The following post was written when I was in Israel.  I didn’t have internet access at the time, so I couldn’t publish the post immediately.  I’m back in the States and have nearly unlimited internet, so if you have any questions or comments, please leave them in a comment below the post and I will reply as quickly as possible.

Why hello there!

Our second day in the Holy Land was absolutely beautiful!  Though I must admit, it got off to a rough start.  My roommate Lydia and I were awoken quite early by our neighbors in the room next door.  They were chanting and praying at the top of their lungs.  It sounded like there wasn’t even a wall between us!  Lydia woke up at 1am (meaning she only got 2 hours of sleep!) but I didn’t hear them until 4am.  I generally sleep like a champ—in college I even slept through a fire alarm once.  But these guys from Nigeria gave me a run for my money.  They finally stopped around 6am, but our wakeup call was at 6:30.

Nonetheless, we had a great breakfast of Mediterranean deliciousness before we went started to explore.  But before we get started, here’s some background on the Holy Land:

The Holy Land (presently Israel & Palestine) is about the size of Delaware.  51% of the land is desert, and the remaining 49% would be desert as well if people didn’t care for the land.  It’s the “land of milk and honey,” meaning it’s incredibly fertile.  And it’s the only land connection between Asia and Africa.

Our first stop for the day was Caesarea!

Fun fact: All of the statues are head-less because back in the day, they would keep the bodies and just replace the heads every time there was a new emperor/god/important dude.

We hung out in this ancient amphitheater,

saw some gorgeous views of the Mediterranean Sea,

checked out the remains of King Herod’s temple,

and walked along ruins that were discovered less than 10 years ago!

We then traveled to Mt. Carmel, one of 5 really famous mountains in the Holy Land.  Others include Mt. Moriah (where Isaac was sacrificed) and Mt. Sinai (where Moses received the 10 commandments).  The name Carmel means “garden of God” (El means God and Car means garden). 1 Kings 18 tells us that Mt. Carmel was where Elijah confronts the false prophets and all of the people declare that the Lord is God.

You can almost see all of Israel and parts of Palestine from the top of Mt. Carmel.  It was hazy and cloudy out, but everything was still beautiful!

There’s even a sanctuary and monastery at the top of the mountain.

On the roof of the monastery, there is a compass telling you everything that you can see from Mt. Carmel.  I couldn’t fit it all in the picture!

Check back soon for part 2 of our first full day in Israel! 

Hello from Israel!  We made it!

We arrived as the sun was setting over the Mediterranean Sea.  The waves were crashing over the sand and it was absolutely beautiful.  It was hard to get a picture from the van, but hopefully this one gives you an idea:

Yesterday was a crazy day of traveling.  My friend Elizabeth was a lifesaver helping me get to the Atlanta airport in the morning, and we managed to avoid traffic and make it on time.  We then had a 5 hour layover in New York City before our 13 hour flight to Tel-Aviv.

I was hoping to sleep on the plane (I even took a sleeping pill), but I wasn’t feeling so hot and didn’t get much sleep.  Plus it’s always awkward when you’re trying to sleep in the middle seat and then you wake up and realize your head has turned to the side and is suddenly 4 inches from the stranger in the seat next to you.  I did manage to see 3 of the 4 movies on the flight: Moneyball, Larry Crowne, and parts of Jane Eyre.  The other movie was Crazy, Stupid, Love, which I had already seen and thought was mostly the middle word in the title.

We finally arrived in Tel-Aviv and it is undoubtedly the most beautiful airport I’ve ever been to.  It’s sleek, modern, stylish, clean, and surprisingly quiet.  We then drove through Tel-Aviv to a smaller town 20 minutes outside of the city where we’ll be staying the next few days (I have no idea what the name of this town is…whoops!).  It’s funny–when we got to our hotel, we were quickly reminded that Israel is indeed in Asia.  The room is minimalist, modern, and tiny!  Even our beds are super small–I’m only 5’3 and the mattress is almost too short for me!

