year’s Prairieland Chautauqua.

Morgan County Historical Society Vice President and current organizer of the Chautauqua Chad Boehlke says that this year’s event will feature local people telling local stories to celebrate the city’s birth.

The two-day event kicks off on Friday, September 5 at 6 p.m. in the Nichols Park Pavilion with an hour performance by the Jacksonville Community Summer Band.

The evening’s proceedings will conclude with one of Jacksonville’s most beloved writers and historians. “Greg Olson is going to be talking about the history of Jacksonville,” Boehlke says. Olson has been providing cemetery walks and tours over the summer months leading up to the city’s anniversary. Olson’s historical articles from the column “The Way We Were” are still heavily circulated and republished on a regular basis.

Day two of Prairieland Chautauqua kicks off at 11 a.m. with a performance by students of the Esprit de Corps Academy. After an hour break for lunch, there will be music from the Illinois College Alumni Jazz Band followed by local Jacksonville storyteller and folk musician Mike “The Dulcimer Guy” Anderson and then the Jacksonville Drumline Institute.

In between the musical performances, Boehlke says that local writer and historian Reg Ankrom will provide insight into a well-known historical figure starting at 3 p.m., “[He] is going to talk about Stephen A. Douglas and his role in Jacksonville. I think a lot of people know about his political rivalry with Abraham Lincoln and the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, but they may not know that he practiced law in Morgan County for a number of years prior to that.”

Douglas moved to Jacksonville in 1833 where he befriended attorney Murray McConnel, a friendship that would continue throughout Douglas’ life. After short stints as a school teacher in Exeter and Wi******er, he returned to the city and became state’s attorney for Illinois’ First Judicial District before beginning his foray into politics.

Boehlke and members of the Morgan County Historical Society will present a historical slideshow explaining Jacksonville’s 1925 Centennial Celebration. Boehlke says the final group of speakers is something that will be special to local residents and history buffs alike.

“We have something a little bit special called Jacksonville Showcase, and what it is, is I kind of tied three local lectures into one, and this might be something I might be doing every year if it works.”

Longtime Jacksonville Memorial Hospital dietitian Karen Sibert will present information on Jacksonville’s local grocery stores. Jacksonville Poet Laureate Andy Mitchell will provide a presentation on Jacksonville-themed poetry. Boehlke says public historian McKenna Servis will provide an interesting concept about the history of the Jacksonville Development Center, “McKenna’s going to be talking about the state hospital and dark tourism, which is a kind of a new ‘old’ idea. People might be familiar with it by going on haunted tours. I consider that dark tourism.” The showcase will provide 15-20 minute excerpts and overviews of larger lecturers, Boehlke says.

Boehlke says he’s made several adjustments to the program schedule since taking over the program. He says with other events in town earlier in the morning and having an older audience, he wanted to tailor the schedule each day so as many people can attend as possible. Despite the changes in hours and performance times, he says there are some core things he brings back to the program each year, “We’ll also have the Morgan County history timeline out there that I made several years ago. That’s a very popular thing. People like to read that and a few other things on display.”

One of those other things is a complete copy of a series of historical articles published in the Jacksonville Journal-Courier in the early 2000s that Boehlke owns in its entirety. He says people like to flip through the pages and spot interesting items.

“I tried to give people more than just the event, but give people a chance to stand up and walk around and look at that stuff,” Boehlke explains, “Our Town Books is going to be out there, too, selling local history books. The Jacksonville Rotary is going to provide drinks.”

For more information about Prairieland Chautauqua, follow the Morgan County Historical Society page on Facebook, contact Chad Boehlke at [email protected] or call 217-271-7824.

08/31/2025

United Way campaign starts off with a ‘Fore!’

By Ben Cox
The Source Newspaper
Photos/Submitted to The Source

K’s Creek Golf Club was the site of the annual kickoff event for the Prairieland United Way’s annual fundraising campaign on August 21.

Prairieland United Way covers Morgan, Scott, Cass and northern Greene counties and serves nearly 60,000 people. This year’s campaign goal is $475,000. The co-chairs of this year’s campaign are local sports gurus Daniel Hackett and Ryne Turke.

The Thursday night event also served as a “Business After Hours” event for the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce. Attendees could play simulated golf and enjoy beverages from local celebrity bartenders.

