Features

The recent tornado and severe storms warnings gave one pause to think about how Fayette County would be prepared to cope with a devastating disaster situation.

This week, in the traditional season of the giving of gifts,  Fayette Faces continues the theme of “Unwrapped Gifts” with  the story of the Sprague sisters and the life-giving gift Becca gave to her sister, Samantha.
Becca gave Samantha the chance of a better life through the ”unwrapped gift” of a kidney.
The most precious of gifts are not wrapped in pretty paper and ribbons, but rather in the love, compassion and caring of the giver, the gifts from the heart. Meet Becca and Samantha Sprague.

This week’s Fayette Faces is the third in the theme of “Unwrapped Gifts.” Probably the most precious of all gifts are not wrapped in pretty paper and ribbons. Rather, they are wrapped with the warmth and caring love of the heart of the giver(s) … and that is what these stories are about.
This week, it is about many people working together to make life a little better for those who have already given for others – our veterans – in the VA hospitals and also those who are homeless.

“Many hands make light work” is an old adage that, according to Ben Forbis, chairman of the Emmanual Methodist Church Board, is true … to some extent.
As the poem that accompanies this story indicates, the church stands on the prairie land in Sefton, north of Brownstown, as it has for over a century.
In these days of extravagant, beautiful and ornate buildings, part of the charm of the Emmanuel Church in its country setting is the refreshing simplicity, which it has retained all these many years.

During a recent visit to Brookstone Estates, members of the Sefton Unit of Home and Community Education were talking about their current project, “Little Dresses for Africa.”
A resident sitting nearby overheard the conversation and asked for, and received, a pattern.
Much to the club’s surprise, the resident soon had several of the dresses ready for the HCE project – the final products being like those done by a professional seamstress … and given with the promise of more to come.

Betty Miller recently presented the Friends of the Brownstown Branch Library with a photo album that holds a part of Brownstown’s history, a part of her late husband’s legacy.
It is inscribed: “Presented to the Brownstown Branch Library, Aug. 24, 2010; Celebraton Memorial of the 125th Anniversary of Brownstown, June 24-25, 1995, Brownstown, Illinois,”  presented by the family of Mayor Jesse Miller, Betty, Julia and Ted.”

Last week-Adrian Curley’s story began with his birth mother, Janet, giving him up for adoption…because of her love for him,  And of his adoptive mother’s (Orla Jo)  efforts to help him in his quest to find his birth mother …because of her love for him.
Although all adoption records seemed to be lost to him, Adrian, with the help of his adoptive mother, found his birth mother, Janet.   Janet wrote a poem as she remembered "The first time I saw you through a window’ and telling him good-bye," she thought, forever.

Twenty-five years ago, a 15-year-old girl stood at a hospital nursery window and told her baby son goodbye, with hopes and dreams for his future that she would be unable to give him, and believing that their separation on this earth would be forever.
“The first time I saw you through a window, I said goodbye, and hoped you would understand, and hoped my dreams for your future would come true.”

To paraphrase a familiar old nursery rhyme, “How does the Little Community Garden grow?
“With work and toil, to prepare the soil,
By Master Gardeners and volunteers,
Working side by side through the years.
Tilling, planting and weeding many hours,
To provide the community with food and flowers.
The Little Community Garden, tended with love,
And blessed by the rains and sun, from Heaven above.”

The Vision Planted