Some of you may know that I grew up in a family business run by my dad, a grocery store, but it had a butcher shop.

It was known far and wide on the southwest side, and I know that quality means something.

And that's why we drive two hours from northwest Indiana all the way to the northwest side of the city of Chicago

to Joseph's finest meats at 7101 West Addison Street. Before you go there, you've got to be prepared,

so I've got a list for you. Do you have a pen? Italian sausage hot. Italian sausage mild. Get pork chops, but order them thick.

And of course, get some beef too, like bone in ribby steaks.

Nothing like it.

And if you don't know exactly what to get or how to cook it, ask Ben or sell.

And tell them, John Cassie.

And I'd like to tip my hat to Joseph, the patriarch, the owner,

the founder who built this store for his family with his two sons, Ben and Sal. In his mid-90s,

he had serious heart surgery and he made a triumphant return. He loves his place, and I do too, and so does

anyone who shops there. It's like family. They care about the details. They care about you.

Joseph's finest meets 7101 West Addison Street, Chicago, a family tradition since 1977,

and a proud sponsor of John Cass News and the Chicago Way podcast.

As part of my rehabilitation from these strokes, I sat down this week to begin writing a column on Mother's Day.

And in the middle of writing this thing, I get a call from Pete, my brother, and he said,

Mom had a stroke, and it was bad.

She was at the Greek-American nursing home in Wheeling.

She was wonderfully treated there by the nurses and the staff, but she had a stroke.

And so she had adamantly pursued the course of do not resuscitate,

do not jabbing with medicine, do not jabbing with needles.

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