The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Diane Kortus

Saying Goodbye To My Family Homestead After A Lifetime Of Looking For A Home That Feels Just Like It  

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We have been publishing a monthly Home Section in The Laker/Lutz News for several years, and each month I write the stories you read in this section. I’ve learned much about the developers and builders behind many of Pasco County’s master-planned communities, and enjoy telling their stories and those of the people who live in these new neighborhoods.

This month, I thought I would share with you my personal story about home ownership, and why a home means so much more to me than just its physical structure.

My first home, of course, was my childhood home in St. Paul, Minnesota. I was the fourth child in my family, and was 9 months old when my parents bought a farmhouse built in 1885 on five acres just outside the city limits. Six more children were born in this house, and it became our family homestead for the next 65 years.

This farmhouse, built in 1885, was the childhood home for Publisher Diane Kortus and her nine siblings in St. Paul, Minnesota.

I left Minnesota for Florida when I was 25, and when I went back home to visit once or twice a year, I always stayed at my childhood home. After my father retired, the house became his primary hobby, and Dad loved showing off his most recent home improvement projects to me, not long after I walked in the door.  As we became adults, the house remained the gathering place for all family occasions, and the house, my Dad and my siblings became forever intertwined.

After my father died in 2016, our stepmother stayed in the house until she decided she didn’t want to go through another Minnesota winter in a 135-year-old farmhouse. So, this summer she moved to a senior community with lots of activities and no worries about the furnace going out or waiting for the driveway to be plowed.

A few months later, our family home was sold to a young couple who “wanted to raise their children in an old home with character.” While we were happy a new generation would be making new memories in our family home, selling it was very emotional because it was the last physical connection with our Dad, and there would no longer be a place for large family gatherings.

For me, that old farmhouse symbolized the love and stability of my family. As a child, I always imagined that when I grew up, I would buy a house just like it to raise my children and live in forever.

Well, things didn’t quite work out that way. Over the course of my life, I have owned six homes, never living in any one of them for more than seven years.

But, I have never given up my fantasy of a forever home. When it was time to move and look for the next house, I always searched for what I believed would be the perfect home to live in for the rest of my life. And, when it was time to move again a few years later, I was always sad to say goodbye and begin the search for our next home.

As I got older, and my children went off to college and then their own lives, I began to spend more time gardening and taking care of my shrubs and plants. I have even added orchids to my landscape, and when they bloom, I send pictures of the flowers to my sisters, as I once sent photos of my kids.

I would rather be home than anyplace else — it’s a retreat that protects me and envelops me in serenity. It’s a place to display and enjoy family photos, favorite books and artwork from my daughter and local artists.

My current home in Land O’ Lakes is my all-time favorite — but then I’ve said that about every home I’ve owned. It’s the first brand new home I’ve bought, and I’ve lived here already for over three years. Right now, I see myself staying here forever, but I know from my personal history that I will likely be moving again.

Perhaps that is why I enjoy writing stories for this Home Section, because it lets my mind drift to the newest master-planned community coming to Land O’ Lakes or Wesley Chapel. I get to  learn firsthand the latest in home design with flowing floor plans, new trends in finishes and the adaption of digital technology for the home.

I hope that you, too, can close your eyes and visualize living in one of the communities or homes I have written about in this Home Section. Even if you are not looking to buy a home today, I hope that reading about what’s new in housing locally will help you find your next home, which perhaps will become your forever home.

Published November 25, 2020

So proud to receive the Excellence in Integrity award

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In 2021, The Laker/Lutz News will be 40 years old, and I have had the opportunity to be its owner for the past 20 years. Over the years, we have received many awards from newspaper organizations for our editorial excellence and ad design, as well as recognition from local chambers of commerce, civic groups and economic development agencies.

My staff and I are always honored to accept these awards, and we proudly display them at our Land O’ Lakes office. But, no award has been as emotionally satisfying as the one we received last week from the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

At last week’s Celebrating Excellence in Business event for the North Tampa Bay Chamber: (front row, from left) Diane Kortus, Mary Eberhard, B.C. Manion, Terri Williamson; (back row, from left) Kelli Carmack, Katie Fernandez. (Staff members not pictured are: Stefanie Burlingame, Matthew Mistretta, Steve Mistretta, Kennedy Murdock, Mary Rathman and Kevin Weiss.) (Courtesy of Paula O’ Neil)

We learned in early October that we were nominated for the Chamber’s 2020 Excellence in Integrity award. This was exciting, of course, but when we were notified a few weeks later that we were one of four finalists, we were extremely gratified.

