OHIO COUPLE HITS ROAD TO RECORD LIFE'S BRIGHTER SIDE.Byline: Jeanne Mariani-Belding Daily News Staff Writer Tired of being bombarded with grim stories on the evening news, Julie and Bruce Madsen sold their home in Ohio, ditched their lifelong careers and embarked on a cross-country journey in search of positive stories - stories that inspire and lift one's soul. Their adventures are chronicled on line in a monthly column on the Internet and their short columns run weekly in several local suburban newspapers in Ohio <noinclude> The following is a list of newspapers published and circulated in Ohio. Major papers </noinclude>
The Madsens found such a story in Canoga Park in a small church congregation's struggle to rebuild, recover and renew their spirits after the Northridge Earthquake The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in the city of Los Angeles, California. The earthquake had a "strong" moment magnitude of 6. . The Madsens made a pit stop Wednesday at the construction site of the Emerson Unitarian Church on Jordan Street, chatting with longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective church members and watching contractors hard at work in the heat of the afternoon sun. ``It would have been real easy to say this is just too much and disband dis·band v. dis·band·ed, dis·band·ing, dis·bands v.tr. To dissolve the organization of (a corporation, for example). v.intr. 1. and go to other churches that are close by, but they decide to stick it (out) and work together,'' said Bruce Madsen, a former project manager for computer systems at General Electric. ``It was a real leap of faith,'' said Julie Madsen, a psychologist. ``And they're still leaping.'' The Unitarian church - with a congregation of about 130 people - suffered about $1 million in damages. After raising more than $200,000 in donations and with the help of a Small Business Administration loan, the congregation decided to rebuild at the same location rather than move to another site. ``When we decided to stay in Canoga Park people got excited about it and about the community and they really started taking an interest in the community again,'' said longtime church member Kathy Challis chal·lis n. A soft, lightweight, usually printed fabric made of wool, cotton, or rayon. [Possibly from the surname Challis.] Noun 1. . The church, built in 1956, was razed raze also rase tr.v. razed also rased, raz·ing also ras·ing, raz·es also ras·es 1. To level to the ground; demolish. See Synonyms at ruin. 2. To scrape or shave off. 3. in November and the new church is expected to be completed this fall, said Challis. At the time the church was being razed, the Madsens mailed 200 letters to Unitarian churches across the country explaining their plans. Emerson's members were among those who responded. The Madsens spent only a few hours in Canoga Park before continuing their journey. Their next stop - Hawaii. Since they started their journey in April of 1995, the Madsens have been through 29 states and written a 140 short stories on ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The couple sold their 3,300-square-foot home in Shaker Heights, Ohio Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the city population was 29,405. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side. , and Bruce Madsen traded in his 26-year career at General Electric for a 26-foot recreational vehicle. Their mission: A two-year, 50-state trek across the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in search of the good side of people and of life that will wind up in a book they plan to release in 1997. The Madsens say they have no regrets. ``Going out and looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. these stories and actually finding them really feeds your soul,'' Bruce Madsen said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Bruce and Julie Madsen visit the Emerson Unitarian Ch urch in Canoga Park on Wednesday. John McCoy/Daily News |
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