312-578-9501 | www.shannonlawgroup.com DECEMBER 2017
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” WE BELONG TO EACH OTHER We belong to each other. This essential wisdom has been hammered into me since I was a child. From my parents to my older sisters and brothers, Sister Philomena to Father Ecker, Fr. Himes to Charlie Rice, this theme has been reiterated. I am my brother’s keeper. The people I admire most in this world not only understand this, but live it every day. For the selfish purpose of wanting to be with the people I admire most (you) every year, we have a Christmas party, and we hold it in an Irish pub for good measure. Every year, when we plan our Christmas party, I pray for a few things. I pray that people we know from all different walks of life will come together, get to know each other, and will, in turn, help one another through life. We want all of our family, friends, and their kids to be involved in the vocations they desire. I will ask all of my friends to meet with folks who are looking for work or a new situation. Our community is one where we help one another. We belong to each other. I fully recognize that our family has been given an incredible number of blessings. Each and every one of these is a gift from God. I believe that fact with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind. Michelle, our children, my family, our extended family, our friends — all of you are a gift. At the beginning of the Christmas season, we host a party for all of you to celebrate Christmas as our guests. We have a lot of fun, and we raise a lot of money for a few of our community’s most effective and meaningful charities. –St. Teresa of Calcutta
and seeking and serving the distressed. We are truly blessed to be in the company of the St. Vincent de Paul folks at St. Joan of Arc Church. The folks at St. Vinnies are the last stop for a lot of our friends who need a hand up when a sudden illness hits a family, or for single mothers who have been left alone to fend for themselves. Please help us support St. Vinnies. They are a 501(c)(3) entity. Please make checks payable to St. Vincent de Paul. We are also proud to beg for donations for St. Joan of Arc’s Adopt a Student Fund . SJA has been a game changer for our family and for our law firm. Everyone who currently works at our law firm either went to SJA or had a child educated there. This school builds character in young people for a lifetime and instills the fact that we belong to each other. This fund provides an education for children who desperately want a Catholic education but who have a family who cannot afford it. SJA is a 501(c)(3) entity. Please make checks payable to St. Joan of Arc Catholic School and mark on the check that is for the Adopt a Student program. On behalf of all of our family and all of us at our firm, we wish you a great Christmas season. We thank you for the gift of your friendship.
– Joe Shannon
St. Vincent de Paul provides “silent” works of charity by discretely aiding needy families, visiting homes and hospitals,
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1. We filed a wrongful death claim against Swift Transportation, North America’s largest full-truckload carrier, on behalf of four kids whose father was run over by a semi-tractor in the crosswalk. 2. We settled an Iowa case for policy limits of the defendant driver on behalf of our client who was riding a motorcycle.
3. We filed a retaliatory discharge claim on behalf of a pregnant worker fired from her work. 4. We are hiring. Help us find the perfect marketing intern. Check out our ad at shannonlawgroup.com/library/open- position.cfm.
Gifts for Your Garden and the Birds By Kate Refine RECYCLE YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE
This is Kate’s favorite thing to do in her garden in January, because it accomplishes two goals in one effort: It creates a more environmentally friendly garden, and it recycles the tired Christmas tree. When the Christmas season is over and you tire of looking at your tree, don’t kick it to the curb. Instead, make use of it in a couple ways to help the birds and your garden! To attract birds, like chickadees, sparrows, and cardinals, put the tree in your yard either in its stand or in a hole deep enough to keep it upright. Then, instead of tinsel and glass balls, decorate
the tree with orange slices, peanut butter-covered pine cones, cranberries, and strung popcorn. The birds will enjoy the treats and the shelter that the tree provides. After you have had fun feeding the birds, reuse the tree again by lopping off the branches and laying them atop your perennial garden beds. The branches will protect the perennials from heavy snow and frost heaving. Plus, they stay green and look nice in the garden. In early spring, remove the boughs before plants start to emerge. You can then put the branches in your lawn bags.
