The Sentinel

Guest Commentary |
When it comes to life, there are no guarantees

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

When it comes to life, there are no guarantees. A few people will live to be 100 and beyond. The majority of people will die much younger. We don’t know for sure. Your health can be great and still anything can happen. Your health might be bad. A friend who lived to be about 77 said, “If I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself.” He meant it to be humorous.

Seventy-seven doesn’t seem very old if you are 80. You may feel if you are 70 that you’ve just really started to live. It has a lot to do with who you are, how you feel, and the overall condition of your life. Sadly, there are a lot of miserable people who are still very young but can’t figure out their lives.

Age is truly just a number especially if you feel good, can take care of yourself, and have something to live for. This could be anything from a grandchild, to a job, a hobby, your career, or just spending your money. It’s important to have an interest. You need to have something to do. Everyone needs to be pursuing something they enjoy. You need a reason to get up in the morning. It will keep you going.

You may be here 30 years from now or maybe you won’t. It won’t hurt you to plan for the long haul. This means eating as healthy as possible, exercising some every day, managing your weight, and visiting your doctor routinely. This may help you to live a little longer and enjoy the remaining years you have. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s worth a shot. Keep trying to save a few dollars every month. Regardless of your age, there is always something that’s going to come up. You will need a new roof, furnace, or car. The list is endless.

Yet, today might be our last. We never know. Be kind every chance you have. Say thank you often. Do the small things that may help family and friends. Build others up. Give them a boost by saying something good to them. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Forgive people. Forgive yourself. Put the past behind you because you can’t change the past. Try to do something every day you enjoy. That may be walking, reading, playing music, talking to people, cooking, or it could be anything. Regardless of how long we live, life is short.

Recently, a friend lay dying. I asked him what I could do for him. He said, “All I would like to have is one more day.” Today, may be our one more day. Whatever we do on this one day will hopefully be a blessing not only to us but in some way will be a blessing to someone today or years from now.

The seed we plant will bring a harvest, of some kind.

Glen Mollett is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

Pressing the right buttons at Urbana Night Market

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Emil "The Button Man" Cobb creates a new button for a customer last Thursday at Urbana's first Night Market at the Square at Lincoln Square Mall Thursday evening. Night Markets will be held every Thursday for the next five weeks in the Southeast parking lot, showcasing local artists, craftsmen, and food vendors. Next week, Panc8s will be the featured band for the event, sponsored by The Market and the Urbana Arts and Culture. Cobb creates photo buttons and keychains on the spot from customer social media feeds or phone albums.

Photo Gallery |
Spartans beat Rockets in Week 2 thriller at Dick Duval Field

Tanner Siems bursts through the Spartan banner followed by the rest of the team during the pregrame introduction on Friday at Dick Duval Field. Hours later St. Joseph-Ogden would emerge victorious in the home game against Unity, 24-21.

An SJO student fan cheers during first-quarter action against the visiting Rockets. It took a little under eight minutes for the Spartans to light up the scoreboard on their way to their second conference win.

Members of the St. Joseph-Ogden Maroon Platoon cheer for the Spartans during the first half of the game. SJO led the Illini Prairie Conferenc game at the half, 21-14 .

Unity running back Garrett Richardson finds plenty of running room against the Spartans in the first half.

Unity running back Garrett Richardson is brought down an 11 yard run.

Kaden Wedig hangs on to pass during first half action against the Rockets.

Virtually untouched, Rocket running back Garrett Richardson slides into the end zone on a six-yard run for a third-quarter touchdown to tie up the score at 21-all.

Unity's Tyler Henry shoves St. Joseph-Ogden's Tim Blackburn-Kelley out of bounds. Blackburn-Kelley finished Friday's game with seven yards rushing on four carries and two catches for 23 yards. He also tallied a 32-yard run on a kick return and two more on a punt return.

Members of the St. Joseph-Ogden's Class of 1994 are recognized between quarters. The alumni enjoy their reunion weekend with a Spartan football victory.

Drummer for the March Spartans pounds out beat during a break in the action on the field.

A Spartan cheerleader keeps an eye on the action on the field. This year's 20-member squad kept fans and the student section cheering all four quarters of the home game.

St. Joseph-Ogden linebacker Brayden Waller block Unity's Coleton Langendorf.

Wyatt Wertz scampers past a Unity lineman. Wertz delivered 19 of SJO's 159 yards on the ground.

Unity's Tyler Henry avoids St. Joseph-Ogden's Tayton Gerdes while returning a kickoff. His only return on special teams, Henry took the ball 49 yard before being stopped by the Spartans.

SJO's Carson Sarnecki and Quincy Jones wrap up Unity running back Garrett Richardson during third quarter action.

Covered by Unity's Ryan Rink, Spartan receiver Kaden Wedig snags the ball for a fourth-quarter catch.

Brennan Oleynichak lifts teammate Coy Taylor into the air after his 26-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Taylor tallied a game-high 105 yards with nine catches.

Kaden Wedig hauls in a pass despite in-his-face coverage from Unity's Graydin Cler during the fourth quarter. Wedig, who finished with three catches for 42 yards, fell out of bounds in what could have been the go-ahead touchdown for the Spartans.

Waiting to go back in, Spartan quarterback Kodey McKinney gazes at the scoreboard at Dick Duval Field during the fourth quarter. The junior signal caller scored St. Joseph-Ogden's first TD on a one-yard run in the first quarter. He finished his second varsity game with 43 rushing yards and threw for 268 yards against the Rockets.

Spartan manager Cameron Kuchenbrod heads back to the sidelines after giving water to players during a timeout.

Brayden Henry breaks up a pass to Tanner Siems

Rockets' Brayden Henry breaks up a pass play to Spartans' Tanner Siems early in the fourth quarter. Siems finished the regular season contest with a 22-yard touchdown in the first quarter and 110 yards.

Unity's Dane Eisenmenger looks to make a throw in the fourth quarter. The junior quarterback completed seven of his 12 passes for 110 yards and tacked on 15 rushing yards in the loss to the Spartans.

Rockets' Garrett Richardson stiff arms Tim Blackburn-Kelley on a carry during the fourth quarter. Richardson had 22 carries for 90 yards and a 19-yard catch in Unity's second game of the season.

Surrounded by teammates Wyatt Wertz, Cameron Wagner, and Gabe Mata, SJO kicker Charlie Schmitz enjoys the moment after kicking the game-winning field goal from 31 yards out with 1.2 seconds left on the clock to seal a 24-21 victory.