Christmas Letter 2024

Dear Friends,

For 33 years straight, I have sent a Christmas Letter – originally to friends and family in mailed cards, and now simply posted online for the world to read if they choose. In recent years, this letter was posted just shy a day or two before Christmas; but with the state of events this year, I originally wrote this letter just a few days after the election. I paused in order to reflect more, calm my frustrations and now have made another attempt at this letter.

This letter is always a quick summary of my year, but focuses on key events, with my attempt of relating it to God’s Word and the Christmas story. With 33 letters, that is not always easy, but I always pray before writing it and hope that God utilizes this letter to inspire others. I fear this year’s letter – for many – will do the opposite, but I sincerely hope it doesn’t and I press on knowing I must always be open and honest in this letter.

We are taught to avoid discussions of certain items like politics; it causes too much disharmony which is true…and most of us are tired of hearing about it. But to avoid it in my annual tell-all Christmas letter would be a disservice to whatever this letter has become to you (and me) over the years. So I am skipping any personal updates, and focusing on the event at the end of the year – the election.

I am not a Democrat or a liberal or far left. I have probably considered myself more Republican in the past, but I always chose to vote for the character and issues vs. party. I agree and disagree with issues on both sides and don’t feel that some of those issues are black and white.

I am also a Christian, and a proud American. I believe that we should pray for our country, in good times and bad, and be thankful for the freedoms and blessings that we have in the United States. I believe each of us have our own right to choose who we want to vote for and respectfully, should not hear how that choice is terrible in social media feeds, jokes by people we know, or signs of support stolen from our yards (mine was stolen twice, but third one remained due to Harold-Spence-like engineering.).

This year’s election seemed more important than any other election in my lifetime and I prayed for God’s guidance. I also researched and yes, I watched (and value) the news. Many will say how terrible the news is and it frustrates me, because where would we be without journalists – many who risk their lives – doing their job to provide us with factual news vs. getting all our news on social media?

I also considered Jesus. If Jesus was on this Earth, who would He vote for?

I couldn’t ignore the characteristics we have been taught, and that Jesus so often served as an example. Characteristics such as humility, compassion, kindness, good character. Commandments such as thou shalt not lie; all commandments being just as important as the other. Or His views on money – such as not being able to serve both God and money.

For me, I could not ignore the actions of Donald Trump, or actions of government representatives who one minute said that Trump’s actions were not presidential and the next minute, supported him for sake of party and personal gain. I became more fearful of his words and actions, of the MAGA movement, of Jan. 6th being called a day of love, and I continue to be concerned with his choices of key team members.

Take a breath, keep reading. I’m surrounding by Trump supporters who I love, who I know greatly disagree with these views. That’s o.k., this is just my story, my journey – I am not saying who is right and who is wrong. And there is a Christmas message.

I voted for Harris, obviously. While I’ve never had a political sign for a president in my yard, I chose to put up a small Harris sign, because I wanted to show support for someone who is willing to run against this man and movement, and not just keep my vote or support in secret.

I prayed that God’s will would be done with this election…and that while I hoped that was Harris, I understood that God’s will has also been to use our choices to teach us a lesson in attempts to draw us closer to Him.

Our country’s choice has clearly been made. And while my view is in the minority, I fear, much like the Old Testament when God’s people wanted a king, we may now have one. But I also realize things need to change in our country - on both sides of the aisle. And most importantly, I know God is in control and that he has a plan.

What bothers me is that in this process…this movement really, is that it seemed to undermine the reality that Christians are represented in both parties. I hated the division that it caused, and still causes. I was made to feel like I was less of a Christian for choosing a candidate who supported something that a party didn’t believe in, such as abortion. At the same time, I struggled to understand how fellow Christians could vote for a leader who does not seem to represent our values in regards to character and integrity. Even sermons crossed a line for me, stating vote for who you want to, but the news is terrible, the country is on the wrong track and here are the issues, the parties views and basically, your decision should be clear.

Sigh. I know. How does this relate to the Christmas story?

It has to do with Christmas, because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He loves us – all of us – and truly wants what is best for us and our country. He brought Jesus to this earth to teach us compassion, kindness, and to love our neighbors. Jesus came for the forgiveness of sins, for those who repent, and follow him. He chooses humble servants to do some of his greatest works. Look at Moses who doubted his ability to speak and lead the people or some of Jesus’s disciples who were simply fishermen. More importantly, look at Mary who gave birth to Jesus and in her song in Luke states, “He has been mindful of the humble state of this servant” and later stated, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble.” In the most humbling settings of a stable, a manger, and shepherds by night – God brought us a savior – with no flashing Jesus lights - but instead a star for guidance. Well, and yes, some pretty amazing angels that were sharing the good news.

Let’s not lose sight of that simplicity…and that peace. Jesus, after all, is the Prince of Peace. He alone is worthy of our worship. He alone will guide our way through challenges and he alone has the power to make anything great. I am certain that he doesn’t want division for us.

This verse may be the most fitting for this letter:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end.” Isaiah 9: 6-7

I know so many of us did not agree on the candidates and so many other items in regards to politics. That’s o.k. This letter is…just my story and my thoughts of how to make sense of this year’s activities, a reminder that God’s children are on both sides of the aisle, and to relate this to Christmas in some way. The government is on his shoulders and I will trust in him. And I love my family and friends regardless of their vote, and hope you will do the same for yours.

It will soon be Christmas. Let’s focus on celebrating the true light of the world and the joy of his birth.

I’m leaving some additional verses that resonated with me for this story.

Merry Christmas,

Jennifer

Psalm 25:9: "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way."

Luke 14:11: "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Proverbs 11:2: "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Colossians 3:12-13: "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another.”

I Corinthians 13: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Matthew 12:25: “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

Christmas Letter 2023

Dear Friends,

I really can’t believe that I’ve been sending a Christmas Letter for 32 years now. Each letter tries to summarize the year and find some spiritual lesson that ties into Christmas. Sometimes, I have an idea of what that will be as I sit down to write; often – like now – I have no idea and pray to God that He guides my thoughts. We’ll see how this goes.

Most of you know, ever since I moved back to my hometown in 2011, I have been renovating something – in addition to a marketing day job. (Actually, I was renovating in Nashville prior to that also with two houses, but I digress). I’ve been working on a downtown, nearly-5,000-sq.-ft. structure that was built prior to 1900, for…oh…about four years. But I will actually finish that project tomorrow, which is hard to believe after being there every night and weekend for years.

I bought the building to save it, not knowing what I would actually do with it. My path was led to design it for a coffee shop, restaurant with bar and event space experience. Most of this year was trying to find the right tenant who would take on that challenge - taking the risk of a restaurant business and taking a risk on a small town and region.

Front of building when I purchased it.

side of building before restoration and after portion of wall was torn down.

Tearing down the back wall; this entire section would be rebuilt include new roof and new foundation (and so much more).