The bartenders included Ginny Fanning, Audra Nelson, Lisa Musch, Brittany Henry, Rachel Maguire, Mandy Leib, Gary Scott and Mark Whalen.

Sherri Trace and Jerry Best also were announced as the winners of the LEGO and Mega Bloks raffles. Overall, the campaign now sits just shy of 20% of its goal after just the first week.

08/31/2025

Annual hospital race planned for October 18

Special to The Source Newspaper

Online registration is open for the longest-held annual running race in the city.

The Jacksonville Memorial Hospital 5K/10K presented by Gatorade kicks off at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, on the campus of the nonprofit hospital, 1600 West Walnut St. in Jacksonville.

“We welcome both walkers and runners to this event,” said Kevin Eckhoff, race director. “The fast, flat course is ideal for experienced competitors as well as those preparing to complete their first 5K or 10K.”

Online registration is open through Oct. 17. Cost is $32. Register by Oct. 7 to guarantee a race-branded tech shirt. To register online, visit https://raceroster.com/events/2025/107955/jmh-gatorade-5k10k. The registration fee is $37 on the day of the race.

First, second and third place awards will be presented to male and female runners in 13 age categories. In addition, the first 200 runners to cross the finish line receive a custom finisher’s medal and all participants will be eligible to win prize drawings.

In-person registration and packet pick up will be offered from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Springfield Running Center, 2943 West White Oaks Dr. in Springfield. A second opportunity to register in person will be from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5:30-7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, in the main lobby of Jacksonville Memorial Hospital.

Proceeds from this year’s race benefit the Prairieland United Way.

08/30/2025

U of I Extension
Sick plants? Rotate fungicides to prevent resistance

By Chris Enroth
The Source Newspaper

We have hit the other side of the precipitation pendulum. In 2023 and 2024, we experienced drought conditions. Now in 2025, the sump pump sales have surely hit a high note. For instance, Macomb's total July 2024 rainfall averaged around two inches. In 2025, many Macomb rain gauges recorded over ten inches during July.

Outside our waterlogged basements, most of our landscapes have been enjoying the abundant rain. However, with more moisture comes increased pressure from plant disease. In the last month, there has been an increase in plant questions stemming from fungal infections.

Identify the pathogen

Disease management in the home landscape can seem daunting. According to Michigan State University Extension, around 85% of plant diseases are caused by fungi or fungus-like organisms, which often leads to the use of fungicides. Yet at your local garden center, there may be over a dozen fungicide products to choose from to help control plant disease. How do you know which fungicide is right for your situation?

Plant diseases encountered in your backyard must be treated on a case-by-case basis. First, you must identify the disease. Through proper identification, you will gain knowledge of the disease’s lifecycle and when it can be treated. Knowing the plant species will inform what cultural practices can be done to minimize the use of chemical application, and what should be used if it comes to a fungicide.

For fungal infections, several cultural practices should be done first to help prevent the disease from overwhelming landscape plantings. Improve air and light within plants through proper pruning, make sure areas drain properly and correctly space plants so they are not overcrowded.

When cultural practices fail, sometimes a fungicide application for fungal diseases is warranted. Avoid using the same chemical repeatedly to treat plant disease. Like all pesticides, fungicides should be rotated to keep the disease organism from building up resistance to the product. And verify that you are dealing with a treatable plant disease. Your local Illinois Extension office can help with diagnosis. Because field diagnosis can be tricky, with many plant diseases resembling other issues, we often recommend submitting samples to the University of Illinois Plant Clinic.

Selecting fungicides

Following a disease diagnosis, it is time to determine treatment. When selecting what fungicides to rotate, first check to see what active ingredient(s) will successfully treat the fungal pathogen. The active ingredient should be listed on the front of each product, and the product label will specify what pests can be controlled with the active ingredient.

Contact and systemic fungicides

There are two types of fungicides: contact fungicides and systemic fungicides. Contact fungicides are sprayed on plant surfaces and are not absorbed. They act as a protectant against infection. Systemic fungicides are absorbed by the plant tissue and may move very little within the plant or spread throughout the plant. Systemic fungicides can suppress disease after it has infected the plant.

