New book by local writer a keeper

Reading is one of life's luxuries. Some books are purchased; some are borrowed from the library. Some are shared with friends and some are kept on the shelf to be read again another day.

Marnie Mamminga's new book, "On A Clear Night," is a keeper.

In this poignant collection of essays, the former Daily Herald columnist chronicles life stories many of us can identify with, from the birth of her first grandchild to having to put her mom in a nursing home.

Some stories will make you laugh such as her description of the odoriferous ride, chauffeuring a carload of boys after a middle school dance. Some, like the difficult Christmas visit to a best friend dealing with terminal cancer, will make you cry. Some will seem so familiar that you could swear she was writing about your life. (I wasn't the only mother who had a night of worry with a son who missed curfew.)

I called Mamminga after reading that essay, shocked that there was no punishment after coming in at 3 a.m.

"I was just so relieved to have him home," she said.

She calls it the "gift of simple faith."

All of Mamminga's essays are so beautifully written that you often find yourself rereading a certain phrase or singling out a line to remember. She is a lover of nature, family and life. An accomplished wordsmith, she is also a lover of words and her ability to put them together in such a beautiful fashion is astounding.

Her first book, "Return to Wake Robin," was chosen by Parade magazine as one of the best reads in 2012. This book should be an award-winner in the Fox Valley because she has given us carefully crafted vignettes of many of our everyday experiences.

"On A Clear Night" is available at Townhouse Books in St. Charles, and will be featured at Books Between Bites at the Batavia Public Library in November.

Steve Heronemus needs your help

For the last year I have been helping with the fundraiser for the Batavia Depot Museum expansion. I've learned raising money for the benefit of life in the community is tough. I can't imagine how difficult it is to raise money for the benefit of life itself.

That's exactly what the Heronemus family is dealing with.

In the game of life, Steve Heronemus played all his cards right. He got a job, married, raised a family and was active in the community. Then in 2005 he was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease.

Throughout the years, many in Batavia have cheered his victories and there have been many. A gifted French horn player, he first lost the ability to use his fingers. Then he found he could play a late 18th century natural horn, a horn without valves, when he no longer had the ability to use his hands.

Still able to use a computer, he put together a beautiful book, "Shells: Sustained by Grace within the Tempest," that offers a faith-based account of dealing with his disease. In 2015, Steve sailed solo on Lake Michigan even though he is a functional quadriplegic, with the help of Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan (SEAS).

Energized by the experience, Steve and SEAS set out to develop a state-of-the-art adaptive sailing program for others.

His greatest accomplishment is his will to live. He has survived a disease for 14 years that often claims patients much sooner.

It hasn't been easy, not just physically, but also emotionally. The constant worry about being able to pay for care has taken it toll. The Heronemus family has gone through their retirement savings, disability insurance and life insurance.

"We are simply running out of money and don't have the money to pay for a caregiver," said his wife, Suzanne.

Friends are stepping in to help the family with a fundraiser at K. Hollis Jewelers. Owner Karen Hollis will host SOS: A Benefit for Steve Heronemus at her Batavia store, 147 S. Randall Road, from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday. All proceeds go toward the caregiving that allows Heronemus to live at home. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com/e/sos-a-benefit-for-steve-heronemus-tickets-35834752710? aff=erelexpmlt. There will be music by Dan Covarrubias; and food catered by Enticing Cuisine, Gaetano's, and Pal Joey's. You can bid on silent auction items, including two tickets to "Hamilton: An American Musical" in Chicago, and a weekend getaway to Door County.

In the words of the late Bob Hawse, "We are so lucky to have the opportunity to live in Batavia and so lucky to have the opportunity to help someone in our community who needs help."

If you can't attend but wish to help, donate at gofundme.com/sos-a-benefit-for-steve-heronemus.