Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove • Page 3A OCTOBER 2016 • ARTS AND CRAFTS 3rd Sat. of Each Month • Free Frequent Shopper Rewards Program • Gift Tokens & Market Totes for sale • WIC Approved • SNAP/Foodshare EBT • Debit & PayPal Welcome! EVERY SATURDAY TO OCTOBER 29 TH A BOUNTY OF FALL PRODUCE AVAILABLE THROUGH OCTOBER 29 th OUR 26 TH SEASON! Fresh Flowers Bakery Produce Assorted Meats Fish Cheese 2000 N. Calhoun Road • 7:30am-Noon • 262-784-7804 info@brookfieldfarmersmarket.com • www.brookfieldfarmersmarket.com 249797005 252151008 Shaken to the core but still standing strong By Chris Bennett Special to The Freeman On the surface, my wife, Rachel Bennett, does not look like a woman who is still getting over and mov- ing past breast cancer. She sports a full head of hair. Her fingernails are no longer shredding away due to the effects of chemother- apy, nor is her skin so dry it hurts to hug. Rachel and our family learned of her cancer in August 2014. I wrote a col- umn for this publication in October of that year, reveal- ing what it is like to get that news and work through the initial feelings, thoughts, fears and more. Last October, in this pub- lication, I penned a column discussing her successful surgery and recovery, and declaration from her doc- tors that, for now, she is can- cer-free. And now? Physically, she's in great shape. Men- tally, spiritually and emo- tionally, she's still recover- ing. Mentally, spiritually and emotionally, I am still recovering, and this is a fresh realization. I kicked a lot of cans down the road during Rachel's treatment and recovery. I ignored my feel- ings and emotions in favor of directing everything I could muster at Rachel, our three daughters and our shared life. I focused on surviving moments. I focused on get- ting through each day and each treatment. I recall once thinking it all would- n't be so bad if we just got a break. Cancer doesn't take breaks. It's a relentless predator — it's the black mamba or great white shark of diseases. I decided, from the very start, we would do what was necessary to hopefully sur- vive the experience, and pick up the pieces and assess the damage some- time later. Later is now. I know I need to restore my relationship with the Almighty. I'm a bit upset with him. I'm not suddenly a secular humanist, and I'm not sufficiently self- absorbed to be an atheist and yes, I know exactly how that sounds. Rachel and I will deal with ramifications from cancer for years to come. I know the price she paid — for what? If God allowed the disease to occur then why should I pray to him for her safety and well-being? I keep wondering how dis- appointed my current atti- tude might make the nuns of my Catholic school child- hood. I attended Catholic grade school in Burlington barely 20 years after the Second Vatican Council. Sisters Ann Therese, Josel- da, Christine, Joan or Angelora — yes, Angelora — drilled me and my class- mates in the lessons faith and reverence should play in one's life. I prayed for Rachel during diagnosis and treatment, and I gave thanks for her safe deliverance through the ordeal. There was little any of us could do, aside from that. We either caught the predator in time, or we didn't. Rachel would either respond to treatment or she would likely die. It was just that simple and just that sad. The nagging thought that plagued me and is still vex- ing is why did a just and lov- ing God touch my wife with cancer? I know the dogmatic and biblical answers. They are of little comfort. I helped Rachel shave her head at our dining room table. I watched her sob when she tried adjusting an uncoop- erative wig in the mirror. I've seen her scars, and know they run deeper than the skin shows. Equally vexing is I will never have the answers to these questions. Like tomorrow, answers are promised to no one. I just need to be mad at the Almighty for a time. I know this offends some of you who relied on faith during a time of trial. I refuse to say my faith is dead or dormant, but will not claim it is thriving. There is so much good in our home right now. Our children are thriving and Rachel is healthy. I remind myself to try to have faith, and remind myself that all things do eventually turn to good. It's happening as we speak. At the very least, she is still here. Two years in, family's cancer battle is still one day at a time Submitted photo The Bennett family, seen in this August family portrait, is under- going a breast cancer journey of their own as Rachel Bennett recovers from the ilnness. Top left, clockwise, Amelie, Mar- garet, Chris, Eleanor, Rachel. To subscribe, call 262-542-2500 or go online at: gmtoday.com/subscribe The FREEMAN Waukesha County's Daily Newspaper Fasten your seat belts ... ... it's going to be a wild ride! Stay on course with local, state and national election stories in The Freeman. Getting from here to there By Lauren Anderson Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — Waukesha