The announcement that we had won came during the Chamber’s 2020 Celebrating Excellence in Business event. This virtual event was well done, with hosts Hope Kennedy and Kevin O’Farrell keeping the commentary energetic and fresh.

Most people participated by watching on the Chamber’s website or via its Facebook page, while several area businesses had small “watch parties,” with safe social distancing. We were invited to a small gathering at The Hilton Garden Inn in Lutz, and six of us from The Laker/Lutz News were able to go. It was fun to be out together, and to watch the show with other chamber members.

We were fortunate that the Integrity category was the first award to be announced — allowing us to relax and enjoy the rest of the show, and cheer on other finalists and winners. Every business nominated for these awards is to be congratulated and honored for the outstanding work they do, and their outreach in the community (see related story).

Receiving the Excellence in Integrity Award is especially meaningful in a year of so many challenges. What began as a strong first quarter, as we welcomed Pasco County’s many new businesses and residents, dramatically changed in March with the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Like many businesses, our revenue plunged after most area businesses and institutions closed. We responded by reducing expenses significantly, but were careful not to make cuts that would negatively impact the quality of our news coverage, or reduce the number of papers we print and deliver every week.

We believe people want and need local news more than ever during a worldwide health and economic crisis. And, because we are the only weekly newspaper in central Pasco and north Hillsborough, we also believe that local businesses still in operation and those reopening need our local audience to market their products and services.

We are successfully navigating through this difficult year because of our commitment to our community, optimism that our local economy will rebound, and the hard work and integrity of my staff.

With the help of my employees, we have moved our company forward and have made — and continue to make — changes that we believe are best for our readers, advertisers and community.

Making good decisions begins with integrity. It means living your life personally, and professionally, with honesty, commitment, selflessness and empathy. Those core values are exemplified by every employee at our newspaper.

I want to thank the North Tampa Bay Chamber for honoring our newspaper, and I want to close by sharing with you a note I received from our editor, B.C. Manion. She captures perfectly why this Integrity Award means so much to our team, and why we are so thankful to receive it.

B.C. wrote: “I am so proud of our newspaper, Diane. I can’t imagine receiving an award that means more than receiving an award for integrity. It came at a good time, too. It’s been a tough year, with lots of demands. But, we are working our way through it and we will come out the other side, an even stronger and better company than we are right now. So, congratulations for leading a newspaper that means so much to the community.”

Published November 18, 2020

An invitation to join our ReaderSHIP Club

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I am writing this column to personally invite you to join our new ReaderSHIP Club.

We started this club to give us a direct line of communication with our most important customer base  — local residents like you who read The Laker/Lutz News every week.

We also established the club to thank you for your loyalty and patronage by sending you club goodies, shown in the above photo with our mascot, Buddy the Beagle (who is also my 14-year-old rescue dog).

It’s been just a few weeks since we launched our ReaderSHIP Club, and we already have a few hundred members. There is no cost to join — all we ask for is your physical and email addresses so we can stay in touch and send you our club e-newsletter and postcards, and little surprises from Buddy.

People who join our ReaderSHIP Club care about our community, their neighbors, local community organizations and area businesses — the people and groups we cover in The Laker/Lutz News through stories, photos, news items, announcements and advertisements.

Need more reasons to join?

  • You get to interact with our staff at The Laker/Lutz News and fellow readers. We’re a family, of sorts, who celebrate each other’s milestones, family photos, personal stories, even recipes.
  • Every month I share my favorite stories and photos, and why I chose them as our best.
  • Become our Reader of the Month, too! This is a fun way to thank our most loyal readers and reward them with fun prizes for sharing their story with fellow members.
  • Receive personal invitations to private special events, just for club members.
  • Get on Buddy’s mailing list for regular postcards and giveaways.
  • Participate in focus groups and research that help guide the direction of The Laker/Lutz News as we grow with our community.

In coming months we will be asking you to share ideas on how to enhance our community newspaper, website and social media platforms. We want to be more relevant and engaging, and ultimately, a more valuable resource for you and your neighbors.

Fortunately for our company, Gov. Ron DeSantis ruled newspapers an essential business at the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown. We’ve continued to write stories, deliver the newspaper and help businesses reach our readers through advertisements, which are especially important now as businesses work hard to reopen their doors and adapt their business plans.

We are fortunate that many businesses continued to advertise in The Laker/Lutz News through the coronavirus crisis, thereby allowing us to avoid cutting back our circulation. We are very proud that we continue to print and deliver 47,395 papers every week in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City.

