I was born on the day John F. Kennedy was elected president (November 8, 1960) to a young couple, Peter and Virginia Berg. I lived with them and my two younger brothers, Michael and Matthew, in what was then the quiet hamlet of Holbrook and is now a busy and crowded suburb of New York City.  We witnessed its metamorphosis. As the town grew and expanded, so did we. I graduated from Sachem High School in 1978. I learned a lot from my teachers there, but it is from my parents that I received my most treasured gifts … a deep love of God … a sense of calling to serve, both in the church and in the community … and a never ending love and commitment to my family. Thank you Mom … Thank you Dad …

Dwayne and I met at Allegheny College (Meadville, Pennsylvania) during our freshman year. We were married less than a year later (August 26, 1979) in the midst of gasoline rationing lines and a major recession at the tender age of 18. We set up house in Jamestown, New York, a few miles (about 20) north of Dwayne’s parents, Art and Diane Bailey, who live in Warren, Pennsylvania. Dwayne worked a factory job and we both attended Jamestown Community College. We defeated the odds against us; we’ve been married now for nearly thirty years. How did we do it? Well, we were blessed … with a strong sense of family … with the support and encouragement of our parents … … and with a feisty streak of stubbornness. Thank God!

It was while living in Jamestown and worshiping with the First Presbyterian Church in Jamestown that I discerned my call to ministry. After graduating from SUNY Fredonia in 1983, we sold everything we owned and moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where I did my graduate work at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. We moved again in 1985 to Canton, Ohio, where I did an internship at Calvary Presbyterian Church. Then in 1987, after completing seminary, we moved to Allen Park, Michigan, where I was ordained and installed as Associate Pastor of the Allen Park Presbyterian Church.

Graduation, Marriage, Ordination … none of that compares to what was still ahead … after years of tears over infertility and prayers of hope that one day I may know the joy of motherhood … it happened! … Thanks to the prayers and support of my family, friends and the members of the Allen Park church, Katie was born on Tuesday, October 3, 1989.

I am truly blessed! And being a good parent is my #1 goal. A few years after Katie was born I wrote my philosophy of parenting … what I promise and most want to pass on to my daughter … As I read it over now, I realize that it could very well be my statement on what I strive for as I live each day …

  • to value life as a gift from God
  • to live a life of balance and integrity
  • to love fully and to be fully loved

… even today … on this lazy afternoon. Well, glad you stopped in today and had a chance to get to know me better … drop me a line and let me know you were here.

revised November 21, 2008