In this season of giving and receiving, things don't always go the way we planned.
          The other day, a very sick and physically frail man was on an ill-advised shopping trip with his wife. The couple appeared to be in their late sixties or early seventies. The man was leaning on his wife's arm as they made their way around the store; he had temporarily left his wheelchair behind.
          All at once, to my alarm, the man nearly lost his balance. His wife struggled to support him as he slowly regained his footing and started back to his wheelchair. I stood nearby, ready to assist them.
Noticing this, the woman said to her husband, “If she thinks she's going to help you, she's crazy.”
          If I had not been so taken aback by this remark, I might have pointed out that I had reacted by instinct, since I had worked as a caregiver before. As things were, I said nothing, watching as the couple painstakingly made their way back to safety. They left without another word.
          Although I understood that self-reliant pride and perhaps even jealousy had factored into the woman's comment, this incident put a damper on the rest of my day.
          A couple days later, I saw the same woman again. She came toward me and there was nowhere I could go, even though she was really the last person I wanted to see. I was confused, because her body language right then was telling me that she wanted a hug. I was glad that I was holding a clothing hanger in my left hand, because this made me less accessible. Well, she gave me a hug anyway, and of course, I had to hug her back. She told me that her husband was going home to hospice and she wanted to thank me for being there and tell me goodbye.
          So much for Grinch.
          Even though things aren't always the way they seem, we should never be afraid to give to others. Isn't it better to give than receive?

          In last month's column “How Much Is Your Time Worth?”, I made this statement: “Time is love.” What exactly does this little three-word sentence mean?
          What is the most effective way of showing love to other people? Would it be best to give that special person in your life an expensive gift? Maybe if you said “I love you” more often, your family member or friend would know how much they mean to you. But a more powerful way to show love to someone is to spend time with that person.
          There are many ways to spend quality time with someone. The simple act of taking time out of your busy day to listen to someone is appreciated more than you know. By doing this, you are basically saying to the other person “You matter to me and I care about you and what you have to say.”
          Now you might be thinking “But my schedule is so busy! I can barely fit everything in as it is.” In this case, you might want to think about your priorities in life. If most of your time is consumed by work or obligations, you might want to consider a change of pace. Ask yourself who or what is most important to you. Remember that it is entirely within your power to make time for your family and those closest to you. If your daily schedule tends to exclude your loved ones, you might want to think about the three-word sentence “Time is love” - then go do something about it.
          Visit that old family friend who's in the nursing home while you still can. Write to your parents who live out-of-state and let them know you're thinking about them. Spend time with your child before she grows up and moves away from home.
          You might be tempted to lavish your child with the things money can buy. But the love you show him by spending time with him far outweighs the latest “must-have” gadget. The best gift my parents could give me was a moment of their time, whether that was reflected by a walk through the woods, a chance to sit down together and talk, or a critique of my latest piece of artwork.
          You know you can't take it with you. So why spend extra time building it up? Instead, spend time building relationships. As you grow closer to others, they tend to get closer to you.

          “Time is money.” Have you ever heard this saying before? Even if you haven't, this short little statement is easy to understand. You go to work and punch in. You work and earn money until it is time to punch out. A record is kept of the time you spent at work. You bring home a paycheck based on this record of time spent working. Your time turns into money, so to speak.
          What if you get sick and have to take time off work? You start feeling the loss of those earnings and you go back to work when you are able, because time is money.
          Maybe you get caught in a traffic jam. You feel stress because your time – your valuable time – is being wasted. Also your gasoline is being wasted as you sit in traffic. And we all know that gas isn't cheap these days. It costs money, which is made through work – through the use of your time, because time is money.
          Ask yourself why you go to work. Okay, maybe you love your job. But do you think you enjoy it enough that you would still work there if you didn't get a paycheck? Of course not; you live in the real world of bills and taxes, the world where time is money.
          Or is it? Is there a way you enjoy spending your time that earns you no money at all? Do you spend time with your family and friends? Do you have a hobby, play a sport, or care for a pet?
Maybe you even have a favorite activity that costs you money. Do you ever visit a restaurant, go to the cinema, or take a shopping trip?
          If time is money, why do you happily spend your time doing something that either doesn't earn you a cent – or actually takes money from your bank account? Maybe because time is more than money – time is life. And life is not made only of work, bills, and taxes. There is plenty of time for joy in life.
          Time is also love. You spend time with people you love. You spend time doing things you love.
          Is time money? Yes - in the same sense that I can say I am a retail employee. My identity is not confined to my job – just as time is not only money; it is also love and life.
          So when you get caught up in the grind of nine to five, remember this: it's okay to stop and catch your breath once in a while. Lighten up. Don't become so busy chasing the American dream that you forget to live it.