I did presentations to companies in Nashville and Chicago, with both companies making the journey to Carterville to see the space. I researched coffee shops and restaurants within three hours who might want another location and invited them to a VIP event, which also included local folks who might help the effort. And I prayed.

In last year’s Christmas letter, I wrote, “Let’s all pray that it all works out, because I am going by faith and I savor the day to see the space as a community gathering space, a downtown anchor and a regional draw that will make us proud. God willing, as they say.”

God was willing. Today and the past few days, I’ve enjoyed seeing people “gather” at this beautifully restored space that was once an eyesore. Thanks to two guys who were right in front of me (basically) and who God must have convinced that taking on a restaurant business in this space was the right thing for them, plus some amazing tradesmen that stuck with me for four years, we now have Montgomery’s Place in Carterville, Illinois – a coffee shop, restaurant and bar offering and named after the original business that was in this historic building. The food is amazing and the marketing/design work makes me proud – both so perfect for the space.

current photos of the “131” space.

SELZ ROYAL BLUE SHOE AD RESTORED, NEW WINDOWS, “NEW” ANTIQUE DOORS, BACK EVENT SPACE COMPLETED, PLUS A SIDEWALK PROVIDED.

Recently, I wrote a Facebook post that some of my close friends commented, “There’s your Christmas letter.” You can read the post here, but basically it was about having a meeting at Montgomery’s Place and a young couple briefly interrupted the meeting in order to meet me. They were originally from Southern Illinois, had lived in St. Louis and decided to move back to the area. They chose Carterville because of the downtown revitalization, said my building reminded them of Lafayette Square in St. Louis. They said they were considering renovating a downtown building and would I be willing to meet with them sometime about this. At the time, this encounter was a moment that I personally needed.

So often, we put our focus in our careers or people or sports or whatever, and all too often, these things can fall short of our expectations or our potential. I was reminded in that moment that God always has a plan for us, and for whatever reason, I know that more than ten years ago, He led my path back to my hometown and gave me a passion for preserving historic structures and downtown revitalization. And knowing that passion may inspire others to do the same, was personally gratifying.

I would say to all of us as we celebrate God’s greatest gift – the birth of His son, Jesus, who saves us from sin and provides eternal life for those who accept and seek Him – what are we doing to make a real difference in our communities and what is our passion? Our lives are short – time goes so fast – and it can be so easy to try to keep up with society of career titles, material things, certain achievements, whatever; or to feel like community change and doing God’s will always has to be in a box of a certain charity or church mission. Sometimes it is simply sticking with a four-year renovation project with this mission of a community gathering space.

I will say that my passion has been narrow focused on getting this building completed. With the time that I’ve spent focused on renovating this space, I’ve missed some family time, lost connections with life-long friends, have not taken enough time for my spiritual or physical health needs. I hope to make up for some of that time now – more antique trips with Mom, more roads traveled to friends, more time to exercise (God, give me the desire!) and to seek God and His will daily. I swear, my only immediate renovation project will be to organize my garage and closets.

What is your passion? What change do you plan to make in 2024? Through the hustle and bustle of online shopping and cooking, let’s challenge ourselves to pause and determine what “renovation’ we will make in our lives for 2024.

I didn’t find a great transition in this year’s letter to relate this to Mary and Joseph and the overall Christmas Story. After 32 years, sometimes it’s tough to do that. Perhaps for all of us, it is simply to be mindful to continue to seek the star, the miracle of His birth, and guidance that Jesus brought to all of us so many years ago.

In years past, this letter would be mailed in a card to about 100 folks and I would invite those who returned “home” (Carterville), to meet at a local food place for breakfast. Now, I simply post online and this year, I will tell friends who would like to gather that you’ll find me doing some minor touch-up painting in the back space of Montgomery’s Place tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 23) morning if you want to have coffee/breakfast/lunch and visit. All our welcome and I hope you enter the antique doors several times throughout 2024.

Merry Christmas,

Jennifer

Christmas Letter 2022

Dear Friends,

I can’t let a year go by without writing a Christmas letter.  It’s been a tradition for me for more than 30 years, I believe.  Even if I have no idea what my message will be, and it’s just a few days prior to Christmas, I have to sit down, say a prayer and hope some kind of inspiration will find its way on the page.

My year has really been a bit consumed with my job and my after-hour job of renovating a 120+year-old downtown building.  Almost every night, weekend and vacation day, for three years now, I’ve been working on a 4,500-sq.ft. building that originally, nearly needed to be torn down.  It’s a process…a puzzle…a you-never-know-what-hurdle-you-will-need-to-jump deal.  But it is also inspiring to save a structure with so many memories and purpose in our town’s history. Welcome to historic preservation.

In last year’s Christmas letter, I wrote about the coffee company that planned to utilize the space.  It was a hard moment for us this summer when we realized the numbers were simply not going to work for the investment/value of the building and the tenants’current business model.  Sometimes, things simply just don’t work out.

I think sometimes God leads us down a road that will have more than a bump; it will seem like a mistake or some sort of failure.  We can easily catch ourselves with limited vision, thinking the worst has happened, when in reality – it was all part of His plan…not just for ourselves, but for those on our journey as well - teaching us and taking us into a direction that we would have not gone, preparing us for something new.

That’s what I have to be believe in the situation of my building and so many other things in my life now that I can look back.  For now, I’m to the pretty stages of the renovation and God’s hand is all over it, because it is really coming together.  Not only in design, but in the possibilities of who will utilize the space.  Let’s all pray that it all works out, because I am going by faith and I savor the day to see the space as a community gathering space, a downtown anchor and a regional draw that will make us proud.  God willing, as they say.

If I take this year and consider how it relates to the Christmas story, like I always do in this letter, it would be this.  Consider how many key roles of Jesus’s birth and life went down a path, only to be informed of a road block and u-turn, like this year has felt.  Mary didn’t plan on giving birth to God’s son, but she did.  Joseph didn’t plan on marrying a woman with child, but he did.  He probably also didn’t plan on hiding from Herod after the birth of his first-born, taking twists and turns before arriving to Nazareth. Wise men didn’t plan on following a star in the desert to arrive to a stable, but they did.  Elizabeth didn’t plan on having a child who would prepare the way for the son of God, but she did. Fishermen and a tax collector didn’t plan on being disciples; persecutors such as Paul didn’t plan on switching teams to preach God’s word and then be the one persecuted.  Their plans changed; and they pivoted.

During Covid, and in some cases after, you heard of stories about companies that pivoted.  You know the examples.  From executives to small business owners, they had to embrace work from home, online and pick-up needs, outdoor seating and drive-thrus.  They had to get creative.  They had to make things happen.

I know of friends that have had to pivot.  They have had their worlds rocked this year; the rug pulled out from them is an understatement.  But you know what.  God is there; Jesus is there.  There’s always a plan.  It is going to be for our good.  He is going to take the worst of the worst and make us stronger. We’re going to learn and grow from it.  It will inspire others, it will change our thinking, it will be for the best.  We just have to hang on, believe, know that we have the greatest gift of all with Jesus as our Savior, Redeemer, and Master of Changing Plans…for our good.

