The generous will themselves be blessed…(Prov. 22)

Ed Villacorta and his wife, Liza, have two beautiful children– Kenneth and Sophia. This family is one of those that I have been around for years through both SLDM and Guerin Catholic experiences. However, since neither of these incredible Villacorta children is an exact match with my boys, their family isn’t one I have really had the chance to get to know as intimately as perhaps we could have. That said, Ed’s name came to me today because I ran into some of his thoughtfulness.

Back in junior high, my middle son, Drew, made a brief appearance as a cross country runner. He was fairly successful at this sport, but it was short-lived because of, well, the running, ha?! If it weren’t for Ed Villacorta and his generosity, we’d literally have no proof that Drew Thieme was ever a participant in this sport. He’s shared a tremendous number of pictures with me over the years as I spent some time as a communications person for SLDM CYO. I needed pictures for our newsletter, twitter feed, the website and all sorts of things. Once Ed discovered the need, he would frequently send me the most incredible shots of young people having loads of fun in their SLDM sports of every variety. The pictures were usually edited, captioned and often contained the parish logo. It was impressive work! Later, as our children grew a bit older, he shared some images of Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles too!

This is Ed’s last year as a GC parent since his gorgeous girl is a senior this year. She’s articulate, friendly, and kind, which are traits she certainly picked up at least in part from her father. Edward Villacorta is unceasingly positive, and in every interaction I have ever had with him over the years he is incredibly courteous and generous. If it’s true that the most joyful, happiest folks are those who are most often giving more to others than they receive in return, then I would guess that’s among the chief reasons for Ed’s sunny disposition! He’s also clearly a faith-filled man who loves the Lord, and a fantastic example to his children and all in his path.

On behalf of all of us who have glorious photographs which capture beautiful moments in the lives of our children that were gifted to us by you, Ed, allow me to say THANK YOU! This is merely one small way you have spread God’s love around like wildfire by the way you live your life. Many times your smile and bright hello made every difference in my day, and I am LONG overdue to say I AM GRATEFUL!!