When I met Rose Folsom of the Virtue Connection last October, if I had had to use one word to describe her, it would have been perky. I mean that in the most positive sense possible. Whenever I saw 
her at the conference we were both attending, she was engaged with people, listening closely or talking animatedly, always with a big smile on her face.
This year, Rose has joined the team organizing that conference, and between that and reading her periodic ministry messages, I’m getting to know her better. What I initially saw as perkiness I now realize is humble confidence. Her posts carry headings like “Many of Us Haven’t Finished Blooming Yet. But It’s OK” and “Sure I’m Unworthy—But So What?” Rose shows me that acknowledging our deficiencies doesn’t have to including donning a hair shirt. It does have to include the faith that the Lord loves us despite or perhaps because of them.
Perky? Could be. How about grit, anchored in her faith, thoughtful. I’m impressed by what she says and writes, but I’m even more impressed with what she does, how she lives. It was the latter that drew me into the Church eighteen years ago. She’s my Godmother and I bask in her light.
What a blessing, Tom! Thank you for sharing!