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My family and I are amusement park geeks. Always have been.

Non-amusement park aficionados see the long lines as a deterrent. Why spend so much time in line just waiting for the 90 seconds of roller coaster wonderment?

Seems like a waste.

By JILL PERTLER Columnist

Hours:

Hours:

Monday-Friday 9-6 Saturday 9-1

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Admittedly, there is a lot of waiting time while in the parks. Downtime. Standing-inline time. Ho-hum time. Fidget time. Mom, I’m bored time. Dad, I’ve got to go real bad time.

People who don’t appreciate the parks, or places like them, point out the long waits as reason enough to avoid the magic altogether.

That logic used to cause me to pause (often while waiting in line), but then I realized: isn’t most of life about waiting?

Waiting for the park to open. Waiting in line for the biggest rollercoaster. Waiting for the wedding. The births. The birthdays. The holidays. Vacation. The family get-togethers. For graduation. For the new job. For retirement.

Waiting for lunch or dinner. Waiting for the water to boil. Waiting for the garden to grow or the flowers to bloom.

Waiting for the next really big moment, or even the notso-big moments. Standing in the proverbial queue.

Isn’t that life? The majority of the time, day in, day out?

Aren’t we just waiting for The Next Big Thing, or maybe even just waiting for the bathroom?

This, honestly, caused me to gulp. And ponder. And really, really think.

We’re all standing in a queue of one sort or another. It’s inevitable. We can’t ride the rollercoaster every hour of every day of our life.

So we stand (or sit or lie) and we wait. But does waiting have to be simply just that?

I don’t think so.

Therein lies the key

Weekly connection

Waiting in line (in the true or proverbial sense) is a life truth we all experience daily. In rush-hour traffic. At the airport and the grocery store. While on hold with the cell phone company. Waiting for the coffee to brew or the shower water to get hot. Time spent driving to work or pumping gas. Even at home, while waiting for the bathroom.

Standing in the queue is a reality for all us – whether it’s at a theme park or inside our own home.

Waiting is a part daily existence. It is inevitable and unavoidable. It is commonplace.

What we do while waiting, however, doesn’t have to be.

Waiting can be meaningless or meaningful. I propose we attempt to make it the latter.

And it doesn’t have to be anything monumental or life-changing. It can be as inconsequential as putting together a mental grocery list. Or, better yet, a mental gratitude list. Maybe you hum a little tune or repeat a positive mantra or prayer. Maybe you just take a moment or two to focus on the peace within your own being.

If you are standing in a line with others you can tell a joke or play 20-questions or a hearty game of “I spy with my little eye.”

Bottom line, you can be present and do whatever you can to enjoy the moment –with yourself or with others. You can find fun in what appears to be the absence of it. You can discover and create meaning in what seems to be the absence of it. You can corral peace and contentment anytime, anywhere, while simply waiting for the next big moment. Your next big moment.

Even if that moment is waiting for the coffee to brew.

It might not be as exciting as a roller coaster, but it can be just as satisfying.

Am I right? Ponder that. But not for long. There are lots of other, bigger life truths worthy of your time and consideration – while waiting in line, of course.

Jill Pertler is an award-winning syndicated columnist, published playwright and author. Don’t miss a slice; follow the Slices of Life page on Facebook.

The outrageous joy of being a Christian

All throughout my life I have had the privilege of knowing some of the most joyful people that one could ever hope to meet. Now when I talk about joyfulness, I’m not necessarily saying that a person has to be bubbling over with laughter all day long, every day. I’m talking about someone who realizes they are blessed and has a certain peace about them that is unmistakable. Being full of joy doesn’t mean one is “happyhappy-happy all the time-timetime,” as I like to say. It means that there is a confidence that one has in one’s heart that keeps them close to God where one’s foundation and security are. Joy is the result of what a person knows not necessarily what a person feels. When one knows that God the creator is real and that He has not left us here on this planet without a plan, it brings

By SCOTT CERNEK Columnist

a great deal of strength which in turn brings joy down deep in the heart. As a believer in Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, who died and rose again so that I might have eternal life, I am confident that my Savior has placed a joy in my heart that is real. When I was a kid, all of my mom’s siblings exuded such a joy in their lives. They were always laughing and teasing us kids in a fun way. They talked about the Lord as if He was right there in the room with us. You could just feel the love they had for family and for the Lord

in everything they did and spoke. The people we were with at church were also extremely joyful and it became contagious as I grew older and learned more about the work the Holy Spirit was doing in my life. Really, though, I can’t think of anyone who has shared more joy than my own mother. Nothing has ever been able to shake her up. She has a peace and a trust in the Lord that is unshakeable. My dad too, before he went home to heaven last January, was a man who really lived out his faith and trust in Christ and he lived with great joy throughout his life as well. He was free from the penalty of his sin because the Lord had taken it upon Himself on the cross and the result was a light heart and joyful spirit.