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A TRIBUTE TO PAT’S GRANDPA LARRY
by Pat Cummings
For many of us, the Christmas season represents a season of joy, giving, and gratitude. To commemorate those Christmas season virtues, I want to share with you the story of someone who exhibited those virtues in spades — my grandpa, Larry Shearon. Though he became one of the most influential male figures in my life, Grandpa Larry and I had very different childhoods. Growing up in Jefferson City, South Dakota, Larry was the eldest son of a bee farmer. The bee farm kept Larry busy, along with his sister and three brothers. The work ethic instilled in him at a young age stuck with him for the rest of his life. Larry attended Bishop Heelen Catholic High School in Sioux City, Iowa, where he was the editor of the yearbook. Upon graduating Heelen, Larry set off for South Bend, Indiana, where he began a lifelong love affair with Notre Dame football. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1958 with a degree in electrical engineering, which he used to get his first job. Eventually, he was transferred to Minneapolis, where he met the love of his life, my grandma, Kassie Brandes. They married in 1961 and spent the rest of their lives raising a tremendous family of five kids. My mom, Regina, fell right in the middle. In the 1960s, Larry began working as a biomedical engineer at Medtronic, where he would work for over 30 years. At Medtronic, Larry and his team invented lifesaving medical equipment, such as
early versions of the implantable pacemaker and cardiac catheters, for which they earned several patents. It’s amazing to think of how many lives Larry and his team have impacted through their brilliance and hard work. In addition to his career, Larry was a leader in his community, serving on the boards for St. Odilia’s Parish in Roseville, Minnesota, and the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis for many years. After retirement from Medtronic, Larry dedicated most of his time to his family, whether it was teaching his grandkids to ski; helping them with science projects; or building beautiful and intricate wooden desks, cribs, and grandfather clocks. When my friend, Jon, and I needed to build a generator for our seventh-grade science project, the first call we made was to Grandpa Larry. A few weeks later, we were up in his Minnesota workshop using power saws and blowtorches (with appropriate safety and supervision) to put together our generator. He never shied away from sharing his gifts with his family — or anyone else for that matter. Grandpa Larry and Grandma Kassie have served as tremendous examples of lives well-lived for myself, my siblings, and my cousins. The two of them have always been able to sort out the important stuff from the nonsense. The virtues that they stressed over the years — the importance of faith, family, education, and quiet generosity — are ones that will live with me forever. Thank you both for showing all of us how it’s done!
– Pat Cummings
DECEMBER 2017 DATES OF CONSEQUENCE December 2 Marquette Basketball vs. Georgia at The Bradley Center
Illini Basketball vs. Maryland at Champaign
December 3
Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Patron Saint of Foreign Missions
December 3
EGGNOG COOKIES Yield: About 20 cookies
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
December 8
Directions 1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar
Ingredients Ingredients for Cookies • 1 cup butter, softened
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 12
until light and fluffy. Beat in eggnog. Combine the flour, baking soda, and
Benet Swim Team at Marmion Cadet Relays
December 16
• 2 cups sugar • 1 cup eggnog
nutmeg. Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Shape into four 10-inch rolls. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 2. Unwrap and cut into ¼-inch slices. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 F for 8–10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks and let cool. 3. For icing, in a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar and eggnog; beat until smooth. 4. Frost cookies and store in an airtight container.
St. Joan of Arc Christmas Break begins
December 21
• 5½ cups all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon baking soda • ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg Ingredients for Icing • ¼ cup butter, softened • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar • ⅓ cup eggnog
Christmas Day
December 25
THE CHRISTMAS PARTY at QUIGLEY’S IN NAPERVILLE Notre Dame Basketball vs. Georgia Tech at The Joyce Center Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
December 27
December 30
December 31
Recipe inspired by tasteofhome.com
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Phone: 312-578-9501 www.shannonlawgroup.com
3550 Hobson Rd., Ste. 203 Woodridge, IL 60517
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
We Belong to Each Other
page 1
Office Happenings
page 2
Ways to Reuse Your Christmas Tree
page 2
A Tribute to Grandpa Larry
page 3
Eggnog Cookies
page 3
YOU’RE INVITED! Shannon Law Group, P.C. Annual Christmas Gathering Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017 5:30–9:00pm
Quigley’s Irish Pub 43 East Jefferson Ave. Naperville, IL 60540
RSVP: KRefine@shannonlawgroup.com
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