This is especially important today, because we are the primary source for many residents looking for local information about COVID-19 and other timely issues.

I believe that newspapers like The Laker/Lutz News are the original social medium — the glue that holds a community together. It is my hope that our new ReaderSHIP Club provides a vehicle so that your voices are more clearly heard in the pages of our newspaper.

I want to thank the inaugural members of our ReaderSHIP Club, and encourage you to become a new member by signing up at tinyurl.com/y74gjrf8, emailing me your interest at , or calling our office at (813) 909-2800. I truly look forward to hearing your thoughts and meeting you personally when we begin to have club get-togethers later in the year.

Published June 10, 2020

Share your thoughts to help improve The Laker/Lutz News

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One of the few positive things about the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) crisis is that most of us have more time on our hands at home and on the job.

Having this additional time provides an opportunity to reflect on what is most important to us, and then make changes that will improve our lives personally and professionally.

It has allowed me to step back and reflect on what we do well at The Laker/Lutz News, what we could be doing better, and what new things we could offer our readers and advertisers.

To help us improve our community newspaper, we need your help, and are asking you to complete an online readership survey at www.research.net/r/150911. This survey is just 17 questions, and will take less than 10 minutes to complete. It asks you questions about what kinds of stories are most important to you, has a few demographic questions, and also asks what types of products and services you will be looking for as our economy continues to reopen.

To thank you for taking the time to complete the survey, we are giving away a $100 gift card to Publix, with the winner being randomly chosen in early June. We truly want your suggestions on how we can make our newspaper even more relevant to your life.

Fortunately for our company, Gov. Ron DeSantis deemed newspapers an essential business, and we’ve continued to write stories, deliver the newspaper to your home and help businesses reach our readers through advertisements.

Unlike many publications, we have not cut back on our circulation. We continue to print and deliver 47,395 papers every week in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City. In these communities, we are often the only weekly publication that gives readers pertinent information on how COVID-19 is impacting their lives in north Hillsborough and central and east Pasco counties.

Because there has been so much local news about COVID-19, we have expanded our Facebook presence with timely news that cannot wait until our next issue, and have taken great pleasure in sharing heartwarming stories and videos about neighbors helping neighbors, and letting you know how you can help, too.

It’s been said that newspapers are the original social medium — the glue that holds a community together. We provide credible reporting that you can trust on topics from government to prep sports. Plus, nothing replaces the photos you can cut out and tape to your refrigerator, or slip in an envelope and mail to someone you love.

While it’s true that regional, national and international news is easily found on the Internet, that’s not true when it comes to local news in your neighborhood. While The Laker/Lutz News has a robust website and active Facebook presence, our coverage of your community begins with our printed paper that is delivered every Wednesday to your home.

Please complete our survey so we can do an even better job of serving you.

Published May 20, 2020

Share your thoughts to help improve The Laker/Lutz News

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One of the few positive things about the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) crisis is that most of us have more time on our hands at home and on the job.

Having this additional time provides an opportunity to reflect on what is most important to us, and then make changes that will improve our lives personally and professionally.

Publisher Diane Kortus

It has allowed me to step back and reflect on what we do well at The Laker/Lutz News, what we could be doing better, and what new things we could offer our readers and advertisers.

To help us improve our community newspaper, we need your help, and are asking you to complete an online readership survey at www.research.net/r/150911. This survey is just 17 questions, and will take less than 10 minutes to complete. It asks you questions about what kinds of stories are most important to you, has a few demographic questions, and also asks what types of products and services you will be looking for as our economy continues to reopen.

To thank you for taking the time to complete the survey, we are giving away a $100 gift card to Publix, with the winner being randomly chosen in early June. We truly want your suggestions on how we can make our newspaper even more relevant to your life.

Fortunately for our company, Gov. Ron DeSantis deemed newspapers an essential business, and we’ve continued to write stories, deliver the newspaper to your home and help businesses reach our readers through advertisements.

Unlike many publications, we have not cut back on our circulation. We continue to print and deliver 47,395 papers every week in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City. In these communities, we are often the only weekly publication that gives readers pertinent information on how COVID-19 is impacting their lives in north Hillsborough and central and east Pasco counties.

Because there has been so much local news about COVID-19, we have expanded our Facebook presence with timely news that cannot wait until our next issue, and have taken great pleasure in sharing heartwarming stories and videos about neighbors helping neighbors, and letting you know how you can help, too.