When Jesus walked on this earth with His disciples, I believe they were some of the

most joyous people that ever lived. I can see them walking the dusty roads together and laughing and sharing the joy of the Lord together every day as they went from town to town healing the sick and teaching about the joy of the Lord. There’s a verse in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah 8:10. It is a very simple verse that reminds us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. He told the workers who were trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem that they were not to be sour and overwhelmed, but instead to live in the wisdom of the truth of a real God who was with them wherever they went.

Until next week, stay joyful my friends.

You can contact Pastor Scott Cernek at scottcernek@ gmail.com or find him on Facebook and send a message. Thank you.

LARGE LIVE PUBLIC AUCTION

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 • RUNNING TWO RINGS!

Lunch by: Moni • 9 A.M. • Comfort Station Available

LOCATION: Boone Co. Fairgrounds, 8847 IL Rt. 76, Belvidere, IL 61008.

COINS, VEHICLES, ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES, HOUSEHOLD, LOTS OF TOOLS, YARD & MISC. – DRESS FOR THE WEATHER! VEHICLES TO BE SOLD AT 11 A.M. SHARP!

No buyer’s premium on 2012 GMC Yukon & 2019 Honda Pilot ONLY!

OWNERS: C. Pete, S. McQuinn, B. Backe, C. Ogden, S. Velaquez, R. Case, K. Kowal, S. Erickson, J. Reisinger, E. Hoyle, D. Broge & J. Olsen Trustee for M. Meyers & B. Hart, Trustee for B. Slomski.

TERMS: 10% buyer’s premium with 4% discount for cash or check.

LEE AUCTION SERVICE

Belvidere, IL 61008 - Cell # 815-988-0249

AUCTIONEER: LYLE LEE, IL State License #440.000200 / WI #2863-52 CLERKS & CASHIERS: LEE AUCTION SERVICE

Visit our website at www.leeauctionservice.com for terms and check out AuctionLook.com or AuctionZip.com for pictures and more information. 451855

$10 deposit each required for the following items: tires, gas tanks, major appliances. $50 deposit required on titled items, no sale fee on titled items, $50. Buy back fee on non-titled items: $10. For questions call sale manager Lyle Lee at 815-988-0249.

IHC B Farmall with nf, wts, 9-24 tires, PTO, 1946 IHC “A” Tractor with wf, wts, belly Mower, new 11.2-24 tires; 1949 IHC W-6 Standard Tractor with 16.9-30 tires, pulley, fenders; 1928 IHC Farmall Regular Tractor, nf, also extra set steel wheels fit this tractor, to be restored; 1929 McCormick-Deering 10-20, wf, PTO, to be restored; M.F. 1938 Case DC Tractor with fenders, nf, 13.6-38 tires, hyd, PTO, repaint, nice; M.F. 202 Work Bull Loader Tractor with rear wt, 16.9-24 tires, shuttle gear!; M.F. 300 Loader Tractor with 50A Loader, 7’ Bucket, rear wts, flat fenders, 18.4-26 tires. All tractors are running and in clean condition.

TRUCKS AND LIVESTOCK TRAILER: 1986 Ford F350 Pickup XLT 4x4, flat bed, goose neck hitch, high mileage, not running; 1974 Chevrolet C-30 Ambulance Truck; 16’ Cattle Trailer Bumper Hitch; 1968 IHC 1890 Grain Truck, not running; 1967 IHC 1700 Grain Truck, not running.