My favorite verse will probably always be Jeremiah 29; 11 -“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I pray that all of us embrace change in the new year.  That we stay the course, knowing we better have our seat belts on, because He might have us take a sharp turn or a sudden stop.  But regardless, thanks to the birth of God’s son which we celebrate every December 25th, we have hope and a future and a plan for our lives…despite what the challenges or situation may be.

I am so fortunate to have good friends throughout my life, who may not always be nearby or in contact, but you helped me stay the course so many times and I know you are there when I need you.  Merry Christmas to all of you – I hope our paths cross this new year.

Love to you all,

Jennifer

Christmas Letter 2021

Dear Friends,

I am down to the wire again with this letter.  I had a friend ask where my letter was, that she knew I’d have a message that she needed to hear…no pressure.  Let’s just start this and see where it goes.

This year has been a busy and hectic one, it seems.  I started the year with announcing that Rise Above It Bakery & Café was closing and I was selling the building.  COVID had taken its toll and it was time to switch gears.  The building sold the day it was announced.  Fortunate that the new owners use it for a bakery for our downtown, yet I miss the gathering space that it once was.

With that sale, I met TJ and Jackie Cowan, owners of Cold Blooded Coffee & Roastery.  Their friends purchased my bakery building and then we visited the 131 building that I was renovating. To my surprise…the next day, TJ told me that they wanted that building for their coffee business – long before it was even close to being ready.  That has been a blessing that I didn’t expect and when I’m not working at my full-time job, I’m working non-stop nights and weekends to get this space open this spring.  I believe they will do great things in this renovated historic building and for Downtown Carterville.

I think about how much time that I continue to dedicate to preserving historic buildings in our downtown.  It can seem all-consuming and a distraction to what should be my life, sometimes.  I do have a passion for it, and while I almost always consider what my next project will be, I do wonder sometimes if I’m doing the right thing and how on Earth am I going to reach the end goal with some of the preservation hurdles that are constantly presented.  Renovating historic buildings is not cheap, they are not financially fruitful necessarily and nothing is ever easy with them.  But they are buildings that have stood the test of time for more than 100 years and have overcome much more than I can imagine, and something in my soul says that is important to preserve them for others.

Then…I visited Mayfield.

I saw the historic downtown buildings that were built by craftsman with limited tools, filled with character and made with quality materials that only come from the structures of that era…transformed to mountains of rubble.  All of that work and history…gone when a massive tornado journeys through multiple states on a December night.  Houses turned upside down, when moments before the storm, families enjoyed the normal activities of the season, with their sites set on Christmas ahead.

It makes you wonder what the point in all of it is…if you give your life’s work for something that can be destroyed in a few minutes’ time.  If you live a healthy life only to discover you have cancer.  If you get married only to find yourself getting divorced after years of making it work.  If you raise a child and then he or she tragically dies.  So many examples of building things, only to find that they can be taken away.

Perhaps, one could have said this about the Christmas story also.  What is the point of God sending his son, Jesus - with the adventure of being born in a stable, surviving the madness of King Herod and later teaching in the synagogues, if Jesus would die too young?  Why spend days of walking to different cities to preach the gospel and perform miracles, if one day – this savior who we celebrate at Christmas – will be crucified and not save himself?

The difference is - Jesus came for one reason – to give us hope and to fulfill God’s purpose of becoming a sacrifice for our sins so we can have eternal life.

He came to die young after accomplishing the mission of preaching the gospel and preparing disciples.   He came to serve God’s will which was to die on the cross and be raised again.  He came to give us hope and abundant future, and to be with us – daily and especially when we need him the most.

I think of my sweet friend Katie and her family.  Lucky to be alive, yet as they huddled in the basement - they hear their historic home being blown away. Nearly all of their belongings are gone; their cars, crushed; their beautiful lot, mangled.  Yet – they were unharmed and Katie expressed gratitude to God for this and the plan that she knows God has for their lives.  It’s a remarkable example of faith, when life literally takes most of your material possessions from you, and you give glory to God.

My faith is often not that strong.  But I am always reminded at Christmas of the purpose that we have all been given, and the glorious gift of hope that Jesus’s birth gives to all who seek him.  I pray that all who read this letter are reminded – there is always hope.  Whether you are battling cancer, discovering your new chapter after divorce or job changes, or if a storm literally rocked your world – God will see you through this and lead you to a place of peace, fulfillment and abundance, giving you strength that can only come from him.  I am certain that I will need a reminder of this in the future, but I can bear witness of this experience with Mom battling cancer and now cancer free.  

God is good; and so are my wonderful friends.  I pray you and your families have a merry Christmas and that our paths cross in 2022.

Love to you all,

Jennifer 

Christmas Letter 2020

Dear Friends,

I’ve been writing this Christmas letter since my early twenties and this will have to be the hardest one to write after such an unusual and crazy year.  For weeks, I’ve been trying to determine how I will pull together a year that had a pandemic, political frenzy, riots, hurricanes, fires, my mother getting cancer and a 31-day panic of Facebook-denied access - all in an inspiring Christmas letter.   I can only pray that God will show me as I write this.

Perhaps, I should try to focus on what I learned from this year and the positive aspects of such a negative, challenging time.

In regards to COVID-19, among the heart-breaking sadness it has brought, like all of America, I’ve witnessed heroes among us with healthcare workers experiencing the unbearable, first responders performing against the odds and essential workers such as food suppliers, bankers, and gas station workers showing up daily to serve customers among the risk.  When we are not arguing about the so-called-deny-of-freedom with wearing a mask or focusing on not being able to dine in at a restaurants, we can see the strength of the human spirit with the flexibility, creativeness and diligence that small business owners, teachers and others have performed.  It is truly inspiring to consider what people have been able to accomplish and how we’ve managed with the removal of blessings that we took for granted such as gatherings, hugs, travel and more.

The pandemic also caused most of us to work from home and several parents became teachers as well to their children.  The challenges have been real, but I consider the option to work from home a real blessing.  For me, it fits well with my desire to focus and while I miss some things that were offered in a work environment, we’ve been able to manage as a team quite well.

Now, we have the hope of vaccines already being distributed.  I continue to hear in the news, “thanks to science” or “trust the science” which I agree, but you would think after such a crisis, as a nation, we would be reminded that all good things come from God, and it is He who we can give thanks to for providing the wisdom to scientists and for daily carrying us through all of this.  “In God We Trust”...have we trusted him?  God uses all things for the good for those called according to his purpose, and while the Devil probably considers 2020 one of his best years, God can even use a year like this to draw us closer to Him.

