MY FAMILY

One of the most precious gifts anyone can have is the privilege of giving love and trust to family members. Likewise, the other most precious gift one can have is the privilege of receiving love and trust from family members.

Over the years, I have always known the importance of family and extended family to my own success. In recent years, I have come to realize that my own emotional ups and downs were not only shared by my family, but actually experienced in emotional ways that can only be described as being felt from somewhere way down deep in the pit of my stomach and the far reaches of my soul. Now, as I get older, the feelings for my family have never been as great as they are now and I can only feel them growing stronger as I come to grips with my own mortality.

I hope, in revealing my family to you, you will come to appreciate how much of an affect and effect my family has had in making me who I was, who I am, and who I want to be. In introducing you to my family, I hope you can share some of my feelings and bring your own family members closer to your heart. Afterall, whatever successes we have or will have can be directly attributed to our family. Whatever failures we experience can be made positives with the help of our family. My family then and now, although getting smaller, still remains the core of my life and the inner force that keeps me striving for excellence.

KIMBERLY & LOUISE

The joys of my life and the reasons for my living are all wrapped up in the exuberance and unreserved love I have for my two daughters, Kim and Louise. I call them my "girls", but that simple description does not begin to describe how important they are and have been to me. Kim, now a junior in college, is no longer my "little girl", but a young adult ready to challenge my knowledge about all things worldly. My youngest, Louise, at 14, has been challenging me since she was 9 and regardless of my having 45 years on her, she, like all teenagers, knows everything, even more than me.

Kim is majoring in psychology and has a deep rooted sensitivity for children. Like me, who also majored in psychology at Michigan, there is an immense curiosity about what causes certain behavior. We both have an empathy for others that I derived from my mother and unconsciously passed on to Kim. She is extremely honest, truthful, and direct, sometimes to a fault, but that's ok because you never have to wonder what she's thinking. Almost immediately, she will tell you, whether or not you want to hear it. I'm very proud of Kim as she has planned her life well, knows where she's going, and knows what she must do to get there. I hope, in some small way, I have helped.

Louise Leanna, my teenager, is a work in progress. Blessed with a quick mind and equally challenging self confidence, Louise is becoming the person that I thought would remain in hiding forever. At 5'7", she is a strikingly beautiful child that looks far older than a young teenager, and of course, dresses the part. I've stopped trying to figure out the mind of a teenager and any of you that have teenagers know exactly what I mean. Louise is a gifted athlete who loves track. Her height and strength make her an ideal runner in the 400 meters. She is beginning to show signs of maturity that extend beyond boys, driving, and "how do I look." Louise wants to be a lawyer and even at her young age, she displays many of the attributes that cry out "Lawyer."

Without question, my daughters are the center of my universe. Having had children after my playing days, I was able to concentrate almost totally on them. There was no division of loyalties between my children and anything else. Since birth, they have commanded my total concentration and devotion. Yes, I have taught them a lot, but more importantly, they have taught me the meaning of love, in its most basic and true terms. Love comes from that somewhere way down deep, and it never can be fully described, only felt. Thanks to my two girls, I know what it means to love without reservation or hesitation.