Jamie Janosz

I grew up in the town of Thornton, Illinois, a suburb just south of Chicago. With a population of 3,700, we knew almost everyone in our town. We didn't have much of a downtown - just a small grocery store, a pharmacist, a filling station, and our favorite hot dog stand. What Thornton did have was one of the world's largest limestone quarries. In fact, I remember owning a t-shirt, printed in the 1970s, that boasted of this distinction. It read: Thornton Home of the World's Largest Limestone Quarry (and on the back) Drop In Sometime... Today I learned that the huge cement/stone chute that overlooked one of the main roads is being torn down. It made me think of how integral the quarry was to my childhood. It was a part of the landscape...the backdrop for our lives. If you lived in Thornton, you were used to dust. Lots and lots of dust. The fine gray dust from the quarry was aggravating to housewives who struggled to keep surfaces clean and polished....

In 1877, a woman named Sarah Dunn Clarke and her newly-wedded husband George started a rescue mission on Chicago’s south side.   They were wealthy, but their hearts were broken by the men and women who struggled to survive on the city’s streets.   The Pacific Garden Mission is the 2 nd oldest operating rescue mission in the United States. Now located on 14 th St and Canal – just south of Chicago’s loop – they offer shelter to as many as a thousand men and women on any given night.   As part of my book research to understand how the work of Sarah Clarke continues today, I visited the mission with my friend Dawn Pulgine. Entering through the side, we felt a bit out of our element. Men, black and white, old and young, clustered near the doorway. Some carried bags of personal belongings. Others were working the desk and security. It was mid-day at the Mission. We were given a tour by one of the “program men” – residents who choose to stay a...

A chilly Iowa landscape became the final resting place for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Vallens, and the Big Bopper. They were like any other musicians, travelling from place to place, arriving at new venues, hoping that their songs would receive the same rousing reception that they had found on the radio.   This past summer, we visited the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.   The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, was a perfect venue. Huge wooden dance floor. Tropical theme - to warm their spirits in the bitterly cold Midwest winter. Who knew that the evening of February 2, 1959, which held such energy and promise, would end in tragedy? That night, the Winter Dance Party, would be forever immortalized by the fans who couldn't quite believe they were gone. Fast forward some 50 years later, and their memories have not yet faded away. Fans of Buddy, Ritchie and the Big Bopper, gathered at Willowbrook Ballroom this January to hear the touring tribut...

This morning, I signed a book contract with Moody Publishers. I am so excited! Not only am I thrilled for this opportunity to be published, but I am honored to tell the stories of some amazing turn-of-the-century women. The working title of my book is: HEROIC PIONEERS: 8 Christian Women Who Changed Chicago, the Church, and the World. And they did! The book will highlight the lives of eight, Chicago women who were contemporaries of evangelist D.L. Moody. One was a slave’s daughter – one a single school teacher stricken by typhoid fever – one was a wealthy philanthropist - yet each of them achieved amazing things for God and His Church. They started schools and ministry organizations. They preached at the World’s Fair. They marched boldly into Chicago's vice district and changed taverns into missions. They worked alongside United States Presidents to change public policy and challenge injustice. Together - they instituted many important outreach organizati...

One day, on eBay, I found this silver key charm from 1915. Because I love history and all things vintage, from time to time, I do an online search for items that are related to Moody Bible Institute. This charm belonged to at student named Myron Griswold - and asked to be returned if lost...for a reward! As I walked to my Chicago office, Myron's charm on a chain around my neck, I smiled. This little bit of history was going back to the right place, a place where I have worked since 1990. Funny how things come full circle. I work at Moody Bible Institute because I love my job - I teach writing to college students who are driven to change the world for good. I help them learn to tell their stories and articulate their faith. They are hopeful, sometimes naive, but always determined that they can make a difference. I also work there because I believe in the purpose and history of this unique and important Chicago institution  The college, located in the center of...

The day after Christmas is one of my least favorite days. There is so much rushing around to prepare for the holidays, that the day after feels so utterly quiet. I almost don't know what to do with myself. Plus, here in the Chicago burbs, it is cloudy without even one spot of sunshine. It is too chilly and windy for a walk - and I'm still feeling bloated from too many butter-dipped Christmas crab legs. So, I've been cleaning. Taking empty boxes and bits of Christmas decor down to the basement. I reorganized my closet a bit to make room for new treasures. Here are a few of my favorite vintage gifts from this Christmas...Thanks to my husband, daughter, mom, sister, and all of those who know my love for retro gems: My mom-in-law Helen treated me to this 1950s satin cocktail dress that I had been watching on etsy . Little gold oriental leaves and a very cool sash at the back. Also on etsy, this 1940s kelly green suit jacket - I feel like I stepped right out of a...

My Grandma Storms passed down a Christmas recipe to me, creatively called "Brown Cookies." While the name is as plain as can be, these rolled, cut-out, molasses cookies were a delicious and cherished part of our family Christmas.  They were thin, crispy, and cut into hearts, circles and stars. She would store them in layers separated by wax paper in old metal tins. Their only adornment was one candy red hot in the center. They were brown...and delicious. My Grandma was a stern, Christian, German woman. Elsie was a single one-room schoolhouse teacher for many years, until she met and married my grandpa, Phil, and had two sons: Neil (my dad) and Ken. They lived in a two-story house in Moline, Illinois, just on the edge of the Mississippi River.  My grandpa died when I was fairly young, so most of my Christmas memories involve my grandma as a fiercely, independent widow. She orchestrated our pre-dinner rituals like she was teaching a class. Each of us...