Each spring I am reminded of the many years my daughter Christal played softball and our son Rob played baseball. It was fun watching them from the stands as each year they played various positions on their team. I loved watching them learn to work with their teammates each season. Often the best season was not always about how many wins, but how well they worked together as a team, encouraging each other to do their best and most importantly communicating with each other. I

This Easter 2016 was fun seeing on social media, the many photos of people enjoying the holiday together as family and friends. It made me think how important it is to have an authentic community in all our lives. Moving around every two years or so when my husband Pat was active duty military offered many challenges. It was before cell phones, e-mail and social media. How did I meet people? I had to be purposeful and intentional. I would bake (anyone who knows me will know t

For months, my granddaughter Alyvia who is five years old, talked about passing her swim test so she could swim in the deep end at the YMCA pool where they are members. I was so proud of how my daughter and her husband worked with Alyvia faithfully each week over the past several months to develop her swimming skills and bodily strength. I still remember when she was much younger not wanting to swim on her own at all. She would have such a defeated and negative attitude when

This weekend my daughter and all her family came up for the last visit before baby Noah arrives the first week in May. It was fun getting to hang with the grandchildren and share precious moments together. Alyvia, the oldest of all four grandkids, is five and had given her life to Christ. The change is so amazing. She is becoming a servant, operating in the God-kind of love to others. What I love is the repentant heart, both humble and contrite. My daughter mentioned that lea

Yesterday my husband, Pat, and I attended the 3rd annual Naval Academy Crew Alumni Reunion and Spring Kickoff Banquet. Pat loved getting to meet his former coaches and teammates and the added treat was getting to meet a number of current crew members. I heard throughout the evening that being on the crew team was the highlight of their time at the Naval Academy. The community they shared and the friendships that developed has and will carry them throughout the many long year

Yesterday was such a beautiful spring like day. I had my granddaughter Lena over for the weekend and we decided to head outside the house and go to the park to play. You have to know Lena, she is three years old, loves to dress up even to play outside. When we got to the park it was packed full of other children and family members who had the same idea as we did to get out of the house. Lena was excited to be at the park, but for the longest time she was transfixed to the sid