FARM MACHINERY: IHC 6-16” Bottom 3 pt. Plow with Harrow; Top Air 40’ Trailer Sprayer, 600 gal; IHC 1450 Cadet with deck; IHC 1250 Mix Mill; Fox Forage Blower; J.D. 200 gl. Trailer Sprayer; 2 Fox 3000 Forage Harvestor’s with Corn & Hay Heads; Flow-EZ Bu. Gravity Box with 1074 Gear, nice; JD 953 gear with flair box & hoist; Glencoe 9 shank Chisel Plow with drag; 60’ 8” Auger with elec. Motor; IHC #490-20’ hyd. Fold Disk with flex Harrow; IHC-6R. Front Cultivator; IHC-4R. Front Cultivator; Gehl 72 Green Chopper; 16’ Green Chop Wagon; Kewanee 22’ Flat Fold Cultimulcher;

24’ 4 Section Harrow & cart; IHC 55T Baler with motor; IHC 4 cylinder Ind. Motor; Knight 410 Tandem axle Spreader with dual apron, hyd. Gate, 2 beaters; IHC Cyclo Planter parts; IHC 55T Baler, PTO; JD Rotary Hoe; Cart with End gate Seeder; 18’ Flat rack & Gear; Hesston #10 Stacker; Woods 214 Bat Wing Mower, parts; Cattle Squeeze Chute; 20+ Assort. Pipe Gates; Water Tanks. SHOP – TOOLS (3-4 WAGONS FULL): US General 30 double R.A. Tool Box; HD 12T Bearing Press; Century AC-DC 250-295 Welder; 3 Bench Grinders; 20” Power Hack Saw; 16 Speed Floor Drill Press; 200 amp Battery Charger; 1000 Watt Battery Booster; 12” Craftsman Radial Arm Saw; Hyd. Floor Jack; Porta-Power; 2 Chain Saws; Air Tools; 1” Air Impact; RR Jack; Anvil; Power Mitre Saw; 50+ Nut & Bolt Containers; Milwaukee SawzAll; 1” Sockets; Ladders; Log Chains; 2 hp Demolition Hammers; XC Torch Set; Sand Blaster; Lg. amt. Hand Tools, Sockets, wrenches, etc.

Maple Syrup Pancake Breakfast

Saturday, March 16 • 8-11 a.m.

Byron Forest Preserve Heritage Farm

All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast!

Please

Supporting Christie Cox for Coroner

$6: ages 13 & up • $4: ages 4-12 • Free: ages 3 & under Look for complimentary breakfast tickets handed out to Byron students! Free: tour the farm, find tapped trees, see a working evaporator, view equipment. 8059 North River Road, Byron, IL 61010 815-234-8535 • www.byronforestpreserve.com 451643

Easter Service

Sunday, March 31 at 10:30 a.m.

Middle

middlecreekchurch@gmail.com

61088

I was initially supporting Christie Cox for Coroner simply because I’ve known her for many years and always found her to be a person of integrity. I recently sat down with Christie to discuss some of my concerns about the Coroner’s office, namely that their budget has doubled since I left office in 2018 and, even beyond that growth, they were significantly over their original budget several of those years. I came away from that meeting confident that Christie shares my philosophy of needing to be fiscally conservative while maintaining great service to her constituents. When she is elected, she will run the office like a business, taking a hard look at office practices and spending to eliminate any waste and enhance productivity. Ogle County needs and deserves this kind of conservative leadership. I hope everyone will join me in voting for Christie Cox for Ogle County Coroner on March 19th!

John Coffman

Paid for by John Coffman

Former Ogle County Treasurer (2000 - 2018)

451950

CLUES ACROSS

1. Chaps 5. Currently fashionable

9. Collision

11. More slim

13. European city

15. Implicitly

16. The side of something that is sheltered from the wind

17. The Mount Rushmore State

19. Gold or silver wire cord

21. Muscles along insects’ diaphragm

22. Trent Reznor’s band

23. Sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit

25. Broken branch

26. Indicates ten

27. Expression of annoyance

29. Brings together

31. Ancient city in Thrace

33. Sailors’ spirit

34. Looked into

36. Muckraking woman journalist Rheta

38. A type of cast

39. One’s responsibility

41. Where golfers

SUDOKU

Fun by the Numbers

Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Other For Rent

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familiar/ status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free at 1-900-669-9777. The toll-free tele phone number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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power door locks, power steering, bluetooth stereo, 2-tone paint, excellent tires. This truck is really nice. Must See! Elkhorn, WI. $13,950. (262) 949-6997.