I realized that on July 21st when a hacker gained access to my personal email, then took over my Facebook and Instagram profiles and reeked additional havoc.  For 30 days, I tried everything that you can imagine to get my Facebook account back and finally on day 31, I received an email from Facebook that my pages had been restored - even after telling me earlier “Your situation has been reviewed and your accounts are permanently deactivated.  The decision will not be reversed.”  Sadly, I had considerable panic and anxiety during those days, which sort of frightened me, honestly, on how much control social networks had on me mentally and as a society.  But I prayed every day, and was diligent about seeking God’s word during this time; even with this, He used this craziness to draw me closer to Him.  And He is still using the situation for good, because - since you can Google “Facebook pages hacked in 2020” and my story comes up on the first page (shocking) - I’ve had people from New York to Oregon reach out to me for guidance because the same thing has happened to them.  Among other advise, I always say, “Honestly, I prayed every day and I suggest you do the same.”

During those 31 days, as if the year had not brought enough, our family received the news that Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It was early stages, but extensive chemo, surgery and likely radiation would be required.  My mother is a rock, a pillar of strength in my eyes and a mentor of true faith.  But she watched her own mother endure tremendous pain with breast cancer and she died when my mom was only 34 years old.  Here my mom was...a mother of three kids, married for a second time for only five years after a rocky first marriage, and she lived next door to her parents...and cancer - particularly in the 1970s - was brutal to her mother.  So when Mom heard the news, it took her right back to taking care of my grandma.  It was easy for the Devil to feel like he had another win.

Opal Talley

My grandmother, Opal Talley, holding my mother and then holding me in 1969. She died of breast cancer in 1977.

But among a pandemic with limited opportunities for in-person love and support, we have witnessed a community of friends and family reach out to my mom with an outpouring of cards, prayers, food and gifts.  I’ve been able to deliver a card every day to my mom thanks to the generosity and thoughtfulness of others.  It has reminded Mom and our family what a blessing it is to have true friends and random acts of kindness from even the least expected.  Again, God truly can use all things for His good.

With my mom’s situation, it made me think what would I do without my mom.  I am 52 years old and I still contact her daily with questions from gardening to cooking to antiques - wanting her advice among anything you can find on Google.  As a child, I didn’t dream of the sadness that my mom was experiencing when she lost her own mother so young.

It makes me think of the relationship with Jesus and Mary and the role she played in his life.  When the angel informed her of the almost-unbelievable news that she would bear God’s son, she asked questions and then said, “I am the Lord’s slave, may it be done to me according to your word.”  She was obedient, despite the risk.  When she saw that the angel’s words regarding her relative’s (Elizabeth) pregnancy were true, she praised God, stating He found favor in her as a humble servant and “from now on, all generations will call me blessed.”  She further mentions, “His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him,” which makes me think of the current vaccines.  After giving birth to Jesus and the shepherds came to see them, then later left to spread the good news, it states, “Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.”  When Jesus was a child, Simeon - a man in the temple - held Jesus and praising God, said, “my eyes have now seen your salvation.”  He blessed Joseph and Mary, but then looked at Mary and said, “This child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and will be a sign that will be opposed - and a sword that will pierce your own soul - that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”  Mary knew then that Jesus would do great things, but it would come with deep sorrow also.  When Jesus was 12 years old, his parents lost him for more than three days.  He was in Jerusalem at the temple, sitting among teachers - listening and asking them questions.  After his parents found him, Jesus returned to Nazareth and was obedient to his parents after that and it states, “his mother kept all these things in her heart.”  Later when Jesus and his disciples were traveling, they were invited to a wedding, as well as Mary.  They ran out of wine at the wedding and Mary understood her son’s role in this world before anyone else did.  This was before he had performed miracles, but she simply informed him of the need and told the servants to do whatever Jesus asked, and he turned water into wine.  Mary had faith in her son and believed in his power before anyone else.  When Jesus was dying on the cross, his mother was standing by, as well as the “disciple that He loved.”  (I can not imagine what Mary experienced having to watch her son be crucified.) Jesus spoke to them, “Woman, here is your son” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother” to ensure that someone would be taking care of his mother.

From beginning to end, there was a bond between Jesus and Mary, a mother to God’s only son, that was worthy of this many points in the Bible and likely more.  No matter what we’ve gone through this year, whether we have lost loved ones or if we’re battling a disease or we simply have extremely limited exposure to our parents due to COVID-19, no one understands that love more than Jesus.  And we so often forget, the only reason we have any celebration at Christmas - or that we have the holiday at all - is simply to rejoice in the birth of Jesus, the obedience of his parents for allowing God to work in their lives and the grace and mercy that God has had on his people.

Tomorrow night (Dec. 21st), for the first time in 800 years, humankind can again witness the Star of Bethlehem, thanks to Jupiter and Saturn aligning perfectly.  How ironic that we are alive to see such a rare occurrence during a year that all of us have gone through so much.

I hope you’ll join me in walking outside to view this shining star.  Take a deep breath and be grateful for what God has done for us this year and will continue to do.  Be reminded that Christmas is about the gift of everlasting life, while also showing us a story - if we look harder - of a mother’s enduring love.  

2020 reminded me to not take any blessing for granted.  It’s not an experience that I want to repeat, but I am grateful for the lesson.

Christmas will certainly not be the same this year; our family will not gather like we have normally done.  But we will find other ways to celebrate Jesus’s birth that day and will hope for a special gathering in 2021.

Love to you all...Merry Christmas,

Jennifer

What I Learned In 31 Days Without Social Networks

On July 21, some bored, tormented person decided to hack my personal email, then proceeded to hack my Facebook personal profile page.  The individual had reset the password and Facebook sent my security code to my personal email which the hacker gladly used.  

If you read nothing else in this blog, check your security settings on every online username/password required app that you have and set your multi-factor authentication settings to send you a text message vs. just an email when your password is reset.  If I would have done this, my next 31 days would have been a different situation.

The hacker took down my profile photo and put up a Muslim-type flag, according to my brother who happened to see it quickly before Facebook deactivated my personal profile page.  Whatever occurred, it clearly went against Facebook Community Standards and not only was my personal profile page deactivated, but also my Instagram page and my Facebook business page for J. Spence Properties.  I was the “page owner” for Rise Above It Bakery & Cafe, and both my sister and I were admins; they left the page up, but neither one of us had page roles - so no changes could be made (Can you even imagine running a local restaurant during COVID-19 without Facebook?).  Luckily, for the bank where I am the Marketing Director, I was simply removed as a page role and the other admins and the page were fine.

The hacker proceeded to charge $1,000+ worth of Facebook ads on a debit and credit card, tried to change other passwords, and had some sick fun sending emails from my address that included nude photos with a foreign language message to hundreds of people...ever minute for two hours...before I could get my email completely secured. 

Luckily, my hosting company had incredible service, as well as my credit card company and my bank.

With Facebook, it was different.  But then again, they do have two billion users.

I won’t go into every step along the way of how I tried to get my Facebook and Instagram pages reactivated, as I’ve explained a large portion of that in an earlier blog.  While it’s quite a story, I wouldn’t want to upset the apple cart at this point. I am just grateful beyond measure to have it back - there are thousands of people just like me who never do.