We ended our first night in Israel with a short time for Scripture, prayer, and some introductions.  There are 19 students from 3 different seminaries in our group (the actual conference with people from all over the world doesn’t start for a few days–we’re just doing some touring before it begins!).  It was great to learn from everyone and learn about their seminaries, too.  Our tour guide joined us, which was awesome.  He told us about how he got involved in tourism.  His name is Wisam and he’s a Palestinian and a Christian.  He has a degree in social work and everyone in his family works on art carvings, so he didn’t get involved in tourism for business or the money.  He wanted to meet people and share his faith.  He said groups would tour his hometown (Bethlehem), and tourists would ask him when he converted to Christianity.  He quickly told us to always remember that Christianity is this area’s biggest export to the West–after all, this is where it all began!

And, Wisam has a pretty interesting Duke Divinity connection that my classmates might appreciate.  That beautiful mother of pearl carving of Jerusalem in the Terrace Room?  Wisam and his family made that!

So all in all, day 1 in Israel was brief but very good.  It’s so strange having internet access and being able to update this as we go.  I always disconnect from the world when I travel, but since this trip and the seminar are for one of my courses this spring semester, we all needed to bring our computers.  I’m not sure what the internet connection will be like in Jerusalem, but we’re trying to figure out a way to watch the national championship game on Monday (it will be on at 3am on Tuesday here!).  As for the Steelers, it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to watch the playoff games, but I’m still sporting the black and gold here.  Tomorrow includes tours of Caesarea, Nazareth, and 2 other places tomorrow.  Goodnight!!

Hello friends!  It’s been so long since I’ve posted on here.  Things have been crazy lately!

My sister went into labor during my finals week and I had to rearrange my travel plans, flights, and meetings with friends and old colleagues to get to Ohio as soon as I could.  My sweet little nephew Rowan was born 2 months early.  He’s still in the NICU, so it would mean a lot to me if you could keep him, my sister Laura, and brother-in-law Tyler in your prayers.  It was beautiful to be reminded of the gift of life in its tiniest packages.  Our God is truly an awesome God.  Many thanks to the incredibly supportive people in my district for encouraging me to be with my family and helping me reschedule my meeting with my District Committee on Ordained Ministry.  And of course to my friends and family who kept me sane and lifted me in prayer–it was a crazy time and I couldn’t have made it without y’all.

Christmas break was equally as busy, but it was so much fun.  We put a lot of miles on between Columbus and Pittsburgh, and it was great to be at home with my friends and family.  Words can’t even describe the moment when I got to hold my nephew for the first time.  He might be tiny, but he is one cute little nugget.  I love being an aunt already.

I’m currently in the JFK airport in New York City on a very long layover before we fly out to Israel tonight!  I’ll be spending 3 days touring different cities and sites in Israel and the remainder of the time I will serve as a North American delegate to the World Methodist Evangelism Institute.  Hopefully there will be some wifi so I can share all of the details with y’all!  And so I can keep up with my Steelers in the playoffs, of course.

Hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season.  I’m excited to catch up on some blog reading and share more stuff on here as well.  Blessings and love to each and every one of you!

I know I’ve been living in the South for quite a few years now, but most of y’all know I bleed black and gold.  I grew up just outside of the city of Pittsburgh, and even though I don’t plan on moving back there, it will always be home.

After reading Julie’s blog post tonight, I’d like to share with you another way you can make a difference this holiday season.  Earlier this week I posted about how you can make a global difference this holiday season, but tonight I’d like to share a way you can make another way you can make a great impact in the life of one young boy.

Max, an 8 year old boy from Belle Vernon, PA (not too far from my hometown), is battling leukemia and won’t be able to make it home for Christmas.  He has one crazy wild Christmas wish, and I think we can all help it come true.

Max would like to receive 1,000,000 Christmas cards in the mail.  

[Not an actual card, but it gave me an excuse to doodle!]

Yes folks, that’s one million.  But I think we can make it happen!

Just send a happy little card to:

Max c/o Hailey Remish

417 Jones St.

Belle Vernon, PA 15012

Spread some holiday love!

It’s hard for me to believe Christmas is right around the corner.  I haven’t bought a single present yet.

Slacker, I know.  I didn’t even wake up until 10am on Black Friday.  The thought of waiting in line at midnight or 3am just sounds atrocious to me.  I guess I’m just not a shopper.  Or maybe it was just because I didn’t see any cute boots on sale this year.