Prevent disease resistance by rotating active ingredients

Once you have identified a list of products whose active ingredient will treat the diagnosed fungal disease, check the active ingredients' FRAC code. FRAC stands for Fungicide Resistance Action Committee, a worldwide consortium of scientists representing fungicide manufacturers. Their goal is to prevent plant disease from building up resistance to chemical treatments. To rotate fungicides, select products from your list that have different FRAC codes.

FRAC codes can help in rotating active ingredients

The FRAC code distinguishes the mode of action of different active ingredients. The mode of action is how the active ingredient controls the other living organism, in this case, fungal organisms. Different chemicals may share the same mode of action against the target organism. FRAC codes help to separate active ingredients in how they work on the target pest. The more FRAC codes you can alternate, the less likely resistance will develop.

Some products, such as chlorothalonil, copper or sulfur, are listed under the FRAC code ‘M.’ This means these active ingredients target multiple biochemical sites and are low-risk for resistance development. Nevertheless, it is always advisable to incorporate a rotation of any pesticide you use in the home landscape.

Preventative versus curative treatments

These two types of treatment can be a bit misleading. When it comes to infected plant tissue, there is often no cure to make it healthy again. To make a comparison, fungicides act like sunscreen for humans. Sunscreen will help prevent a sunburn, but it cannot cure a sunburn once it has occurred. Fungicides operate in a similar way on plants. Most fungicide treatment is to prevent infection from occurring. The spraying of fungicides often coincides with recurring disease in a particular location. If a portion of the lawn or landscape plants has routinely been getting infected, we know a fungicide may help prevent that from occurring next year. But the chemical needs to be applied before infection occurs. Documenting to record the timing of disease appearance, plant species identification, and proper disease diagnosis all play a role in knowing when to apply a preventative fungicide treatment.

Even products labeled as curative fungicide treatments will not turn sick plant tissue into healthy tissue, but they can prevent the further spread of disease. In my mind, fungicide treatments, either preventative or curative, both still operate as a preventative; it's just some can be applied after infection to slow or prevent the spread of a disease to other plants or plant parts.

Rotate, rotate, rotate

The main point of using any pesticide is to rotate the types you are using. It is not uncommon for me to have a conversation with a client who states they have been treating their lawn for years to prevent a particular disease, and now, for some reason, their treatment is not working. It can be easy once we find something that works to stick with it and use it over and over again; however, this sets up a perfect opportunity for a disease to adapt to that one treatment, which means it will never work again once resistance occurs.

Good Growing Tip of the Week: Systemic fungicides are absorbed by the plant tissue to protect from infection. While this may sound advantageous, systemic fungicides have the highest risk of developing resistance.

08/30/2025

YMCA hosts United Way family event

By Ben Cox
The Source Newspaper
Photos/Submitted to The Source

The Prairieland United Way and the Bob Freesen YMCA partnered together for a unique, fun, family-oriented event on August 17 to help start the United Way’s annual fundraising campaign and to show off the many amenities at the YMCA.

There were several prizes given away in a special raffle to help raise funds for the Prairieland United Way as they embark on their six-month journey to raise $475,000 for the United Way’s programs. Families were able to enjoy all that the YMCA has to offer as well as free books donated by Bound to Stay Bound, a cookie decorating station, snacks donated by Hy-Vee and a coloring station.

Rabbi Rob Thomas said in a post to his page that he was delighted with the turnout, “The attendance was excellent, and higher than I expected for a first-time event - it was truly a success! What is a measure of success? Lauren [Thomas]’s cookie decorating table had 108 cookies decorated by the kids - and perhaps an adult or two.”

The event kicked off a series of events during the Prairieland United Way’s 2025 campaign kickoff week. On August 19, residents were asked to give back through an ImpactLife blood drive at CNB Bank & Trust on West Morton Avenue.

‘Dine United Wednesdays’ kicked off on August 20 at Papa Murphy’s. Each Wednesday through the end of October at a selected restaurant, patrons can dine in or carry out, with a portion of the proceeds going to the annual campaign. Patrons can drop their receipt with their phone number on it in a drawing for a $20 gift card to the previous week’s participating restaurant.

The finale of the kickoff week was on August 21, when members of the community enjoyed a celebrity bartender night at K’s Creek.

