Mark is turning 40 this year and to celebrate it, he made it his goal to complete an Ironman 70.3 triathlon - a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and a 13.1-mile run. Being the supportive wife that I am, I offered to watch him do it. But he had other plans. He asked if I’d train with him to do one. Uh…

After reviewing my vows, I realized that I had agreed to support him in “sickness” and even though he didn’t agree that this was an illness. So I told him I’d think about do a triathlon but on a much smaller scale.

Our local YMCA has a triathlon team that meets throughout the week, offering swimming and running clinics and bike rides, all for beginners to the elite. One by one my family joined the team...Anastasia, Mark, Noah. I watched their practices from afar and cheered the kids on at few local children’s triathlons. From the sideline, I began catching the tri-bug.

Many have made a difference, but...only for a moment

Many have made a difference, but...lost their own souls

Many have made a difference, but...drowned in the sea of need

Many have made a difference, but...only for themselves

For the last 25 years, I have been mentoring and been mentored by the next generation, a generation that refuses the anesthesia of excuses and seeks to choose action over sarcasm. Recently, I was asked to address a group of university students and when I began to prepare, I felt paralyzed. I literally ached as my message was rewritten that night.

Since then I've been thinking, praying, listening...and over the next several blogs, I would like to offer nine woes for this generation: nine challenges that--if ignored--have the potential of gutting our collective potential to make a difference in a world of need.