At any rate, the older I get, the more I realize this craziness of buying a gazillion presents that just take up space is simply…craziness.  Don’t get me wrong–I love me some Christmas presents.  I was the kid that always snuck downstairs to be the first one to see all of the presents under the tree.  And I still get excited every time I open a Christmas present.  Though these days, I’ve somehow become the queen of wrapping Christmas presents.  Those obnoxiously shaped kids toys?  I can magically make them look like a Martha Stewart masterpiece.  I blame it on a combination of my inner perfectionist and love of Christmas.  But when it’s all said and done, there’s nothing like sharing gifts with the ones you love.

This year, I was able to open a unique gift.  Three of my friends and I received the gift of toilet twinning. Never heard of it?  Well I hadn’t either until a few days ago.  But it’s one of those gifts that keeps on giving.  And I hope that’s what the spirit of Christmas can be about.

Photo courtesy of toilettwinning.org

Toilet Twinning is a UK based company that enables you to “twin” your toilet (or loo!) with one in a developing country.  They’re currently working in rural villages of Burundi and Cambodia, and I’m excited that my toilet’s twin is in rural Cambodia.  The money for the toilet twin builds a safe and clean latrine in a rural village, where the community members are both educated on domestic hygiene and given access to clean water.  We will even get the exact GPS coordinates so that we can find our latrine on Google Maps.  How cool is that?!?

This gift got me thinking of the global world that we’re in, and how we can really make a difference this holiday season.  In a time of stocking stuffers and white elephant (or dirty santa) gifts, I think it would be awesome if we instead looked at alternative gifts to give to friends and family this year.

Here are some awesome organizations that can not only help you wrap up some alternative presents for your friends and family but also help our neighbors around the globe:

 ZOE Ministry is an organization that works to break the cycle of poverty and give hope to orphaned children in Africa.  Through the ZOE Orphan Empowerment Program, African children are given training and access to farming, business education, and HIV/AIDS prevention.  Through partnership with local churches, orphans form communities in order to become self-sufficient.  Alternative Christmas presents through ZOE Ministry include cows, goats, pigs, rabbits, and chickens.  These animals provide income, fertilizer for fields, and nourishment as orphans journey through the Orphan Empowerment Program.  In turn, you receive an ornament to give to loved ones of each of the animals you ordered.  It’s a great way to impact the lives of orphans in Africa.  Bonus information:  You can give directly to ZOE Ministry through the United Methodist Church.  The GBGM Advance number is 982023, so you can make a direct donation in the offering plate this Sunday.  You can also give online, by mail, or over the phone.  For more information on giving through United Methodist Advance, click here.

Heifer International is a global non-profit organization working to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way.  Heifer teaches recipients around the world how to raise and care for livestock, seeds, or trees in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.  They then give these gifts to families as a means of food and income.  Alternative Christmas presents through Heifer International include llamas, goats, water buffaloes, chicks, trees, and honeybees.

And don’t forget your local campus ministry! Now is a great time to support collegiate ministries, as campus ministries across America are planning formation retreats, social justice programs, and mission teams.  I currently intern with Duke Wesley Fellowship, and we are sending mission teams to Haiti over spring break and to rural Armenia this summer.  These students will make a global impact as they bring donations to support the local community, learn from our neighbors in developing countries and form relations with people they otherwise may not know.

Do you know of any other alternative gifts this holiday season?  Share thoughts and suggestions in the comment section!

Me praying with someone who affirmed their calling to ordained ministry in the UMC at Exploration 2011. Photo courtesy of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry's Facebook page.

Before Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to attend Exploration 2011–a conference for young adults who are exploring calls to ministry in the United Methodist Church.  I attended Exploration 2 years ago and absolutely loved it.  Although I had already begun the candidacy process for ordination in the UMC, I still found the experience of attending Exploration to be incredibly beneficial.  At the time I had no idea what seminaries I would apply to and still had a lot of questions about this crazy thing called the ordination process.  Exploration gave me the opportunity to re-affirm my calling in the midst of my peers, attend workshops related to seminary and what this whole ordained minister thing is all about, and meet representatives from all of the different UMC seminaries.

