ReGen

“You’re never too old to do the next thing,” says Margaret Ann Jessup. “You can’t be afraid. Trust your heart. It’s never perfect.” Jessup, who lives with her family in Divernon, is executive director of Wooden It Be Lovely (WIBL), a nonprofit organization that employs women suffering from poverty, drug addiction and abuse and helps […]

It’s halftime in your life. Have you prepared for retirement? What if you’re behind – and not just by a few points – but way behind? Nearly two-thirds of all Americans near retirement age say they don’t feel financially prepared (Edwards Jones 2022). Survey results vary wildly, but at least 25% have nothing saved for […]

Max Mitchell of Champaign and Patty Williams of Centralia like to go up, up and away in some beautiful balloons. Longtime licensed hot air balloon pilots, the two are part of an enthusiastic group who plan to get high this summer. You can join the fun by heading to a variety of events in and […]

As events may be canceled or rescheduled at the last moment, please first check with the host or venue when making plans to attend an event. ONGOING History Comes Alive Through Aug. 7 at various locations. Enjoy hikes, neighborhood walking and biking tours, presentations, exhibitions and even ice cream socials – all part of the […]

“Growing older happens to everyone, but growing wiser happens to those who awaken to a greater sense of meaning and purpose in life,” writes renowned storyteller and scholar Michael Meade in Awakening the Soul (Greenfire Press, 2018). Looking for a deep response to a troubled world, Meade reminds us of the role that genuine elders […]

Reggie Guyton, from Springfield, has been doing theater for close to 20 years. His current project is directing the Muni’s performance of Ragtime The Musical, June 17-19 and 22-26. He is also a regular actor on staff at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Guyton recently took the time to give ReGeneration his thoughts […]

Delivered by Ms. Boykins, the local midwife, on Oct. 1, 1943, in Camden, Alabama, Virgil Julius Rhodes, Jr. made his entrance into the world as the first son of Virgil Sr. and Edna Bonner Rhodes. Virgil Jr. would be the eldest of three, born to the couple who met at Alabama State Teachers College for […]

When Steve Harlin and Lisa Coleman decided to grow lavender in the middle of corn and soybean farms north of Macomb, neighbors were curious. “When we first started, people thought we were growing pot,” Steve says with a chuckle. Allison Snow, owner of Farmhouse Harvest Lavender near Benton, faced even more reaction when she sought […]

In early 2016, at the age of 63, I started losing central vision in my left eye. Through the guidance of medical experts and better health habits, my eye has returned to normal without expensive long-term treatments. The problem In 2016 I started having trouble reading the morning newspapers. So I went to my optometrist, […]