But I will tell you that I had a spreadsheet that tracked my efforts - because it was necessary for my sanity.  In 31 days, I had sent/read 57 emails, filled out forms at least 16 times, 11 online chats and implemented 30 other methods of trying to get this resolved.  Those methods ranged from a Facebook employee filling out a “friends and family ticket” for me, stating my case in a Facebook job application and emailing the top four executives.  It also included in the final two weeks - setting up a fake profile under my grandma’s name (who passed away before the microwave was invented, never mind the internet), setting up a fake business page (which I think I will actually start this salvage business) and buying ads for that business - just so I get an online chat with Facebook representative - which is not offered for personal profiles only.  In the final days, I was also corresponding with an investigate reporter in a larger market who reached out to Facebook media relations as this was becoming a story of the deactivation being detrimental to my small business and downtown revitalization efforts.

But what I did most of all was pray.

Now maybe - all of this effort seems ridiculous.  Actually, it probably is.  But I can not explain to someone that has not gone through this what it is like to have both Facebook and Instagram deactivated and the only response being, “Your account was deactivated for violating community standards.  This has been reviewed and the decision will not be reversed.”

Sadly, it put me in a real panic.  Panic at first that I would lose all of my photos, especially the renovation photos and progress of my property page.  Then all of my friends - how would I even remember everyone if I have to set up a new page?  Most of them, Facebook is my only way to contact them.

The panic became more real when I discovered that I could not set up a page in my real name.  I was banned.  How could I be banned?  My career is in marketing - how am I supposed to my job effectively if I can’t even get on Facebook and Instagram?  And the more I researched, the worse the anxiety became because I read over and over again - “I never got it back” and these people went through the same panic that I was feeling.

But one verse stuck out to me during this crazy situation.

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God:  those who are called according to His purpose.” - Romans 8; 28.

This wasn’t just a “situation” - this was a “lesson.”  Every day of the 31 days that I was deactivated, I’ve known that God was using this to teach me things, to drawer me closer to Him and to strengthen my faith.  To remind me that all too often I reached for my phone or iPad to check Facebook when I knew it was during a time normally dedicated to reading His word or a daily devotion or focusing on the sermon.  Seriously, how many times have we felt that we don’t have time to pray, yet every day we manage to browse Facebook longer than we care to admit?

I was surprised, actually, how this made me feel and how dependent our society has become on these social networks.  Try finding a local restaurant menu or boutique latest offerings.  Try listening to a local church service.  Try keeping up with the news within your community.  Try to buy or sell used items easily in your area.  Try any of these things without Facebook or Instagram.  It was frustrating.

More so, I was surprised how disconnected and isolated I felt from “my people.”  I know this feeling was worse because I live alone and now work from home and we are all a bit socially isolated these days (putting it mildly).  So having this access to my “people” and the ability to engage my community on my renovation activities - having that disconnected permanently - was hard for me to grasp.  It was also just sad with some of the circumstances this caused. Just one example, one of my close friends had cancer and a group page was set up for his friends to keep up with how he was doing.  During my 31 days, Hospice was called in.  During my 31 days, he passed away.  During my 31 days, a memorial service was set quickly and I didn’t hear about in time to attend.  During my 31 days, I could not watch the memorial service that was posted on Facebook until I managed to finally do it with my grandma’s account.  On the flip side, it seems like 2020 has brought all of us a reason to “need our people” - a turn of events or news of sickness or whatever...and not having the support system of social networks was just something that I begged God to not ask me to surrender.  Not now.  Not ever.

My high school basketball number was 21; it’s sort of been a lucky number for me and others in my family.  It was not lucky on July 21 when this all happened.  It came back, however, with victory on August 21 when I actually received two different emails from Facebook letting me know that my account had been restored, and all the related pages including Instragram were published and active.

I have never been more excited and more grateful - sadly - in my life.  I will never know which effort actually worked in getting it restored, or if in fact, it was two different efforts that were actually successful, and it doesn’t matter.

What matters is - I know that God taught me a lesson, like He is trying to teach our entire world this year.  We’ve shut Him out of so many places in our lives and in our society, and in so many ways - we are simply stating, “I don’t really have time, God” or “Not right now, maybe later.”  

I will continue to be guilty of that, but I know - after this - I am better and will continue to be better.  I’ll also appreciate the non-screen activities a bit more...like a walk to get some fresh air, a handwritten card, a visit with family and friends and leaving your phone in the car.  Seriously, if you are one of those people who browse through Facebook and Instagram while sitting with friends and family...put it down and look up.  There is a bright world in front of us and we all need to embrace that a bit more.

Facebook - thank you so much for reactivating my account, I do sincerely appreciate it and as I always did, I will use it for good, because that’s what we do with God’s gifts.

My grandma, opal talley, holding me in 1969 - way before she made her facebook debut in 2020 in order to take care of me again.

To God, my grandma and some good friends out there that shared my story and made your own efforts to get this resolved for me - thank you.  Thanks for the lesson and the reminder.  Thanks for having my back.  It is so good to be back in the sand box (I had actually told one friend that this time period was like all of your friends getting to go to recess, but you had to stay in the classroom permanently).  Finally - it is good to have the weight off my shoulders and to have a peace knowing that God proved once again - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me - even when it comes to a Goliath like this.  I learned a bit about patience (never enough), control (hard to let go of it) and that there is balancing act between giving it to God and also doing your part.

If this story inspires anyone in a similar situation to have faith, pray and to not give up trying - even when the situation appears to “have been reviewed and will not be reversed,” then writing this blog was worth it.

I Was Hacked - Facebook And Instagram Accounts Are Deactivated And I Need Your Help

First, let me tell you a bit about myself so you further understand why this situation hits home a little harder for me. I am a marketing person and I guess I really always have been. Currently, I’m the marketing director for a large community bank with 40 branches in five states. I live in Southern Illinois, where I grew up, but 20+ years of my career was in Nashville, Tennessee where I worked at ad agencies, was the Director of Marketing for Gaylord Attractions (Grand Ole Opry, etc.) and Assistant Commissioner of Marketing for Tennessee Tourism (which means - Facebook - I’ve been buying advertising from you for a long time). I moved back to my hometown, because I had always wanted to revitalize our downtown area. I have rallied a community with historical efforts - all fueled through Facebook - and co-wrote a history book on the town, established a heritage museum and created a “You’re So Carterville” Facebook page where folks tied to Carterville could share photos and memories. I renovated a second downtown building with the sole purpose for a bakery and cafe that I thought our town needed.

Rise Above It Bakery and Cafe is owned by my sister and I assist with marketing and own the building. We opened just a year and half ago with thousands of Facebook fans before people could even enter our doors because I posted often of the renovation progress. The renovation won a Landmarks Illinois award, which says something for our little town since this group is primarily based in Chicago. I’m working on my third renovation of a 5,000-square-foot downtown historical building and I have been posting the progress along the way to keep the community engaged (or at least, I was). Through Facebook, the community could support these efforts by offering architectural salvage, historical memorabilia and photos, and other donations because they kept up with what was needed through my Facebook posts. Plus - their encouragement in Facebook comments - from some folks that I have never met in person - is incredibly energizing to these revitalization efforts. Also, I’m also one of those people that buy and sell on Facebook Market Place in order to find just the right item for these projects.