08/29/2025

Going home with the big prize
Franklin’s Conner Robinson wins grand champion rabbit market pen at the Illinois State Fair

By Ben Cox
The Source Newspaper
Photos/Submitted to The Source

Franklin High School started school on Wednesday, August 13. One student was missing from class as he was beginning his trek to become a grand champion at the Illinois State Fair.

Conner Robinson has been showing rabbits for seven years now. He’s won several awards, including Best of Breeds at local county fairs and some best of variety awards at the National Havana rabbit breed show in Sedalia, Missouri in 2019. He recently won the rabbit meat pen competition at the Morgan County Fair in July.

Robinson’s Morgan County Fair winning rabbits aged out of competition before the Illinois State Fair, so he had to put together a couple of new sets of rabbits to enter.

“A rabbit meat pen consists of three rabbits and they must be a commercial type breed that basically means they are suitable for meat production,”

Robinson explained, “They must meet the criteria set forth by the breed’s standard of perfection. Meat pens must be 70 days or less when shown and must weigh at least 3 1/2 pounds and no more than 5 1/2 pounds. They also cannot have any disqualifications like poor teeth, abscesses … [and must have] correct toe nail color and be free from any other defects. They are fed pellet feed and must have access to fresh clean water at all times. They are kept in cages with wire floors to keep them clean. The closer to show, they are weighed weekly, and then almost daily, to make sure the three rabbits are close in weight. It is very challenging to get three uniform rabbits in weight, body type, flesh condition and fur condition.”

One of the two sets that Robinson entered at the Illinois State Fair finished first in the California class while the other finished third. Robinson’s first-place group moved on to the Saturday evening judging for grand champion and won.

Robinson says the whole experience was overwhelming for him and his parents, “So many emotions, shocked and still trying to grasp it. There were a lot of great meat pens on the judging table. I am just honored to be able to experience this. After winning, I didn’t realize how many people from Morgan County and people I have shown rabbits with over the years that reached out to congratulate me and my family.”

Robinson had to spend time with his rabbits for 12 hours each day of the fair. On Wednesday, Gov. JB Pritzker toured the barns ahead of the Governor’s Sale of Champions. Robinson spent upwards of 20 minutes in conversation with the governor and got pictures.

Robinson’s rabbits earned $5,500 in the grand champion sale, going to AgriVest Farm Management, Field Level Agriculture, Edward Teefey and Farmers State Bank of Mt. Sterling, and Prairieland FS.

A portion of the proceeds will go to Robinson for use in continuing to raise rabbits or helping to pay for his college education. “I am really a history buff. I have thoughts about majoring in history and possibly teaching history after college,” Robinson says.

Robinson wasn’t the only local who took home a host of ribbons from the Illinois State Fair. Bryce Clayton of Scott County won grand champion market lamb, with the animal selling for $8,500 during the Grand Champions sale. Jones Meat & Locker of Jacksonville also won the competitions for champion bacon and champion beef jerky.

Robinson, who is entering his sophomore year at Franklin High School and is a member of Apple Creek Clovers 4-H and Franklin FFA, will certainly have plenty of stories to tell his friends as he returns to school.

08/26/2025

Rib-Stock is coming!
Alvin Eades Center hosts annual fundraiser

By Ben Cox
The Source Newspaper

The Alvin Eades Center, located in Jacksonville, provides residential care for individuals with developmental disabilities who are Deaf or have a communication disorder.

The first home to be constructed, located at 905 West Superior Ave., was made possible through the Eades Foundation. The center is named after Alvin Eades, who provided the funds necessary to establish the program for the purpose of caring for his granddaughter. The Eades family still has family members supported by the facility.

The center was built in 1984 on a five-acre tract of land. The Alvin Eades Center is now licensed to operate two homes. The Community Integrated Living Arrangement for Ladies on Superior Avenue is licensed by the Illinois Department of Human Resources and houses eight women.

The Intermediate Care Facility for Men was built in 1993, and is located at 1000A West Michigan Ave. The men’s facility currently houses 16 men, and is licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Eades Foundation also provided the land for the construction of the Jacksonville Community Center for the Deaf, adjacent to the home on Superior Avenue.

Rib-Stock 2025, a fundraiser for the Alvin Eades Center, is taking place on Saturday, Sept. 27 at the American Legion Post 279 in Jacksonville. Event organizers Adrienne Austin, Michelle Black and Sierra Hunt say that the original brainstorm for the event came about because one of the previous organizers wanted to do a benefit for a different type of charity.

