Suzanne Schaffer

I was reminiscing the other day about life in Illinois. Because it wasn't all bad. My kids went to a great school. There was this amazing Jamaican restaurant in U City ( De Palm Tree ). The City Museum was spectacular. Our church secretary was a gem. And bald eagles wintered along the Mississippi river there. Pretty sure the eagles were my favorite thing about life in the STL area. But. There was also Duke Bakery. There aren't many bakeries anymore, most are now in grocery stores and just aren't good. Duke Bakery sat on top of a hill in the middle of a neighborhood in Alton. Finding it was a challenge for this out of town girl. But one day my daughter and I went on a quest. We found the bakery. And I introduced her to the loveliness that is an eclair.   The eclair from Duke Bakery was perfection. I haven't seen one that looked nearly as good since. She still remembers the day I introduced her to the treat. She also remember

My silence for the past couple weeks is due in part to a holiday, too many auctions, a mild medical emergency, and news from a friend that crushed me to the core. Bad news is not an uncommon occurrence. People receive it every day. But when it is given to one of your people it's a different story. It's so easy to pray for the second cousin's neighbor's friend who is diagnosed with cancer. To stop right then and whisper a quick, "Lord, please help them." Even to remember several times to pray. But when it's a friend or someone you love it's much harder. I've found I don't have the words to pray for my friend who heard the words, "stage four cancer in several organs," last week. I don't have words to pray other than, "Jesus, help." I don't have words of comfort to offer either.  And that's exactly what I said. "I don't have words but I love you." Sometimes it's enough to just let t