Then I was hacked…
On Tuesday, July 21st, my personal email was hacked. It led quickly that same day to my Facebook and Instagram accounts being deactivated, which involved not only my personal pages, but also J. Spence Properties page and an inability for any admin to post or make changes on Rise Above It Bakery’s Facebook page. The day’s events also included $1,000+ fraudulent charges on debit/credit cards, other password reset attempts by the hacker, and hundreds of emails sent from my email that were to unknown addresses with foreign-language messages and nude photos, before I could get it secure with my hosting company (which had exceptional customer service, by the way).

Here’s how it went down…
I first realized that something was wrong when I tried to check Facebook that afternoon and was notified that my account was deactivated. I’ll explain in detail the steps that I took with Facebook to attempt to correct this, but in summary of what the hacker accomplished, it was this: He got into my personal email, sent a test email to confirm he had access, then went to Facebook and somehow got access (which was different than a password to my email account). I missed all of this obviously, but according to my brother who only saw a glimpse of my Facebook profile page, the hacker had taken down my cover photo and replaced it with a “Muslim-type flag.” My brother didn’t see what had been posted, it was deactivated before he could do a screenshot. So I really don’t know the entire impact of how my Facebook page went against their “community standards,” but obviously if you would review my Facebook posts for 10+years prior to Tuesday, July 21st, you would realize it went against MY community standards also and this action was not done by me. Meanwhile, what seemed to be happening in a matter of minutes, American Express notified me by text with a suspicious $500 Facebook Ad charge to my personal credit card. Somewhere when this was all quickly happening, a marketing co-worker (who I had notified) removed me as an admin to our bank’s Facebook page, which appears to have saved it from having issues.

Let me say this about Facebook…
I have always been a fan of Facebook, even to those friends who told me how bad they didn’t like it. In fact, I’ve promoted them often - begging some friends “just please get on Facebook, you will love it.” Sure, there are posts shared that I would rather not read…”just scroll past it,” I would say. Sure, I’m guilty at looking at Facebook too often (well - until recently) like so many others. But Facebook has always served as a good marketing tool for me, a key tool for engaging a community into important and good efforts and an almost critical tool to keep up with friends, family, news and SMALL BUSINESS. When is the last time you’ve visited a restaurant or local shop before first checking out their Facebook page?

What disappoints me about Facebook is the non-existent customer service, the avoidance of human interaction. I do appreciate their security measures in deactivating accounts. I just want them to improve the communication process, because there basically has been no communication and they have already made their decision to not reactivate my accounts. What that means is not only am I losing all of my information from the past ten years (photos, timeline posts, etc.), but they also will not let me create a new account…for how long…forever? Who knows. This experience in trying to reach Facebook and Instagram and get my accounts reactivated as honestly caused panic, especially after reading this article in the New York Times where you can see that this happens often and the chance of me never being able to use Facebook or Instagram is a real possibility:

New York Times: Many People Are Abandoning Facebook. These People Have The Opposite Problem.

We truly have a society filled with more than two billion Facebook users who are now greatly accustomed to this way of life. To pull that lifeline out from what appears to be hundreds or thousands of people like me that use it as a good communication tool with no explanation of what happened, no way to discuss your case - is mentally mind-blowing. To do it during COVID-19, when social gatherings are minimal and for someone like me that lives alone and works from home permanently now, is devastating.

So I’m pleading to anyone that works at Facebook - please do what you can to have your company review my case again and activate my account. To others - please share this blog in a Facebook or Instagram post with #facebookreactivatejenniferspence and if you know anyone at Facebook, please reach out to them to see if they can help.

If you want to see the 20 steps that I have taken so far to try to resolve this with Facebook and the bounding frustration, keep reading…
The day that I was hacked, I first realized something was wrong when I went to Facebook to check notifications. When I did so, a box popped up that said my account was disabled due to my actions that were against Facebook’s Community Standards. It provided a second sentence that said to if I thought it was a mistake, to click “request review” (or something like that, forgot to screenshot).

Step 1 - Click on the link that yes - this was a mistake, please review!
When I clicked on “review”, it went to this “form” which asked only three things: Login, full name and a photo of your photo ID. No comment area, no way of communicating that I did not realize why this was happening.

Step 2 - Check Emails For Facebook Notifications
Before I submitted this, I quickly checked my personal email to see if I received some type of notification. I don’t check my personal email normally during a work day and I had missed emails from Facebook that my password had actually been reset twice in less than an hour. Facebook requires a special login code when you want to change your password from an unrecognized computer or browser. Facebook sent the login codes to my email address where the hacker was waiting for them. I failed to have the two-factor authentication set up within Facebook or I would have been notified by text and possibly could have reacted fast enough to this. I highly recommend that you make sure that you have two-factor authentication set up if you use Facebook.

Step 3 - Submit The Review Request
When I saw this had happened, I quickly took a photo of my driver’s license and completed the review request. I was frustrated and frazzled that there was no option there to explain that I now realize that I was just hacked. And I was nervous about sending my photo ID…was this really Facebook…? I had just been hacked, after all.

Step 4 - Try To Reply To Facebook Security
I replied to the Facebook email (from “The Facebook Security Team”/security@facebookmail.com) that had been sent to notify me that my password had been resent - that it was not me! I had been hacked and could not secure my account because the password had already been changed (obviously). I still have not received a response to that email.

Step 5 - Search For Way To Reach Facebook
I searched everywhere for a customer service option on Facebook - phone, email, online chat, something. No luck (and wasn’t surprised, I knew they were hard to reach - just didn’t know it was this hard). I found an option on their Help Center where I could notify them that I was hacked, so I thought surely that was the answer. Page looked like this…

Step 6 - Click on the “I think - no, I KNOW my Facebook account was my account was hacked.”
I clicked on the link and it took me to this…

Step 7 - Click on the “My Account Is Compromised.”
Yes, surely I was on the right track here. I clicked on “My Account Is Compromised” and it took me to this…

Step 8 - Click “Search.”
Which took me to login…surely this is going to work…

Step 9 - Press “Continue…”
So you can read the obvious…(frustration building)…

Step 10 - Click On “Secure My Account.”
”If you don’t know the current password” - of course I don’t know the current password, I was hacked. I clicked on “Secure My Accounts” only to get this…

You have got to be kidding me! It was disabled because my account was compromised!

Step 11 - Find Some Other Way To Reach Facebook - Search “Submit Feedback To Facebook.”
That Google search takes you to an option on Facebook to give feedback, but aww…yes…when you click on the link, you are required to login (#%$!). Honestly, at some point I found a way to submit my idea, but now I can’t figure out how I did it.

Step 12 - Ask Your Hosting Company’s Customer Service Representative Who Specializes In Security
So after she did a fantastic job on my call, I just asked the customer service representative for my hosting company, ”I know this is not your job, but do you have any experience with Facebook?” and then proceeded to tell her the story. “Oh yea, Facebook is the worst, this has happened to my husband a couple of times. I fixed it by going to their Online Chat.”

Step 13 - Find Facebook’s Online Chat Feature
“They don’t have an online chat that I can find anywhere in their Help Center,” I said.

The rep said, “Oh, I know, you won’t find it there; you have to just Google “Facebook” and it will be in the top right corner…”

“But.”, she said, “you have to be logged in to use the online chat feature.” (Are you kidding me?) “So just set up a gmail account under some weird name that you don’t care about and see if you can open a Facebook account.”

Step 14 - Open A Random Gmail Account So You Can Open A Fake Facebook Account In Order To Chat With Facebook
What? Yes - it is exactly what Facebook doesn’t want you to do, but apparently you have to do it to chat with them if your current account was deactivated unjustly to the REAL user…so I did…and I got logged in (with no friends - depression).

Step 15 - Click On Online Chat Button
I quickly clicked on the Online Chat button and - sorry that I didn’t screen shot this before deleting my “Had-to-set-up-fake-account-so-I could-chat-with-customer-service-rep” Facebook account - because…a screenshot would have shown you that you don’t chat with a “rep” at all. It is computer generated, so it had no idea of how to respond to “my account has been hacked, I need my account reactivated” question.

At this point, I am completely frustrated and now paranoid that this will screw up any attempt of getting my original profile account back, so I deleted this Facebook account - which apparently will take 30 days. Sigh

Step 16 - Submit Review Request Again And This Time - Create A Word Document That States Your Case As Well As Photo ID - Save Entire Thing As A JPG And Upload That As Your Photo ID.
Keep in mind, the first time I did this, you don’t get any type of reply message or pop-up box that tells you how long this will take or how you will know, etc. Just a notice that it is being reviewed. But this is three days later now when I submitted the second time…THREE DAYS… and it said this…

Reviewed what? Reviewed what the hacker posted in one day? Did you review my previous posts - years and years of posts - the did nothing wrong? Did you reach out to me find out what happened? Did you get any of my “I’ve been hacked” messages that I tried to send?

Step 17 - Apply For A Job At Facebook And Write Your Case In The Job Application
What do I have to lose? They have “already reviewed, will not be reversed.” I am begging Facebook - this is a crazy mistake - the decision has to be reversed. THIS IS MY JOB. THIS IS MY COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. THIS IS MY CONNECTION TO FRIENDS, FAMILY, NEWS AND INFORMATION (not the only connection of course, but let’s face it - you miss a lot when you can’t access Facebook or Instagram). So yes, maybe it was crazy, but I submitted a job application for a position that I thought was most relative for whoever would be reviewing (or had reviewed) my case. (Besides, I got the idea from the NY Times article). What I got in return was an actual email reply from Facebook (automated in a completely non-human way, I know)…

Yea…”Global Head of IP Escalations, Risk & Response” was probably a long shot.

Step 18 - Repeat Step 16 And Hope It Was A Fluke
Same message but this time, and maybe I just noticed it, there was a “Download Your Information” in the top right corner. “Well,” I thought, “at least I can download my photos and timeline info.” Here’s what happens when you click on that button…

That was 32 hours ago…it is “still creating” my file…supposedly. I’d say it didn’t work, but I’m scared to close out the browser.

Step 19 - Try To Open A New Account With Your Real Name And Different Email
I decided if i ever get my old account back, that would be great, but I have to figure out a way to use Facebook because it is my job responsibility and I need to have a legitimate account, not a fake one…

I didn’t screenshot it, but basically it said they know that I had an account that was deactivated, shame on me, you can never play in this sandbox again - unless you create a fake account. Something like that.

Step 20 - Start Calling Your Friends Who Buy Facebook Advertising Directly With Facebook Reps
This seemed to help some people that we mentioned in online articles; what else do you do…

Step 21 (O.k., more than 20 steps) - You’re In Marketing - Create A Blog, A Hashtag, And Ask Your Friends To Share
Facebook, you might be able to deactivate my page, but you can’t delete my friends and family. They are out there and I’m so blessed to have a lot of them. I hope they get word to the right set of HUMAN ears that will please help me with this.

I’ll end with this. I just can’t rest with this type of response to this situation. My hosting company, credit card company, my bank - all of those partners treated me like a customer, communicated with me and helped me get secure again. It is very unsettling having someone hijack your email account. To have that feeling, combined with the complete frustration and panic that I won’t get this resolved with Facebook and Instagram is horrible. By the way, I tried to reach Instagram also, only to be constantly led to a login requirement to report anything…which you can’t do if they deactivated your account. And yes, I know my Facebook and Instagram icons are still on my website and linkable…to pages that do not work. It is just another reminder.

All things work together for good…
God has to be teaching me something through this. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” - Romans 8:28.  What are you teaching me here, Lord?  Another 2020 reminder that we are not in control?  A reminder that I reached to read Facebook notifications a hundred-times more often than I reached for your word? I know you continue to try to teach me patience, and I’m really not learning that well with this situation.

To the hacker…
I know you were just a few miles away - somewhere on or near the university campus - and so does the police.  Please don’t do this to someone else.  I pray that you find a new purpose and that you utilize your talents for good. Because this has completely wasted a lot of energy and time that could have been better served.

HELP ME GET THIS RESOLVED
Please share this blog in a Facebook post that includes #facebookreactivatejenniferspence. The blog will provide security awareness to your friends and
hopefully get some attention by Facebook and/or media.

Also - if you know anyone at all at Facebook that can possibly help with this
- please reach out to them.

And whatever you do, don’t get hacked
or don’t violate Facebook’s community standards - either one,
but I promise you - it is not the same.

Christmas Letter 2019

Dear Friends,

Christmas is fast approaching and every year, it seems like the span from mid-November to Christmas goes at rocket speed.  It should be a time of year for reflection, gratitude, and peace, and it is - but so many things seem to get in the way of it with gift buying, decorating, parties, etc.  I always want to hit the pause button during this time of year.

For me - I’ve recently also wanted to be very transparent with my current journey, in particular, my downtown efforts.  It was suggested that I should write a series of blog posts to share these thoughts...and I might, but I’m at least going to use the opportunity of my annual Christmas letter to shed some light on my efforts.

I guess it has been eight years now since I moved from Nashville - a city that I loved - to return to my hometown.  God has a funny way of leading us on the plan that He has made for us, sometimes requiring baby steps and “temporary” situations to get you warmed up to the move that He just had you make.  He brought me back to Carterville for a six-month consulting project for the city (and I planned to return to Nashville as soon as it was completed).  After six months, that turned into renewing another six-month contract.  Then a marketing position became available at a large Southern Illinois company, Banterra Bank, and God nudged me to apply for it and I felt like He was telling me, “Even if you get it, you don’t have to stay, just try it.”  And here I am...still.

