Steffani

Dear Steffani,

Of course you are on my list to talk about!  You have a lot of shoes to pick from, girl.  I always thought I would write about your black shoes with the bling on them.  You like those shoes and so do I.  We have had a lot of adventures together with those shoes!  We have gone to California and shopped, ate in all kinds of restaurants, raced for parking spots and had a lot of laughs.  They have gone to Starbucks numerous times and at all times of the day and night.  They are part of our history.

I will never forget your yellow shoes.  Every time you where them you say you love them and a little while later you say, "Oh yeah, these are the shoes that hurt my feet."  They remind me that as an employer you are always willing and ready to walk through the hard stuff.  You never ask anything of an employee that you are not willing to do yourself.  In fact, you usually do the hard stuff for us.  I have so much respect for you as an employer and leader, Steffani.  You always go before us and set the example.

I have seen you give so sacrificially of your time, your talents, your love and even your possessions.  You have given people the coat off your back, the purse off your arm, and the shoes off your feet.  You never think of anything as yours, only God's.

The shoes I love the most, however, are your tennis shoes.  They have been there for me during the hardest challenges of my life.  You have walked the road with me whenever I needed you.  You have
walked beside me as a mentor, as an accountability partner, as an employer, as a sister, and a friend.

I love you and consider you to be one of the great blessings in my life.

Deana

Sarah

     Sarah was born with a love for Minnie Mouse.  She had Minnie Mouse sheets and three years of Minnie Mouse birthday parties.  She was always happy and always smiling.

     During the teen years, Sarah had a love for Disney princesses.  She and her close friends all chose the princess they most resembled and gave one another appropriate gifts for their chosen identity.  We had princess birthdays and princess proms.
     I remember on her wedding day we had an argument over her shoes.  I wanted her to wear beautiful "glass slippers," but she wanted to be barefoot.  You see, Sarah has always had an image in her mind of what beautiful was.
     Now I look at Sarah's "glass slippers" at age 22.  I love them.  They are Sarah.  I have seen her wear them to work.  I have seen her wear them to the pool.  I have seen her wear them with a beautiful dress (but only for a few minutes!)  They are crazy, but they are Sarah, and that is why I love them!

     If I were to pick a word for Sarah, it would be "Endurance" and her shoes rightly represent it.  She bought her shoes because she loved them, but soon heard they would build up the muscles in her legs on her runs and build her endurance for the harder runs.
     Sarah has never been afraid of hard work or doing what it takes to be stronger.  This used to be true of only her physical condition, but now it is emotional as well.  Sarah has been through more trials than many of us experience in a life time and I am continually amazed by her endurance through a trial and overwhelmed by her ability to adapt to the challenges before her.

     Sarah has gained a lot of strength and understanding of who she is as a young woman.  She understands that she has gifts to offer the world.  She has a vision for what she wants to do and the confidence to reach her goals.  Her beauty has deepened because she now understands what beauty truly is.

     Sarah's motivation is based on her love for her daughter.  She has endured a number of changes, but her endurance to do what is right is inspiring.  She is a wonderful momma.
     Sarah is in the midst of a long race.  Sometimes she is in tennis shoes and sometimes she is in "Vibram Five Fingers."  Sometimes she is behind a stroller and sometimes she is taking a moment to herself.  One thing is for certain, she will endure and will endure with grace.