County's transportation challenges were at the fore- front of a community forum held Sept. 14. About 80 community members and government officials convened for a con- versation about the current issues with — and potential improvements to — the county's public transporta- tion system. Peter Skopec, director of Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group, said the organization is hosting a series of forums across the state to hear from residents on the issue. "Transportation affects every part of people's lives," Skopec said. "People need transportation to get to work, to school, the doc- tor's office, the grocery store. And what we want to do through these events is highlight that the trans- portation system at the moment doesn't serve everyone equally." Waukesha County Execu- tive Paul Farrow, who attended the forum, said the region faces two significant issues regarding trans- portation — a growing aging population that will increasingly rely on public transit in the coming years and workers who need to travel to the available jobs throughout the county. When it comes to seniors, Skopec said, reliable trans- portation is key to living an independent life and access- ing appointments. "It's an issue that is going to become more and more pressing in the future," he said. "That's not an issue just in Waukesha County, it's an issue across the state. Our population is aging pretty rapidly and if we want to make sure that everyone stays mobile for many more years ... we have to find transportation options for everyone." Skopec noted that individ- uals with disabilities, peo- ple who can't afford a car, and the growing number of young people who are opt- ing for a vehicle-less lifestyle are all affecting the public transit system. Finding solutions Farrow said several stud- ies are underway and the county is exploring various innovative options to help ease those challenges. "We don't have the popu- lation density in Waukesha County for a true mass tran- sit type system, so we have to come up with a flexible system," he said. One idea seeing some traction is establishing a "one call, one click" service, which would provide trans- portation customers with a single point of contact to learn about available trans- portation resources in the community. Farrow said county offi- cials also recently spoke with representatives with Uber about possible trans- portation options. He said he'd like to see Uber make Waukesha County a testing ground for a municipal transportation partner- ship. Peggy Fullmer, a member of the Waukesha County Transportation Coalition, said another idea that emerged from the discus- sion was to expand the Shared-Fare Taxi program to more people. Currently, it serves seniors and people with disabilities. She said increased fund- ing will be key to meeting future demand for those services. "The county is doing what it can with the money it gets and it has a lot of roads that need to be repaired and widened," Fullmer said. "But as our population of seniors increases, the Shared-Fare Company is going to have a really difficult time meet- ing the demand, unless we find ways to increase the amount of funding they have." State funding Meanwhile, Skopec said, it's time for the state to reprioritize funding toward maintaining local roads and public transit rather than large highway projects. "Money is what it will come down to," he said. "And we need more funding for transit and local priori- ties, like fixing potholes and repairing bridges in com- munities across the state." "Our interstates and state highways are in great shape," he added. "But our local roads all across the state are crumbling and the transit systems really don't work for a lot of people, so I think there's more realiza- tion now that we have to reprioritize now and really focus on what matters." Days after the forum, Gov. Scott Walker released the proposed transportation budget for the state. In his accompanying radio address, Walker promised a 25 percent increase in the Local Road Improvement Program, and a 30 percent increase in the state bridge program. The proposal also provides $1.7 billion in funding for the State High- way Rehabilitation Pro- gram,which Walker said would mark the largest level of funding in the program's history. "We're also providing more than $672 million in general transportation aid for our municipalities, which represents an increase of nearly 5 per- cent, and $212 million for our counties, which repre- sents an increase of over 8 percent," Walker said in his radio address. "The bottom line is this budget proposal includes greater funding at all levels of local govern- ment for roads and bridges, renews our focus on traffic safety and road mainte- nance, and most important- ly, does not increase taxes or fees for the good people of Wisconsin." Forum focuses on county transportation challenges

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