Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Eph. 4: 2)

Receptive and faithful women receive us as if we were Christ presenting Himself in the midst of the day. Janice Kunkel is such a woman. She’s virtuous, gracious and kind. I spied the photo of her, above, on her Facebook page, and I swiped it for this post because I love the way her genuine smile just shines as she sits in this kayak with a glass of wine.

Janice is the mother of three, as well as a wife and soon-to-be grandmother. She’s an incredibly bright and gentle woman. She’s a pediatrician whose patients I feel certain are incredibly blessed by her presence in their lives. I met Janice a few years ago at church and what I instantly noticed was just how articulate she is. It’s hard not to admire that she is just incredibly smart and full of love for the Lord! She and I are on the Gospel of Life Committee together. Finally, in recent months, we have taken the time to get to know each other a bit better. Don’t you just love when the Lord presents you the opportunity to become better acquainted with a stunningly wonderful person?

It’s so refreshing when a new friend is transparent enough to eschew the whole vagueness of dancing around reality and then truly lets you learn who they are and what they are about. Janice clearly values openness, connection, compassion and love. These are the qualities that made me instantly wish to own them a bit more in my life when we had lunch a few weeks back. How blessed are her children to have such a mother!

Janice is a pious and devout Catholic woman. Although I consider myself a woman of faith, I am pretty sure there’s more “Catholic juice” in her pinkie finger than I’ve got coursing through this whole body of mine. She’s not messing around, and frankly, I find this particular strength utterly inspiring. To her, truth and integrity matter. She’s a woman of character who is filled with the sort of strength only the Lord can inspire.

Thank you, Janice, for your friendship and for inspiring me to aim a little higher in my own spiritual life. You are a uniquely gifted, righteous, and truly beautiful woman!

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. — St. (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta