Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.

Caring for the health and welfare of a family member or friend is hard work! It can be frustrating and isolating.  Caregiving is incredibly rewarding, but it also a source of stress.

Caregiver stress can cause physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. It typically results from a person neglecting their own physical and emotional health because they are focused on caring for an ill, injured or disabled loved one.

Don Alesi worked for nearly thirty years at a local cemetery.  He helped thousands of people through some of the hardest times of their lives. After serving in the military, Don returned home and needed to find a job. A friend of the family offered him a job with benefits as a gravedigger. He accepted the job thinking he would keep it until something better came along. He found that he loved the job and was eventually promoted to director.  After he retired Don decided to write his experiences in a memoir.

The Fox Valley Public Library is happy to share our new collection of books and DVDs from the Stuttering Foundation of America  (www.stutteringhelp.org). If you or someone you love stutters, please know that you are not alone.

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! If you don’t have a library card now is the time to get one. This month new card holders with receive a special goodie bag. Current card holders can receive a special “Love my Library” window cling.

To help keep you in the mood for showing mad love to your library, here are some titles with a library theme you will definitely want to check out.