Speaking

Freedom of Speech is an interesting concept.

Cooking challenge

You know you need to step up your cooking game when you are told by the person leaving for several days that pizza joints and Jimmy Johns make deliveries.

You are getting married, young man

Young man,

It is your wedding day. Congratulations.

You have found that one you want to share your life, dreams and all in between with.

Good for you.

I have watched you grow from a boy who liked Ninja Mutant Turtles, to a teen who sang Bon Jovi's It's My Life over and over after getting the CD for Christmas; to playing tennis and chess at high school.

All the time having a big heart.

You have been challenged a lot. You have done well in conquering with the help of a lot of loving family members.

We are all so proud.

We are happy to add your wife to the fun. loving dysfunctional family.

Your marathon is beginning, each year you celebrate your anniversary is another mile.Be warned, it will not be easy.

When two become one, the art of compromise is a very, very difficult lesson.

But I know you and your spouse will work together.

Together nothing can stop the couple.

All you need do is look at your sister and her husband. They are growing each and every moment.

They have caught lightning in a bottle.

They continue to harvest it.

God bless you young man.

I love you.

You say goodbye to a love one.

You're not alone.

You are covered.

Even though you are exhausted, sad and seeing a world in slow motion, you're not alone.

You say goodbye to a love one.

A person who gave you life. Who guided you through the wonder years.

A person you butted heads with.

What does he know. He is a man. I have issues as a woman he could never understand.

Oh, he did understand.

It was hard to see the love and concern he had.

Then when you were an adult, he also became the man who added wisdom to your trials and tribulations.

How dare someone take him away now.

Yes, he was old and health not the best. But I need him now and forever.

In time, you will feel him at that moment and always.

Look at your heart.

There will be a warm glow.

Those you love Those who raised you. Those who made a difference.

They are there.

Your parents may leave this earth.

Never ever believe they don't have you covered.

They will always have your back.

The use of the word satisfied

I wrote a story about the police catching and arresting a man believed to be responsible for more than a half dozen incidents of flashing and masturbating in front of women.

All but one incident occurred at one of the public parks in the area. It is scenic and trails wind down to the Kankakee River.

On Sept. 5, he was apprehended after someone saw him acting weird, dashing in and out of bushes and following women.

A sexual abuse advocate was in the courtroom as well.

Afterwards she told me she was relieved they caught him. There were red flags he was getting bolder and ready to do more, meaning he was escalating or getting ready to assault victims.

After his initial court appearance, I came back from the courthouse and announced they had caught the perv.

Rather than use masturbated in the story, I used "sexually satisfied" himself.

I received an email from an attorney I know, he asked about the use of satisfied.

I answered the prosecutor used the word mastubated and the man was smiling.

I used sexually satisfied to tone down things in our little Midwest paper.

In hindsight, it might have been best to use masturbated,

Sexually satisfied sounds titillating or salacious.

It leads me to this.

It may be a good idea to not make little of these criminal activities.

This ended with the man being apprehended after trying to run down a sheriff's deputy.

The public indecency charges are misdemeanors. The aggravated assault of the officer is a felony.

There is nothing salacious or titillating about that.

Find what's still enjoyable

We are transitioning from summer to fall.

We are transitioning in lef as well.

Darned if the journey has come to another fork in the road. I thought that only happened once every 10 years, rather than what feels like every 10 weeks.

"Hang in there. Find what's still enjoyable and focus on that," the wise man says.

So here I am looking back to move forward.

I hate it.

I must remember to be patient.

That's right. That's what Mom always says.

Much easier to blame yourself when you are 8 rather than 56.

The answers come in time.

These forks in the road are good for something.

I must remember to take inventory of all the good things there are in life.

Doing that will aid in finding what is enjoyable.

I hate it when a Mets fan gets it right.