This morning I flew to South Bend to spend some time at Notre Dame. I was hoping to spend the entire weekend, but tomorrow is my husband’s birthday and I think I should head home for that. Of course, family comes first.

It might seem strange to choose South Bend as a destination of choice in January, but Notre Dame is family too. The Irish Hockey team is ranked #1 in the country. And as a member of the Board of Directors of the Notre Dame Monogram Club, I am embarrassed to say that I have never attended a Notre Dame hockey game. That will change tonight.

Before then, however, I had the opportunity to do something I enjoy almost as much as a Notre Dame sporting event: speak to a group of student-athletes.

Earlier this week, I was contacted by the swim coach at Marian High School, a Catholic high school in nearby Mishawaka, Indiana. “Could you possibly come talk to my team?” Of course I can!

It was intended to be a casual meeting – and it was. But I couldn’t help myself and I spent most of my flight this morning tweaking my power point presentation.  Pictures make the story more real. Photographs of physical therapy, of my teammates, of my hospital stay. On screen, I am 18 years old: their age. In person, I am old to them – a different generation. But when I can connect with them as a teenager, the story is more powerful and more relevant in their lives.

After my presentation, a swimmer’s mom came up to me with tears in her eyes. “I prayed for you,” she said. That was worth the trip. I came to inspire high school students. But here I was touching the life of an adult, and myself. How often do we get to see the fruits of our prayers? And how often do we get the chance to thank someone - a stranger - who prayed for us? I thought that was pretty cool.

Thank you Marian High School!

GO IRISH HOCKEY!