“It originally started out as an animal benefit, but that didn’t work out,” Black says, “so they came to Alvin Eades [Center] and let us have the benefit.”

They also wanted to do a cook-off for a different type of food. “You know we have the pulled pork judging at the Kiwanis Braggin’ Rights BBQ and there’s the chili cook-off. We wanted to do something that’s less time intensive and less expensive,” says volunteer Gordon Gibbs, “You can time your ribs out. It’s a lot less stressful. You can work on the open category while those are heating up.”

Alvin Eades Center Director Breanna Martinez says that out of the brainstorm session, ribs were specifically chosen to be the featured food because it would be different than all of the other cook-offs in the area. She says that another idea also came about, “We discussed a battle of the bands because we want to incorporate music into the event, and wanted to give a local band an opportunity. With the help of Chick Fritz in Springfield, they gave us a gateway into that by having the first prize being the beer tent concert at the [Illinois] State Fair.” The organizers said the first year’s version of the event drew a good crowd, but they hope this year will be even bigger.

Martinez says the entry fees for both competitions will go right back to support the needs of residents at the Alvin Eades Center. “All of our residents have a set income because of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security,” Martinez explains, “Their allowance is pretty small on a monthly basis. If they have any extra costs, like if somebody’s eyeglasses break and the State of Illinois won’t pay for a new pair for another year or two, they have to pay that out of pocket or through the agency’s funds. This is a way to help cover those types of costs. It will also help with things like community activities. Since not a lot of them have the extra spending money to go shopping or to go to the movies or go bowling, this will help offset that cost for the resident so they can all participate.”

Bands and cooks have an entry fee of $50. Bands can submit their audition to [email protected] no later than September 12. From there, five bands will be selected to perform in the battle at Rib-Stock on September 27 from 12-5 p.m. at the Jacksonville American Legion.

For cooks, four are allowed per team. Each team will get three racks of ribs. There will also be an open category for judging.

Doors open for Rib-Stock at 11 a.m., with rib sampling taking place in the afternoon. A silent auction and 50/50 raffle will also be available that day, and the event will finish with a live performance by The Get Down from 5-7 p.m.

For more information or to register, email [email protected] or call 217-245-9898.

08/26/2025

Lillie Brown, Miss Illinois’ Teen 2025, will represent the State of Illinois at Miss America’s Teen in Orlando, Florida, August 31–September 6, 2025. The competition will take place at The Walt Disney Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, with preliminaries and finals throughout the week.

Brown, 16, is the daughter of Ted and Sissy Brown of Jacksonville. She is passionate about her community service initiative, Crowned in Confidence: Empowering Strong Digital Citizens, which focuses on online safety, cyberbullying prevention, and building digital confidence. She has partnered with Illinois lawmakers and the Family Online Safety Institute to distribute online safety agreements to sixth graders across the state. She is also leading a statewide speaking tour that is reaching thousands of students through schools and youth organizations.

In addition to her advocacy work, Brown is a talented dancer and will perform a lyrical routine to “Thank God I Do” as her competition talent. She dances competitively with Legacy Dance Complex, is a member of the Springfield Youth Performance Group, and also coaches young dancers, using her love of dance as a way to express herself and inspire others.

How to Watch

Livestream: Teen preliminaries and the Teen Final Show available on PageantVision.com

Event Venue: The Walt Disney Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando, FL

Key Dates (CT): Teen Preliminary Night – Tue, Sept 2, 6:00 p.m.; Talent Competition – Thu, Sept 4, 4:00 p.m.; Teen Finals – Sat, Sept 6, 6:00 p.m.

