Tennis & Life CampsPage 3
Brainwashed at TLC?
Sometime in the last year, I was telling TLC co-founder, Barb Wilkinson, about a tennis mom who said she would never send her child to TLC because “they brainwash them there about sportsmanship, and I don’t want my child to be taken advantage of in tournaments.” My tendency, upon hearing things like that, is to […]
Liz Retzlaff: Truth-teller
“I’ve known Liz since I started working at TLC 8 years ago. She’s experienced being the only woman in a leadership role at times, sexism from coworkers and campers, and many times where she’s felt alone. And through all of that she’s persisted and is one of the strongest leaders, male or female, in our […]
Let Love Serve in Action
When you come across someone with the TLC attitude, you notice. When it is someone working right beside you, you are grateful daily for it. When Kevin Lungay, TLC’s Assistant Director of Operations, told me a month ago he was leaving for another position at a non-profit TLC has collaborated with, Youth Frontiers, there were […]
A Day to Celebrate: Happy National Girls & Women in Sports Day!
Today is February 3rd, 2021. For most of us, it’s a typical Wednesday. We woke up, had our morning cup of coffee, got ready for work or school, and are now taking our lunch break while scrolling through social media. On what seems like a typical day for most, for me, this is a […]
Claiming Today
Steve Wilkinson, meet Sasha. Sasha, meet Steve. The two of you would have gotten along beautifully. Six years ago today, Steve died. He lived as full a life as anyone I’ve known, but it was still too short. He didn’t decide to go, terminal cancer decided for him. The thing he continued to learn (and […]
Finding Peace in the Midst of Uncertainty
It’s been a rough year. But today, I will recall my conversation with family camper Kim this week, that made me laugh so hard my spouse, Leandra, came out of her office afterwards and said, “You sounded so happy.” Because, during these times, happiness can sometimes seem like a treasure you can’t remember where you […]
Healing Our Brokenness
Our country is broken into millions of little pieces. Why? Because every human being I know is broken. Can we ever be put back together? That depends. We are always faced with two choices with our brokenness. We can take those jagged pieces of our lives and we can slash, and we can stab, and […]
The Meditation of Tennis
I’m not a good meditator. I know I’m “supposed” to be. We hear all the time how meditation will calm you and make you a more centered person. I have tried. And tried. And tried. But “centered” and ADHD aren’t usually two concepts you use in the same sentence. So tennis becomes my meditation. On […]
A Name to Make You Smile
Let’s face it. Sometimes there’s not much to smile about these days. And I don’t even have to explain to you why, so I won’t. So, try this. Bring to mind someone whose name makes you smile. Sit there with it for a few moments. And let yourself smile. They do not need to be in […]
Hope in the Messy Middle
TLC was put into a situation out of our control three months ago when COVID-19 hit, just as you were, and the entire world was. All of TLC’s revenue as a not-for-profit comes in the eight weeks of summer camp that we are canceling for the safety of all, and we face uncertainty, just as […]