This year, I had the opportunity to attend Exploration as a small group leader and represent Duke Divinity School at the conference.  It was a great opportunity to attend Exploration again, connect with so many people, and run into old friends I met at Exploration a few years ago.  What I think is so great about Exploration is the fact that it provides the tools to help you articulate your call.  The point is that we’re all called to ministry.  The workshops and small groups at Exploration help you further discern your calling and provide the questions for helping you figure out exactly what that ministry looks like.  For some, it’s being an ordained elder.  For others, it’s being an ordained deacon.  And for others, it’s serving as a lay leader or in some other type of ministry.  But Exploration provides the opportunity to at least start to figure that out, since discernment is certainly an ongoing process.

I was honestly just really excited to go back to Exploration, since I had such a great time in ‘09.  I mostly remember the workshops when I attended as a participant, and although I didn’t participate in the workshops this time, I did hear that they were helpful to a lot of participants.  But this time around, I’d have to say that worship stood out the most to me.  I found the music to be just okay, but I thought he preachers were absolutely phenomenal.  Rev. Adam Hamilton, Bishop Hayes, and Rev. Shalom Agtarap all had amazing messages.  And I can’t tell you how much I appreciated hearing a young female clergy preach at Exploration.  It was great.

What I didn’t expect was to feel so affirmed in my calling while attending Exploration a second time.  I loved being able to lead a small group and help people wrestle with the many questions of discernment.  And I especially loved being able to pray over people after they affirmed their calling to ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church.  The Holy Spirit was alive and certainly gave me the words to say–I still don’t even know what I prayed that night, LOL!  But I was able to pray with so many people, including an engaged couple as they both affirmed their callings and my friend Shawn, who I met over Twitter and Facebook a few months ago, but finally got to meet in person at Exploration.  I also prayed with another man who was truly a gentle giant–all I remember is him screaming “Yes, Lord!” and “Amen!” in the midst of our prayer, and it finished with tears streaming down both of our faces.  It was such a beautiful moment to be a part of, and I’m so grateful I had the opportunity.

Events like Exploration are what we young United Methodists need. Of course we’re learning and growing each year we have the event, and I can’t see what Exploration 2013 will look like.  Exploration gives us the opportunity to connect with our peers from across the nation.   It provides workshops where we learn what exactly chaplains do and what extension ministries are.  It allows us to learn from young pastors and ask them questions about what life is really like in the fishbowl of the local church.  It gives us the chance to be in small groups and form relationships with people.  It’s in those small groups that we’re able to ask the questions that we’re maybe not so comfortable asking our pastor or campus minister.  And most importantly, it takes us out of our comfort zone and into a safe place where we discern.  That’s what we all need, especially those of us who are just beginning the journey.

I’ve always loved Advent.  It’s such a beautiful time in the Church, as we expectantly wait and prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  Maybe it was the lighting of the candles or the church being draped in beautiful purple, but as a kid I always loved this time of year.

As an adult, I’ve come to appreciate this time in the liturgical calendar as a celebration–the start of a new year.  As our Gospel lessons now change from Matthew to Mark, I’m feeling refreshed and renewed in the start of a new year, which will certainly be full of changes and surprises.

One of those surprises happened in worship this morning.  During Children’s Time, we received our own sermon–and it wasn’t from the pastor.  If you’re not familiar with Children’s Time, it’s a time before the sermon where the pastor (or another leader in the congregation) brings the children to the start of the church and shares the Gospel with them; it’s often a much shorter and more simplified version of the sermon.  But even as an adult, I love Children’s Time.  It’s almost like a Twitter version of the sermon–it’s short, simple, and right to the point.  And it’s never without any humor–the kids always have amazing things to share!

As my pastor called the children to the front of the church for Children’s Time today, one little girl screamed, “Don’t forget me!” as she ran up the aisle to join the rest of the kids.  It was hilarious, beautiful, and a sermon in and of itself.  In this crazy, messy world we live in, we are never forgotten.  No matter how far we turn or how many times we stumble, we are not forgotten.  And as we turn back to God and cry out, “Don’t forget me!,” we are reminded of God’s love and presence in our lives each and every day.

Duke Divinity School gave all of us students a “Meditations for Advent” booklets–with Scriptures and reflections from many of our professors. The first meditation was a reflection on Isaiah 64:1 by Dean Richard Hays. He writes:

In the rhythm of the church year, Advent reminds us that we live in a time of groaning along with a broken creation, a time of longing for what we do not yet see (Romans 8:22-25). …But Advent also reminds us that our longing is not futile, for we await the consummation of a sure promise.  In the coming of Jesus Christ, God has torn open the heavens and come down.  For that reason, Advent recalls us to the discipline of hopeful waiting.  Nothing now can separate us from the love of God, and so we wait with confidence for the healing of all creation.