08/26/2025

Health with the Hamels
Reducing your use of plastic

By Justin and Clara Hamel
The Source Newspaper

As discussed last week, plastic is everywhere. It is wrapped around our food, woven into our clothing, used to package our cleaning and personal care products, and it is used in the engineering of many household goods and appliances. The convenience of a light material that resists decay, is waterproof and is inexpensive to produce created an explosion of use over the last 60 years. However, the convenience comes at a high cost to our health and environment. The good news is you can take simple steps to drastically reduce your plastic exposure and consumption. To follow are a few easy tips to do so:

• Store food in glass or stainless steel containers. Mason jars are an easy and versatile solution and, as a bonus, they can help your produce last a few extra days.
• Keep a stainless steel or glass reusable drink container full of water with you at all times. This will reduce the likelihood of needing to buy plastic bottles while you are out.
• When available, choose foods encased in paper packaging or glass jars. Also, reducing your reliance on processed foods can greatly reduce your plastic footprint at the grocery store.
• When you shop, bring reusable bags made of cloth or canvas instead of relying on
single-use plastic bags. For produce, mesh or fabric bags are a great alternative to plastic.
• When purchasing children's toys, consider wooden toys. Melissa & Doug and PlanToys are two great options. For teething rings, go with ones made of 100% food grade silicone or natural rubber.
• Switch to glass, food grade silicone or stainless steel containers to pack lunches. Instead of plastic baggies, embrace beeswax wraps, another wonderful and versatile option for food storage and packaging. (Bonus: We have a local business, Nothing Fancy, that creates and produces adorable beeswax wraps right here in Jacksonville.)
• Stop using straws or pack your own stainless steel straw.
• Make your own cleaning products using glass bottles.
• When possible, store toys, blankets, etc. in natural woven baskets and not in plastic tubs.
• For personal care products, seek out those housed in glass containers or cardboard tubes.
• Choose natural materials like linen, cotton and bamboo for clothing and forgo those made of acrylic, polyester and nylon.

Reducing reliance on plastics is not impossible, but it does take time and effort. Taking small but consistent steps like choosing reusable options, buying more consciously and refusing unnecessary plastics can dramatically cut your reliance on and exposure to the harmful effects of plastic. Remember, every choice adds up, and we have the power to decide if our actions will drive change toward a cleaner, healthier world.

Dr. Justin Hamel and Clara Hamel have a combined over 30 years of experience in health fields. Reach them at 1° Performance & Longevity, located at 46 N. Central Park Plz., Suite 101, in Jacksonville, on Facebook or by phone at 217-243-6358.

08/25/2025

A bad case of the “as ifs”

By Patsy Kelly
The Source Newspaper

“Dear heart,
I’m in the ‘as if’ world where no one else but me understands. My dearest love has left this earth. Since then, traffic continues to roll, bills come due, days roll into weeks and seasons have even changed. It’s “as if” my love was never here. No one else seems to notice. Everything moves forward, without a hitch. Almost. People in the grocery store pass by with a smile. People in the post office look as though nothing has changed.
Don’t they know? Don’t they recognize? Isn’t it obvious that everything has changed? Isn’t it clear that the world is tilting at a dangerous angle? My love has left this earthly orb and nothing, absolutely nothing remains the same.
My dear, aching heart, you understand, don’t you? I want to scream at this world. I want to shout at the top of my lungs, ‘This isn’t right! Nothing is the same! Nothing will ever be the same!’”

Such is the letter we might write to ourselves in our dark hours. Those are the hours when our grief overwhelms and isolation imprisons. It is one of the loneliest times of life when we are surrounded by people who fail to understand the depth of our grief. We live in a world that continues unaltered when, for us, everything has turned upside down.

If prolonged, this sensation of isolation in grief can become a prison of our own making. Hence, it helps to recognize the signs and to find some remedies. It won’t change the fact that our loved one has died, but it will help us to begin to grow larger than the loss.

One, we can recognize and honor the pain. It is real. It is personal. It is persistent. Denial of pain is denial of self; and we refuse to cause ourselves more agony.

Two, we can describe it. Write it. Sing it. Wail it, if we must. Tell on it, to a trusted soul. A pain shared is a pain lessened.

Three, we can remind others. That doesn’t mean we bring up our loss at every lapse in a conversation. It does, however, mean that when a memory floats to the surface, we courageously voice it to someone. We give permission to name our loved one, who was real and is real still, to us.

Four, we can recreate routines. We don’t have to stay in ruts that don’t enliven us, just because lethargy says “why bother?” We can try tea instead of coffee, walk in the mornings, breathe deep in meditative quiet. We can begin listening to our bodies tell us we are alive.

Five, we can pull away from persons, places and practices that no longer enliven. “But you’ve always joined us” doesn’t have to be a persuasion that drags us back into a group that doesn’t enrich our days. Self-giving is not selfish.

For information about the Grief Group, email [email protected].

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