It’s been said that newspapers are the original social medium — the glue that holds a community together. We provide credible reporting that you can trust on topics from government to prep sports. Plus, nothing replaces the photos you can cut out and tape to your refrigerator, or slip in an envelope and mail to someone you love.

While it’s true that regional, national and international news is easily found on the Internet, that’s not true when it comes to local news in your neighborhood. While The Laker/Lutz News has a robust website and active Facebook presence, our coverage of your community begins with our printed paper that is delivered every Wednesday to your home.

Please complete our survey so we can do an even better job of serving you.

Published May 20, 2020

Helping one another

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Coronavirus disease 2019, otherwise known as COVID-19 has upended life as we know it.

It remains unclear how bad it’s going to get, or how long it’s going to last — and that’s causing stress and anxiety.

Still, in the midst of the illness and deaths, shutdowns, cancellations and lay-offs — we know that our communities are filled with good-hearted people.

We have witnessed, for years, how these kind and generous souls have helped others in myriad creative and wonderful ways. We know this is happening now.

Please help us tell those stories. Email us a synopsis of the particulars, along with contact information, to .

Published March 25, 2020

Automotive section launches today

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This week The Laker/Lutz News is expanding our business coverage with a new automotive section that we’re calling “autoMOTIVES.”

We emphasize the word “MOTIVES” because we believe this section’s outstanding content will educate and motivate you to keep up with the latest automotive trends, and help you decide what is the best vehicle for you and your loved ones.

Our editor is Nitish Rele, an accomplished automotive writer who lives in New Tampa and is under contract with several automobile manufacturers to test drive and write stories for industry publications and blogs.

Rele has been writing product reviews, test drives and reporting automotive news for more than 20 years. He will be doing the same for The Laker/Lutz News, but with a heavy emphasis on local automotive and dealer news for our readers in Pasco and north Hillsborough counties.

Rele is also the founder and publisher of Motoring Tampa Bay, a comprehensive auto enthusiast guide in print and online since 2009.  Also notable, Rele was at The Tampa Tribune from 1989 to 2009 and was the weekly automotive columnist for his last 11 years there.

Rele received his master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, and has been a Tampa Bay resident for nearly 30 years. I’m proud to add that he is a longtime, regular reader of our newspaper.

“Buying a vehicle is one of the biggest expenses a family incurs,” said Rele. “Our goal is to give readers timely and informative automotive news and professionally sanctioned test drives to help local people make informative decisions about their next vehicle.”

It is interesting to note that according to our 2017 readership buyer’s survey, 38 percent of our readers plan to purchase a new or used vehicle in the next 12 months —or 13,557 vehicles.

“We want to educate readers early in the buying process — when you are still considering your top vehicle choices and deciding how much you want to spend,” said Rele.

“Our goal is to give you information to make intelligent automotive decisions, and to help you find your next vehicle close to home at a dealership that is convenient and which provides service, body and warranty work.”

The Laker/Lutz News is able to add automotive news to its coverage because of the support of our inaugural advertisers — Christian Brothers Automotive, Maus Family Chevrolet, Parks Ford of Wesley Chapel and Wesley Chapel Toyota/Lexus/Honda.

All are locally owned, family businesses, just like we are at The Laker/Lutz News.

My staff and I sincerely thank these advertisers for their support, and if you have an opportunity to visit these neighborhood businesses, please be sure to thank them for bringing automotive news to your community newspaper.

Published December 12, 2018

Asturia’s Uniquely Smaller Size

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More of a neighborhood than a sprawling development

Asturia, a new home community in Odessa, stands out among other planned developments along State Road 54 in Pasco County because of its uniquely smaller size.

At build out in the next few years, Asturia will be a community of just 670 homes, while nearby master-planned communities have between 1,500 and 6,500 homes planned over several years of construction.

“Asturia feels more like a neighborhood than a sprawling community,” said Lane Gardner, managing director for Hines, Asturia’s developer that is based in Jacksonville.

“Our nature trails, pocket parks, first-class amenities and community events encourage residents to get to know their neighbors,” he continued. “Families choose Asturia because it is a friendly, walkable community that promotes a healthy, active lifestyle.”

Asturia’s builders offer a variety of home sizes and prices, making it ideal for families looking to buy their first home, and for growing families with school-age children that need larger homes. The community also attracts empty-nesters and seasonal residents who are downsizing to a smaller home, and want the latest in technological upgrades and energy efficiencies.

