“When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved….” (Mark 6: 34)

July 11, 2019– Here’s a glimpse of Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, which is the home of the Indiana Hoosiers football team. Look quickly, because the chances are low that you will see it again from this author, ha?! I did, in fact, find a photo of the birthday girl, Kendra Buehler (pictured at center, above) with her middle son Jacob, a very bright young Boilermaker. However, I’ve chosen to take the high road and not offer up that beautiful shot here for my IU loving friend on her special day. Instead, you will see from left to right: Jacob, Halley, Kendra, Luke and Leo Buehler, above.

Kendra is the wife of Leo Buehler and the mom to those good looking kiddos pictured around her. I’m pretty sure she’s a Jasper native who attended IU herself. Since her boys are the same ages as my oldest two kiddos, the faces of the Buehler family were familiar to us before we got to know them. Once the grade school rivalry ended and the Buehler guys were playing for the same school as the Thieme fellas, I got to know Kendra a little better.

What I learned during those GC years is that she is a faithful woman in word and deed. She’s uncompromising on God’s truth, and she sees the big picture better than most. Plain spoken, Kendra is quick-witted in a sarcastic kind of way. Since people who meet my sarcasm with sarcasm are my kind of folks, I have always found her entertaining and easy to be around.

As a mom, Kendra is respectful, loving and fun! She can often be seen cheering on the Rose Hulman baseball team for which her oldest son is a standout pitcher. She’s competitive and passionate like yours truly, so I feel like I “get” her. It cracked me up when she posted photos of the Buehler boys painting and hideously “redecorating” their sister Halley’s room while she was away at her confirmation retreat recently. The bed was replaced with an inflatable pool and the walls were decked out in a homemade beach mural. The photos were hilarious. That’s the kind of playfulness that creates memories– and I loved it!!

Kendra smiles, she stops to help, she offers and she notices others around her. That’s why I chose the scripture quote above to honor her on her special day. I am grateful for her good example, as it always has reminded me that God smiles on us when we try to do the kind of things that Jesus did. The Buehler family has a supportive, loyal and faithful mother and wife in Kendra, and they are truly blessed. Today is her birthday, and I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge her awesomeness and just to say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KENDRA!