And so it is that nothing can separate us from God’s love, mercy, and grace.  We have not, are not, and never will be forgotten.  We are constantly wrapped in God’s love and covered in God’s grace.  In our longing, we cry out, “Don’t forget me!”  We are reminded in this season that Jesus Christ came for us all, so that we may not be forgotten.  And as we journey in the start of a new year, may we be reminded of that and rejoice in that.  O come let us adore Him, today and always.

“Go with your gut” is an expression I’ve often heard.  It’s that idea of going with your first instinct, your gut reaction.  It’s not second guessing or over-analyzing.  It’s going with the first answer that pops into your head and following your initial instinctive reaction.

This whole going with your gut thing is something I should do more often.  It’s something that probably would have benefitted me on the SATs or any exam with true and false questions.  Yes, I’m that girl who analyzes true and false statements until I’m pretty much convinced that it’s gotta be a trick question.  Thank goodness we don’t have exams like that in seminary.

In my Christian Theology course this semester, we have to write a 12-15 page paper on a theological topic of our choosing.  The Trinity as a practical doctrine, soteriology, and the relationship between Christ and culture are just a few of the options.  Before we even received the paper topics, I knew I wanted to write about something dealing with the sacraments.  I thought I wanted to do something regarding baptism, as I’m always interested in learning more about the debates between infant, adult, and spiritual baptisms.

But when we received the topics, sacramental theology wasn’t an option.  There was an option to “choose your own adventure,” but this seemed to intimidate me for some reason.  So I settled on evil and the question of theodicy, and began to tackle the question of why bad things happen.

Well let me tell you: bad things happen when you analyze why bad things happen.  Every corner I turned seemed like I was opening up a whole new can of worms, and I couldn’t narrow down my thesis.  There were suddenly so many questions I wanted to answer, which I’m pretty certain included everything that could ever possibly be associated with the words evil and suffering.

So I met with my professor to talk about it.  As we talked through what I was working with so far, he looked at me and said, “Do you really want to write about evil?”  And I honestly said no, but evil was one of the questions for the commissioning process, so I thought I would write on it so that I can better articulate it when I get to that step in the ordination process.  I had this same professor last year, and he looked at me and said, “Megan, don’t worry about that.  I know your writing, and you’ll be able to write a great response to any topic they give you.  Take these 15 papers and write on whatever you want.  Have fun with this.  So what do you want to write about?”  And I thought about it and said, “The sacraments.”  We talked about how it wasn’t an option, but that there was a “create your own adventure” option.  So we quickly created my own adventure on a defense of infant baptism based on the tradition of the United Methodist Church.  I will be arguing against Anabaptist claims of the invalidity of infant baptism.  My professor is Mennonite, so this should be interesting.  But he recommended it, saying he would like to learn more about the United Methodist Church’s stance on infant baptism, since so many of his students are Methodist.

I’m in the middle of working on the paper now, and it’s going so well.  It’s exciting to both write on something I believe in and expand my horizons by reading theologians of other traditions.  And it’s proof that I should have just gone with my gut in the first place.  Although I did get to learn a lot about evil and theodicy, the greatest lesson I’ve learned as a result of this is to go with your gut.  Even though I think I’ve now learned this for the gazillionth time, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of this every now and again.

It’s a well-known fact that Halloween is my favorite holiday.  I just love dressing up and eating candy…what more could ya want?!?  But seriously, it’s a time to have fun, and I just think it’s great.

This year, my friends and I went as the Village People for Halloween.

We had so much fun, and our costumes were a big hit.  Surprisingly, a lot of people didn’t know who the Village People were.  I suddenly felt old, even though they were popular before I was born.  Some people also called us the YMCA crew, so I suppose that’s close enough.

Some other great costumes were…

Elvis (and a smurf!)

Angry Birds! (Also, I have no idea who the girl on the left is.  We stopped by Target before going to a Halloween party, and she loved Brock’s costume so much she started crying LOL)

Galinda and Elphaba!

An Ohio police officer (I thought this was both creative and hilarious.  My friend Brad dressed as an Ohio police officer who had caught a few of the wild (stuffed) animals that were released in Zanesville last week!)

The Brawny man!  (You can’t tell, but I’m flexing in this picture to show Brawny’s strength!)

Me and my girls!  Hannah was Velma from Scooby Doo, I was one of the Village People, Julia was Rainbow Brite, and Laura-Allen was one of my Village People counterparts.  Also, Brock the Angry Bird made a special appearance via photobomb.

I also had a lot of fun in my group fitness classes leading up to Halloween, because I taught the THRILLER Dance!  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a video of my class doing the Thriller, but we definitely had a good time.  If you ever want to teach it in your fitness classes, follow the Learn the Thriller videos on Youtube–the instructor makes it so easy to learn to steps.  And it’s so much fun!

Happy Halloween to y’all.  I hope you get to eat some yummy candy and see some great costumes.

What were your favorite Halloween costumes this year?  

Extreme Makeover Home Edition is a show that I love.  In fact, I think it’s a show that almost everyone loves.  There’s nothing better than hearing tales of triumph over tragedy and families coming together in spite of the obstacles before them that can make us all shed a few tears.  And it’s a beautiful thing to see these families given new homes so that they can grow and prosper together.

This week’s episode is no exception.  I was given the opportunity to watch it in advance, and let me tell you–it is so good.  In the episode you’ll meet Brian Keefer and his family, who are all from my home state of Pennsylvania.  The Keefer family are a close-knit bunch who remind me so much of my own family.  The children are all boys and they are the best of friends, much like my sisters and I.  Additionally, they all gather together for family dinners on Sunday nights, a tradition my Italian-American family celebrated every week as a child and continues to celebrate today.

In this episode, you’ll see a family that becomes even closer through tragedy.  Brian, a young, talented athlete studying at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, suffers a devastating injury just days before his 21st birthday that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down and requires a caregiver 24/7.  To call the episode inspirational would be an understatement.  You’ll see true sacrifice from Brian’s father, who leaves his job to care for Brian, even going back to college with him.  You’ll see perseverance that occurs each and every day, as this family rallies together so that Brian can achieve his goal of walking again.  But more than anything, you’ll see a tenacious faith in Brian Keefer, a star athlete and homecoming king, who refuses to let his paralysis set him back.  It’s truly remarkable episode, and you don’t want to miss it.

This episode also features the first remodel in 5 years on Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  The Keefer family has lived in the same house for longer than Brian’s lifetime, and the house holds a lot of memories and sentimental value.   The Extreme Makeover team was aware of this, so they worked with the builder to remodel the home rather than build a new home from the ground up.  This is a larger undertaking, but I think it’s incredibly special as well.  They didn’t just leave the house alone, however.  They also work on an addition to the house which focuses on Brian’s rehabilitation.  The technology that they provide Brian to help with his physical therapy is simply amazing.  Prior to this episode, I had no idea that people could one day walk after becoming paralyzed.  Through this episode, I’ve learned that people can walk–and even run marathons!–after being diagnosed with paralysis.  It goes to show you that with the right resources, no obstacle can slow you down.

I was initially asked to review this episode for my blog because it features a Methodist family.  Although you won’t see this background information in the episode, you will notice that faith plays a huge role in this family.  You’ll see their faith in each other, knowing their tight bond will help them overcome any obstacle.  You’ll see the faith that Brian instills in his friends and family, as he inspires them all to live better every day.  You’ll see the faith of his classmates at Lock Haven University, who wear “Pray for Brian” shirts as they work on the remodel.  But most of all, you’ll see hope and faith in Brian as he dedicates his life to being a strong example for everyone around him.  It leaves us with a reminder that no matter what obstacle is in our way, when we pair faith, hope, and love with an unyielding belief that we can achieve, we truly can experience great miracles everyday.

Thank you to the team at Different Drummer, the marketing agency for ABC Television, for asking me to blog about this upcoming episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, which will air on Friday, October 21st at 8pm.  I’d like to give a special thanks to the Keefer family for inspiring us all to hold tight to what’s dear in our lives and never take a day for granted.  May we all embrace the love of family and the tenacity to overcome any obstacle as much as they do.