Asturia also stands out because its developer sponsors community events almost monthly to provide opportunities for residents to get to know their neighbors, and non-residents to see what it would be like to live in Asturia. Recent events include a 4th of July Pool Party, Hawaiian Spring Luau, and Dog Day Afternoon for people and their four-legged friends.

Since Asturia opened in February 2016, over 200 homes have been sold in its first two phases. Hines is launching a third phase later this year, which will add townhomes for the first time to its mix of homes.

Ryan Homes, one of the nation’s oldest builders with communities in 14 states, is building the townhomes, which feature garages in the rear of the home. Townhomes will sell in the mid $200,000s, and are being constructed near the front of the community, walkable to Asturia’s Amenity Center.

Later in Phase 3, Ryan Homes will also build traditional single-family homes.

“We’re looking at townhome models opening toward the end of the year, or early in 2019,” said Gardner. “We are very pleased that Ryan Homes has joined us as a builder in Asturia, complementing our longtime builders — David Weekley Homes, Ashton Woods and ICI Homes.”

While infrastructure work is underway in Phase 3, home construction continues in Asturia’s Phase 2, which is tucked against pristine conservation and cypress-lined wetlands.

“All of our Phase 2 home sites offer privacy and peaceful, quiet surroundings,” said Gardner. “Some of the prettiest and most private lots in the community are still available.”

Award-Winning Amenity Center
Asturia’s distinctive, 5,800-square-foot Amenity Center and Clubhouse has earned the prestigious Silver Aurora Award for the Best Recreational Facility from the Southeast Building Conference, as well as Best Mixed-Use Community of the Year.

This contemporary-design Amenity Center includes a fully equipped, modern clubhouse; covered outdoor dining areas; a luxurious, beach-entry, resort-style swimming pool; and an expansive event lawn for outdoor games. In the playground areas, there is a Kompan climbing dome, swings, slides, and spinners for youngsters to explore and enjoy.

Make Asturia your new home by visiting its models, registering at the community’s website, AsturiaFlorida.com, or by calling (813) 227-4148.

Townhomes Coming Soon
Builder – Ryan Homes
Open concept floor plans
1,600 to 1,700 square feet
Rear-load, 2-car garages
From the mid $200s
Tentative opening – late 2018
Low maintenance, hassle-free living
Register for VIP List at RyanHomes.com
(813) 501-6225 for more information

Published August 22, 2018

Honoring our local graduates

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The Laker/Lutz News is once again honoring our local high school graduates by publishing their names in today’s newspaper.

Beginning on page 7A, we are recognizing more than 3,500 students from the 11 high schools in our distribution area. This is the 11th consecutive year we’ve published this edition, a popular keepsake for the families we serve.

It is an honor to acknowledge our community’s young people who have worked so hard to achieve this goal.

Graduating from high school is an accomplishment that sets our kids on a path to success as they enter adulthood, and one that is critical to their future.

We read and hear much today about how our youths are attached to their digital devices and out-of-touch with anything that does not directly involve them. But, I believe that perception is greatly exaggerated, and that today’s teens are no different in their interests, worries and aspirations than those of other generations.

Graduating from high school has always required commitment and perseverance. And, like the classes before them, the Class of 2018 consists of good kids who focused on their studies, listened to their teachers and parents, and worked hard to complete the many requirements needed for graduation. They dream, as other graduates before them — to live a fulfilling life and help make the world a better place.

High school graduation is also a testimony to parents, who kept their child focused on achieving this important goal. It was their support, encouragement and confidence in their son or daughter that kept their student going when they didn’t want to do their homework or go to school and, in some cases, had even considered dropping out.

Over the next few weeks, students will proudly walk across the stage and accept their diplomas as their parents watch from the stands. The emotional high both will experience is the culmination of 18 years of love between a parent and child, and the persistence, patience and prodding that comes with good parenting.

So, it will be with well-deserved pride that parents search the listings in our graduation section to find their child’s name. And, joining them in that search will be grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, friends, and, of course, the graduate, too.

For most members of the Class of 2018, this edition of The Laker/Lutz News will be the first time that the graduate will see his or her name in print. There is something innately exciting and very tangible about having your name printed in a newspaper that is also read by your family, friends, neighbors and people you know through church, community groups, and sports and recreational activities.

Many of you reading today’s newspaper will circle or highlight the names you recognize, and will proudly put the section aside to save with your most treasured items.

Offering public acknowledgement of each student’s achievement and providing families a keepsake of this important milestone, are among the reasons we continue our tradition of producing an annual graduation section.