          Have you ever heard the saying “You get what you pay for”? Well, there's a lot of truth to that expression. If you spend less than ten dollars for a watch, would you expect it to keep perfect time? If you buy a cheap plastic “Made in China” toy at a dollar store, would you really be surprised if your child breaks it in less than a day?
          Because I work in retail, I have a front-row seat to observe consumer habits. Of course, I am a consumer myself, so I get both perspectives. The retailer in me appraises products and the consumer in me appreciates a good deal. But I am increasingly finding out that in most cases, you can't “get something for nothing”. Instead, you may find yourself getting nothing for something. You might give half a grand for that car “that needs a little work” and become the proud owner of a vehicle on its last legs (or shall I say 'wheels'). Worse yet, you may get less than nothing. You might lavish repairs on that old car until you realize (a thousand dollars poorer) that it simply isn't worth the effort.
          The idea that “you get what you pay for” not only applies to possessions; it also applies to people – more specifically, services rendered by people. A job done right requires time and time requires money. Try putting yourself in the other person's shoes and ask yourself “If I was offering this service, how much would I charge? How much is my time worth to me?”
          I have a soft spot for starving artists, maybe partially because I am one myself. I still remember an original realistic-style drawing I did some years back – and a brief appraisal by a potential buyer: “Oh, look at that drawing! It looks just like that famous “Dust Bowl” photo by Dorothea Lange! How much is it...thirty dollars? Oh, it's not worth THAT much to me.”
          When we put a low dollar value on a product or service, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised if we end up with lemons. There will always be a cheaper item at such-and-such store. You can always find someone to do a job for less. Maybe the quote you received from that professional painter seemed a little steep. You might think otherwise when the guy that replaced him does such a poor job that you end up paying twice the money to have

          What comes to mind when you hear the word “birthday”? Do you have memories of cake, parties, and gifts? Most people do.
          My family observes birthdays in a unique way. For as long as I can remember, a birthday celebration has meant a fun day spent with Dad.
          As a young man, my dad was the sole breadwinner for our family. He was a waiter in an upscale restaurant when I was young, but he left his position to become self-employed as a tree and yard man. Shortly after that, he started a home repair/remodeling business. His new line of work was better suited to the needs of his growing family. He could now set his own hours and be more involved in his children's lives. He still had to work often to support the family, of course.
          The flexibility of my dad's home-remodeling work made it possible to occasionally take a child to work with him. And so a new birthday tradition was born. Each birthday boy or girl would accompany my dad to work. From there, birthdays soon came to include a special trip to a store or restaurant. Then there were surprises. Some of my favorite birthday memories include hiking through the woods, racing go-carts, and participating in a three-mile race at Brookfield Zoo. Now my dad takes the whole day off when a birthday comes around.
          When you belong to a large family, you quickly learn that the world doesn't revolve around you. Still, it was nice to know that each year, there was one day planned especially for you.
          We never had a lot of money, but we didn't know it. We certainly weren't deprived growing up and we always knew our parents loved us.