So in those eight years of being here, I’ve been renovating - something.  I started with Carterville Heritage Museum. 

Then I bought a building next door because it was just easier to have it during renovation and I thought maybe our town could use a bakery.  I still didn’t think I’d stay - just do this for a while, sell it and go back to Nashville. 

But during this time, I started to look at houses that I might want to renovate.  Something small that I can live in while I’m here - after all, I still had my Nashville house which was used as a vacation home rental.  Just do it as an investment, I told myself.  So I bought a 1921 craftsman style house on the main street in town, because I thought improving the main street would add more value to the town.

I don’t know how the funding continued to work, especially the bakery because I bought that building when I didn’t even have a full-time job yet.  But it all worked out.

Then, a couple years ago, I finally decided to sell my Nashville house. 

The real estate market was booming and I didn’t know when that would end.  I had become more comfortable with the idea that I might just stay in Southern Illinois.  I sold my Nashville house in two days, I invested a majority of it as my wise financial advisor told me to (mutual funds, etc.), but I kept a portion to start a real estate development company.  And when I say “real estate development company,” I mean - buy historic buildings in downtown Carterville - which is probably not the best financial investment that one can make, but I believe it is exactly what I was supposed to do.

I finally finished the bakery and we opened it in June 2018.  Keep in mind, opening the bakery didn’t just require funds for renovating the building, but also all of the kitchen/restaurant equipment, signs, decor, merchandise, etc.  My sister now owns the business and pays rent for the building.  

Soon after the bakery opened, I started discussions with another downtown building owner and purchased his building in November 2018.  This building is much larger; has three “store fronts” that I have combined and also  rental opportunity in the back of the building.  I’m still working on that building, but my hope is that it will serve as retail in the street front side (such as a home decor, salvage, craftsman, antique-type store), maybe a front portion can also be used as food/beverage experience; the back of the building will have a large kitchen and event space with glass garage doors and outdoor seating.  And yes - if a really good restaurant wanted to use that space instead, I would be open to it.  Actually, I’d be open to a lot of things.

Now let me say this at this point of my story - I have ZERO idea of why I’m so hung up on renovating downtown Carterville.  Seriously.  I know my family has history in the downtown.  I loved it as a child.  I know I have a career background where I saw other towns make tremendous strides with renovating their downtown area.  I also believe that a thriving downtown can stimulate so much growth to the community.  For example, wouldn’t it be easier to recruit doctors for SIH if their families could see a thriving, storybook downtown?  Or to bring visitors who might see this as a great day or weekend trip and enjoy the wineries, outdoors or antique shops also?

Still...why would I spend so much of my personal time doing this?  Yes, I love it for some reason, but I could make more money flipping houses or investing in my own home.

I will say this...I was incredibly honored this year to receive a Landmarks Illinois Richard Driehaus Foundation Award for the renovation of Rise Above It Bakery & Cafe.  The award was given to only nine recipients throughout the state, and it is a rarity for Southern Illinois.  My Mom and I made the journey to Chicago to attend the ceremony  and I told them this story when accepting the award...

When I lived in Nashville, I would come back to visit my hometown and I would drive through downtown Carterville and would see so much potential; so many things that I wanted to change.  Every time, on my trip back to Tennessee, I would create in mind what changes could be made to buildings, what businesses might work, what events would be fun for the downtown.  Often, I would pray to know God’s plan, to understand things in my career or what goal I thought I was supposed to achieve, and among those prayers were simply thoughts that it was too bad that I was not in the position to make changes in the downtown.

He - through a series of events that made no sense to me and honestly, I was not happy about - brought me back to my hometown to do what I had been dreaming about for years.  It’s not life changing; it’s not world peace or curing a disease, but for whatever reason, I know it is my purpose at this stage in my life.

The transparent part of this is...

I am wondering how I can continue these renovation efforts when I am funding the projects on my own.

There are no grants that I can find to help fund saving historic buildings.  Yes - if you are a non-profit organization, you have grant options.  Yes, if your building qualifies for National Register of Historic Places, you have grant options.  Well, I’m a private developer and there is nothing significant to the buildings in downtown Carterville that would qualify for National Register of Historic Places.  I could form a non-profit, but I’m gun shy to do that again - honestly.  I formed a non-profit - Carterville Heritage & Preservation Foundation - when I co-wrote a book for the town several years ago, but I left that board when the mission changed to focusing entirely on the museum vs. what I had hoped it would be.

So...I’m going to pay for a new roof soon for my downtown building project, and I’m going to whittle away at the next steps the best I can; but I have no desire to have a large amount of debt.  I have already put more money into the building than what I paid for it and I know - without a doubt - that we have saved this building.  It literally had exterior walls that needed to be torn down and rebuilt, steel posts had to be put in to keep up the ceiling, and new concrete floors in a majority of the building.  It’s a massive project, but it is going to be great for downtown Carterville.

Here’s what I believe.  I believe that having blind faith is important in times like this and I know that God is using the situation to show both a community and myself what He can do.  You may see me do crazy things like selling things, or posting about ways that I’ve cut back or coming up with advertising opportunities to generate more revenue.  I’ve already started to approach suppliers with giving me a discount on items or services in exchange for marketing through social network posts and signage.  I love to engage the community in efforts like this and I love not wasting stuff, so you may see me ask for old brick or scraps of wood for an idea that I have for the event center ceiling or who knows what.  If there are people out there that would be good at researching for grants or funding that I’m just missing, would love your help - find me the links/info and I’ll do the work.  If there are people that want to volunteer at the building and burn a few calories, I would not turn it down.  If there are people interested in investing in downtown or forming an investment group or just want to learn more about what I’ve learned with benefits of Enterprise Zone, TIF or the city’s facade program (they will pay interest on a loan for approved facade improvements), just let me know.  The more investors and renovators we have in downtown, the more stimulating it is for all of us who are downtown owners and merchants.

So...what on Earth does this have to do with Christmas?

For me, it is a journey with a goal in mind, trusting that God will provide along the way.  It’s also expressing my uncertainty and fear of how this will work out, yet knowing that this is God’s plan for me - for now.  That’s not much different than Joseph and Mary.  There was so much blind faith that Joseph and Mary had to have during that time - and they trusted God to provide for them and to show them the best next steps along the way.  And He did.

I don’t know what journey you’re going through, but I know all of us are on one and likely struggling as I am with thoughts like, “God, tell me again why am I doing this?” or “How am I going to make this work?”

I pray that during this Christmas season, we reflect on the opportunities that God provides to us - that may appear like struggles - but are only setting the stage for Him to show what He can do when we trust Him and stay the course.

I believe that my downtown efforts will continue and I’ll finish this building and hopefully move on to the next project.  It just may not go at the speed that I would prefer.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas, and that the New Year brings a time for all of us to rev up our engines for the path that God has in store for us.  After all, when we acknowledge Him and lean on His guidance, we know He will see us through it (Proverbs 3; 6).

Merry Christmas, friends - 

Jennifer