Raising children has given me a compassionate and gracious heart for all children and people, realizing we don't always know the circumstances behind closed doors.

Emotionally, I stay healthy by being grounded in the word of God, being open and honest, never being afraid to speak my mind in love, and having good communication with those around me.

The best advice I've ever been given is being handed a Bible. That's the blueprint for marriage that we go by, and that's what our marriage is grounded in. We also have other married couples who are examples in our lives. My parents have been married over 40 years, and both sets of grandparents for over 65 years. When you see couples in long-term relationships and you see them go through good times and bad times, you realize it's about being committed enough and loving your partner enough to hang in there regardless.

My husband is a natural-born leader. I quickly learned that I had to find a way of honoring his take-charge personality and not get frustrated about his desire to have the final decision on just about everything. I am not a passive person, but I chose to fall into a more submissive role in our relationship because I wanted to do everything in my power to make my marriage and family work.

Once I got my driver's license everybody treated me like I was an adult.

Priorities and purpose help keep us on track.

Raising children pushed me to walk the walk and practice life as I preach it.