We can't really talk about giving without including receiving – they really are two sides of one coin. The two are truly inseparable and we are well advised to remember that. We have received many messages about 'giving' and for many of us, myself included, the strongest one received as a very young child was “It's better to give than to receive”. So I committed myself to G I V I N G. I gave my thoughts... though nobody asked. I gave my time to help... though nobody told...

"Hey, Mary K, can you give me Luke's contact information?" was the question coming from my brother-in-law one afternoon in the fall of 1995. He was trying to track down my oldest son who had left home for the Marine Corps in early June. "Sure", I said, "What's up?" "I just heard about this thing, I think he might want to take a look at it." Alright, I thought, a bit cryptic but I'll bite, "And what 'thing' would that be?" I asked curiously. "Well, I don't really know much about...