Above / May Watts Park is among more than 130 neighborhood parks in Naperville. Find entrances to the park along Sequoia, Whispering Hills and Oakton roads in the heart of the City. (PN Photo)
Longtime readers know my early morning walks usually lead to a natural treasure called May Watts Park. Other walkers who notice my camera in hand often ask if I’m looking for anything special to photograph.
“Just good nature,” I sometimes say with a shrug.
And after a hot summer with shades of green dotted with colorful wildflowers, sounds of birds, sights of waterfowl and amazing reflections in May Watts Pond, the amber shades and sepia tones of autumn inspire singing.
Are you surprised I know all the lyrics to “Harvest Moon”?
The songs I like best are ones that tell stories. Words set to music written about ups and downs connect.
Some days are easier to look up and see the bright side with Monty Python more than others. Certainly, September was filled with some tough days.
Welcome October!
Here we go with the stimulating crunch of fallen leaves underfoot and prayers for fruitfulness, misty mornings and a bittersweet sense of change.
Moving right along, I’m reminded of the inspirational thoughts by songwriter Carole King. Back in 1971, she wrote, “You’ve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face… And show the world all the love in your heart.”
To me, King’s beautiful “Beautiful” presents a simple message about having faith in my responsibility to take care of myself and showing affection for the freedom around me while I respect nature, too.
When I write these monthly commentaries, I’m sensitive to truth, thoughts and trust, mindful that chosen words matter and deeds might have a direct impact on others. While it’s oftentimes rewarding to think many individuals and publicists want us to share their news with our readers, in our hearts, we’ve learned sadly that we can’t trust all news to be true.
In God We Trust
The Merriam-Webster publishers released news in late September that its collegiate edition is adding a whole bunch of new words and definitions to its latest edition.
If trendy terms such as “dad bod,” “hard pass” or “side-eye,” make you wonder, Merriam-Webster promises to help by offering a hard copy for book lovers —and let us add for Scrabble players.
The publisher announced that definitions of these new words are among the 5,000-plus additions to the 12th edition of its Collegiate Dictionary. The big book will be released in November, the first fully revised Collegiate Dictionary in 22 years.
And we wonder how much of the latest edition will remain the same.
For instance, consider the current entry “e pluribus unum, Latin phrase, e plu·ri·bus unum : out of many (states or colonies), one (nation) — used on the Great Seal of the U.S. and on several U.S. coins.”
“E pluribus unum” has been a motto of the United States since the earliest days of the Republic.
While the official motto of the U.S. now is “In God We Trust,” it’s noteworthy that the phrase was not officially adopted as the national motto until 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into law. Previously it had appeared on U.S. coins starting in 1864 during the Civil War; yet it didn’t replace the de facto motto “E pluribus unum” until the mid-fifties.
Together
Families and friends in attendance at the annual Sept. 11 Observance at the Cmdr. Dan Shanower 9-11 Memorial likely noted the frequent emphasis of the word “together” during heartfelt remarks by both Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres and emcee Marty Walker.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary offers a variety of definitions for “together.” As an adverb, together has a whole bunch of meanings. As an adjective, the meaning that struck me most defines together as “composed, free from emotional or mental agitation.”
Growing up, our family ate dinner together every evening, promptly at 5:30PM. My dad owned a construction business and right after dinner, he spent another hour or two checking jobs in progress in order to know where to send crews the next day.
My dad was Catholic and my mother was Methodist. Every meal began with “Grace Before Meal” by my dad.
My two younger brothers and I said the grace my mother taught us.
We thank thee Lord for happy hearts
For rain and sunny weather.
We thank thee Lord for this our food
And that we are together.
I’ll always cherish those family dinners together. Family time already was being challenged in the 1990s when our three kids were young. Yet, I’m mindful of folks who continue to serve family dinners every Sunday.
Thanks for reading.
– Stephanie Penick
PN Publisher