The names of the graduates are listed by school, in alphabetical order, in our eight-page section. In Pasco County, graduates are from Land O’Lakes, Pasco, Sunlake, Wesley Chapel, Wiregrass and Zephyrhills high schools. In Hillsborough County, graduates are from Steinbrenner and Freedom high schools.

In your edition of the paper, will find graduate names from the two high schools closest to where you live, and also the names of valedictorians and salutatorians from these schools. In addition to graduates from our public schools, we also publish the names of graduates from three private schools in our community — Academy at the Lakes, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic and Land O’ Lakes Christian high schools.

We are proud to contribute, in some small measure, to the emotional excitement that graduation brings.

We hope that one day the graduates listed in this section will pull it out to share with their children and grandchildren — so that future generations will be able to see a physical reminder of their loved one’s accomplishment, as printed proudly in their local community newspaper.

Published May 16, 2018

Learning how to ‘crisscross’ cookies with Grandma

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I am delighted that this column about love is being published on Valentine’s Day.

Let me begin by wishing you and all of your loved ones a lovely day.

When I was a young woman, I thought Valentine’s Day was just for couples. And, when there wasn’t someone special in my life, I pretty much ignored Feb. 14. I hadn’t yet figured out that romantic love is often the most tentative of all loves, and that other kinds of loves are equally worthy of recognition.

Zach, Grandma Diane and Connor take a little break from making some ‘crisscross’ cookies. (Diane Kortus)

Today, I celebrate Valentine’s Day to honor love of all kinds—my love for Vic, my family, friends, co-workers and even pets.

It’s the one day of the year that love is top of mind, and we take time to recognize those we love most with a phone call, a card and sometimes a gift.

I have loved many people in my life, but no love has been as endearing and long-lasting as the love I have for my children.

This past weekend, in fact, I celebrated my birthday by visiting my daughter, Rachel, in Tallahassee, where she is a graduate student at Florida State University.

When Andy and Rachel were born, I was surprised at the intensity of a mother’s unconditional love, and how much this love consumed most of my energy for the next 25 years.

When Andy became a father, he called me when Connor was just a few months old, marveling at how much he loved his boy, and how intense this love felt. He asked me if this was how I felt when he was born — and even seemed to doubt that I could have possibly loved him as much as he loved Connor.

That conversation made me smile, because I remember having the same talk with my dad after Andy was born. I, too, never understood the depth of a parent’s love, until I had children of my own.

My father died two years ago, and I greatly miss his love. But, I believe his unconditional love continues to flow through me to my children, and now my grandchildren.

One of my happiest memories of my father was at Connor’s baptism. Dad was so proud to witness his great grandson’s baptism, and I was even prouder to have him there to celebrate four generations of love.

When Connor’s brother Zachary was born this past June, it saddened me that I could not call my father with the good news. Zachary would have been Dad’s 10th great grandchild —a significant number, especially in our family, because my father also had 10 children.

I recently spent a week at Andy’s home outside of Louisville with his wife, Erin, and Connor and Zachary. I had forgotten how time consuming and exhausting it is to take care of a toddler and baby, and was astounded by my daughter-in-law’s energy, patience and ability to persevere with such a positive attitude.

I had it easy — mostly just playing cars and trucks with Connor, and then cuddling when it was time to settle down to read a book or play a matching game. It was wonderful to snuggle with 7-month-old Zachary, an exceptionally happy, inquisitive baby who already has a sense of humor.

I try to get to Kentucky every three or four months to visit Andy and Erin, and to enjoy my grandchildren’s amazing developmental changes. My last visit was in October, and a highlight was making chocolate chip cookies with Connor.

So, on this recent visit I wanted to continue our cookie-making tradition, and Connor and I spent an afternoon making peanut butter cookies.

Connor was so proud to learn how to crisscross the cookies before putting them in the oven. He couldn’t wait to plunk his fork into the bowl of flour before mashing a crisscross into the next cookie. Zach watched from his high chair as Connor spewed cookie dough and flour everywhere, and Patch, the family dog, happily cleaned up below.

I returned home from Kentucky on the second anniversary of my father’s death — a very sad day for me. But somehow the love for my grandchildren that was so fresh, helped me overcome my sadness.

My father would say that the world is designed so that new life and new love replace the pain of losing someone you love.

So, on this Valentine’s Day, I recognize the wisdom of my father’s words and feel truly grateful for having many people in my life to love, and for having many people who love me.

Published February 14, 2018