Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Of teddies, ‘hurry canes’ and rings
Since running the column about Jackson, the little fellow who lost Teddy — his teddy bear guardian and best friend — I’ve received quite an unusual number of calls and emails expressing empathy. It seems like many of us — young, old and in between …
Lost and Found: Boy learns a powerful lesson
On April 30, I shared the sad story of a toddler named Jackson. While out on a play date in Bolingbrook, Jackson lost his very best friend in the world, a multicolored teddy bear named Teddy. Now, teddy bears are an important part of the …
Lost and Found: Injured woman loses the ashes of her brother
It takes a mere catastrophic second to change one’s life completely. I was 29 years old, sailing along on the back of my horse. One second, I was taking on a 3-foot jump. The next, I was on the ground, my leg crushed. One second. …
Lost and Found: ‘Teddy’ brought comfort to ill toddler
Many folks have a secret (or not-so-secret) security blanket or good-luck charm. For some, it’s a St. Christopher medal hanging from the rearview mirror to prevent mishaps. Others wear a “lucky shirt” to a job interview, or keep the first dollar they’ve earned in a …
Lost and Found: ‘Earth guardian’ finds an iPhone
Pat Manske of Joliet is truly a “good citizen,” a commodity becoming rarer and rarer with each passing year. Many of us — myself included — have degrees of difficulty cleaning up our messes, much less anonymous messes made by strangers.
Not Manske. She not …
Lost and Found: Shoe goes AWOL during birthday celebration
On Saturday, March 23, Sarah Kowalski and her lifelong friend, Mayra, went shopping in celebration of their birthdays.
“Mayra and I were born four days part. Every year, we go shopping either at Water Tower Place or Oak Brook Center,” Kowalski said. “We’ve been doing …
Lost and Found: Woman gets feline surprise for April Fools’ Day
Margaret Hawkins and her husband live on the far northwest reaches of Will County on the remains of what was once a working farm. A country girl at heart, Hawkins loves the idea of having plenty of room for their three dogs, Amazon parrot and …
Lost and Found: Lost ring brightens up a gray winter day
It’s April, and in my estimation, Mother Nature owes us. What the heck happened last month? We got through January and half of February with very little snow and mild temperatures. It appeared as if “Old Man Winter” was in an unusually jolly mood — …
Lost and Found: ‘Fifty Shades’ heist interrupts a hot read
You’d have to be an ascetic not to have heard of the scorching, hot trilogy by author, E. L. James, that began with “Fifty Shades of Grey.” I have not read the series — and not because I’m a prude. It’s simply that I turn …
Lost and Found: Rosary evokes old memories
With a brand new pope in The Vatican, it seems an appropriate time to share a poignant find by Jyme Shepherd of Joliet — a violet rosary made of glass. The rosary conjured up haunting images from my youth.
In first grade at Our Lady …
Lost and Found: What’s behind lost rings?
There seems to be a score of lost wedding rings these days. In some cases, weight loss — resulting in bony fingers — is the cause. Such was the case with Chuck Dzak of Shorewood, whose story I shared last Tuesday.
In other instances, cold …
Lost and Found: A side effect of losing weight
Believe it or not, there’s a downside to losing weight. Just ask Chuck Dzak of Shorewood. This disciplined gent deprived himself of his favorite toothsome morsels for months, bravely ignoring the persistent roar of his empty stomach. He walked instead of riding, and learned to …
Lost and Found: Unsung hero loses wallet performing noble deed
You’ve likely heard the adage: No good deed goes unpunished. Perhaps you’ve even lived it.
You know how it goes — you help your neighbor push his Chevy Tahoe out of a snow bank and end up covered in slush. Or, the moment you loan …
Lost and Found: Honesty makes living worthwhile
Mark Wetherbee of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — formerly of Joliet — contacted me a couple of weeks ago, asking if I wanted some good news.
Of course, I wanted good news. Heaven knows, there’s enough bad news in this world to fill the depths of …
Lost and Found: Grave robbers deserve ill luck
Grave robbing has always been a profitable pastime for macabre crooks who prey on the dead. Since antiquity, society has come up with some pretty creative ways to discourage would-be grave-robbers.
If Boris Karloff movies are any measure, the ancient Egyptians dealt most effectively with …
Lost and Found: Honesty is such a rare virtue these days
I don’t know about you, but I’m thrilled January is over. True, it hasn’t been a particularly harsh winter — so far — but winter is winter. It’s dark, it’s cold and it’s gray. It has snowed just enough to make driving miserable, but not …
