Anna M. Aquino

              I want to share something that’s been on my heart lately and perhaps on the eve of America’s most historical election it seems like an odd time to share it, but I feel like I need to. Ronald Reagan once said, “ Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”             Twenty years ago, give or take a few, when I was in high school/college.   It was a different world.   Sure the older folks complained about us whipper snappers, but innocence didn’t seem lost.   I remember when Ellen came out of the closet she was shunned and put off the air.   I remember I saw a drug deal once in high school.   In college (Ohio State University) I took a Human Sexuality class because it fulfilled ...

            When I was in college I lived on the 23 rd floor of a high tower on the OSU campus.  I’d give the name here but perhaps it isn’t wise when I tell the story I’m about to in this blog.  Living on the 23 rd floor meant that I spent a lot of time with my floor mates on the elevator.  There were two floors one needed to have a special key in order to travel to.  I’m not overly sure how it was discovered but one friend found while carrying a strong magnet we could override the system.  If he swiped the magnet over the control panel it would light up the forbidden floors.  We could travel to the prohibited two floors.  We were college students, and so we did.  Our moments of mischief in this case didn’t amount to much.  The one floor took us to the back of the kitchen and that elevator entrance was never used so we arrived staring at stacks of boxes and storage.  The othe...

             When I was in college two dear friends of mine and I decided we wanted to play tennis.   Living on the Ohio State University campus allows access to a large amount of courts.   Though I’m not hugely athletic I love playing tennis, volleyball, etc.   So I was all for finding a place we could play that night.   But the problem wasn’t us playing.   The problem was that it was already night and we couldn’t find a tennis court that was lit up.   After walking around campus we finally opted to try to play in the dark.   It’s not like it was pitch black out.   We had the light of the moon and the sound of each other’s voices.               While I’m certainly not a tennis pro, playing tennis in the dark is a humbling experience.   You don’t actually see the ball until its right at you.   Then by the time you...

I’ve been working very hard on a project that has a very quick coming deadline, and I’ll confess to be working so hard I’ve spent a lot of time at my desk away from daylight. I might have forgotten for a few moments what the outside might look like. Dan and I have been praying about several things regarding our life and ministry and have been seeking His will for our future. While I was waiting to head over to get the girls from school, I stepped away from my desk this afternoon. I looked down to the stepping stone that is right beside our entry way to our home. It’s has a block O on it from The Ohio State University. I remember when my grandmother gave it to me. I think it may have been the year I graduated from OSU, but I don’t know. It was a Christmas present. However my stepping stone hadn’t been tended to in a while. The Florida grass had begun to grow over it and I could barely tell there was even a stepping stone there. It was still there but hidden and away un...

When I went to Ohio State University I lived on the 23rd floor of Morrill Tower for a year. If you can see the picture it’s the closest tower in the background. One of my favorite memories from college was a couple friends and I once snuck into the Horseshoe Stadium. It had been the first snow of the year, and a magical crisp feeling lay like fog above our heads. The sky though dark radiated like a majestic wonder around us. The gate hadn’t even been locked and we found ourselves out on the football field. As I walked out into the famous field I felt so small. The snow began to fall and it was a moment that if I could capture it in an image, I would. It’s this memory that often when I think of fall and football I find myself nostalgically remembering as if it’s a snuggly blanket on that chilly night. When Dan and I moved to FL, I had this idea in my head that it would only be for five years. We are nearing our eleven year mark. While I still maintain we’ll be here for a season, we refu...