          Two months ago, I introduced my big family to you. Now I would like to introduce my family's garden. How many acres does it take to feed our large family? Well, actually, we don't even own a backyard since we live in the business district. Our “yard” is a tiny square of sod that can hold nothing more than a few marigolds. The rest of our “backyard” consists of a cement parking lot.
          While it is my dream to one day own an organic farm of several acres and supply my family with plenty of fresh produce, for now I must be content with our little rooftop garden. The contents of this garden vary slightly from year to year.
          What are we able to grow on our roof? Well, we currently have about forty tomato plants. (Tomatoes are a must since garden tomatoes are invariably superior to their pale, unripe relatives found in the grocery store.) We also have an herb planter that contains oregano, thyme, lemon balm, marjoram, basil, etc. Some years we grow a few eggplants or bell peppers.
          Flowers are a welcome addition to our rooftop garden. Favorites include sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds, hollyhocks, columbines, celosia, dahlias, and geraniums. We also have three rosebushes.
          Our garden is rounded out by a persistent rhubarb plant, a few strawberries and raspberries, and even a small grapevine.
          We make the most of what we have and this statement is not only true regarding our little rooftop garden but it also applies to our family life in general.

          Welcome back! Some of my readers may recall the sight of a girl working at an easel in a Zion storefront on Sheridan Rd. several years back. That girl was me and the storefront was our family store “My Father's Business” (closed for remodeling and soon to reopen under the name “Zion Oasis”).
          For the past few years, I have been busy with other ventures, to the neglect of my art. But recently I've been missing my art and feeling the passion to create once more and so I am announcing the birth of my new website: rebekahsgallery.com. 
          My new website features my art: current paintings and drawings available for purchase, as well as some of my works that have already found new homes. I will soon be offering art lessons for both children and adults as well. If you are interested in contacting me, you can reach me by using the contact form found on my website. 

Last week, I was primed for the first local road race of the season: the Mama's Day 5K. I had been putting my gym membership to good use, running three miles every other day in anticipation of the big race. Maybe this time, I would actually be a contender for the overall winner's trophy.
A couple days later, I finally caught a stomach virus that had been making the rounds in my family. I lost five pounds in a few days because my appetite was nonexistent for some time. I was too sick to keep up my training regimen, to my dismay. Although I recovered a couple days before the race, my chances of winning had evaporated.
This morning, I stood behind the starting line with a couple hundred other runners, determined to have a good time in spite of everything. With my dad and my sisters cheering me on, I crossed the finish line first in my age category, with a time of 23:49. 
I know I can do better...my next race is coming up next month; maybe this time...

         Hello! My name is Rebekah Schultz and I'd like to introduce you to my big family. My parents have fourteen children (yes, you read that correctly) , and all sixteen of us currently live under the same roof in the heart of Zion, IL. With children ranging in age from four to twenty-seven, there is never a dull moment in our house. 
         Many people have asked my parents how they manage such a large family. Well, as the second oldest, I speak from experience when I say they manage with love, responsibility, and a lot of common sense. Sure, there is plenty of work involved, but “many hands make light work”. Everyone from oldest to youngest pitches in where we can.
           Our family is unique not only in size, but in many other ways as well. We're all home schooled and except for my oldest sister, all of us were born at home. We were brought up to eat healthy. We have no sugar in the house and use honey instead. We have an electric grain mill and grind our own whole wheat flour. Our refrigerators are full of fruits and veggies rather than processed foods.
        My family contains many different personalities. Each of us has unique interests and talents. Our latest endeavor is the publication you are holding in your hands right now- “The Town Sound”.

     To meet each member of my big fam and to learn more about our lifestyle, please go to mybigfam.com. 

          If you have any questions or comments about our family, please submit them at thetownsound.com for consideration to be included in an upcoming issue of “The Town Sound”.

Well, it certainly has been an interesting year so far. Winter was loath to hand the reins over to spring. And what a spring it is proving to be! Alternately wet and windy, some days full of driving rain, others containing sleet and hail, this season has been unpredictable at best. I am certainly ready for those May flowers! 
Today the weather was beautiful and with the temperature hovering near eighty degrees, it felt like summer had gotten an early start. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the songbirds were out in force. It was the perfect day to be outdoors, enjoying the warmth.
But I was inside with a sore throat. I had just come home from work and with the day's obligations finished, I thought about taking an afternoon nap. 
Kath had other ideas. "How about coming to the park with us?"
When some of the younger children chimed in, I conceded. Camera in hand, I joined the others. Once outside, I realized I wasn't as tired as I had thought. I hoisted Seth onto my shoulders. Kath pushed the double stroller and we all set off. 
It's hard to stay indoors when you're faced with the combination of beautiful weather and little faces full of anticipation.