A Grain of Salt

The Letter

Published January 26, 2026

Who gets a letter nowadays? Back in 1977, that was the way. The only way I learned about college rejections or acceptances was by mail. No portals. No emails. No “check your status.” Just the quiet anticipation of the postal delivery and the weight of an envelope in your hands. My appointment to the United States Naval Academy arrived that way, too: A letter. A single piece of paper that changed everything. There were hurdles,…

Getting In

Published January 19, 2026

I didn’t spend much time wondering whether I would get into the Naval Academy. In 1976, I assumed I would. That certainty wasn’t confidence so much as innocence—a product of youth, limited perspective, and a life that had unfolded almost entirely within the familiar boundaries of Annapolis, Maryland. This may sound strange now, but at the time, I never doubted the outcome. I was that young, that naïve, and that unaware of the larger world…

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Before the Doors Opened

Published January 12, 2026

Growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, with the outline of the Naval Academy just on the other side of the Severn River, I never gave much thought to attending the Naval Academy. That’s the simplest truth. I roamed freely through buildings and fields, along the water, across spaces that felt familiar and unremarkable. The idea of attending the Academy never entered my mind. There were no women there, because there had never been women there. Since…

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Celebrating 50 years

Published January 5, 2026

Celebrating 50 Years of Women at the U.S. Naval Academy: One Woman’s Story I have long passed my 50th birthday, and Gary and I are almost as distant from reaching that milestone as we are from celebrating a significant wedding anniversary. So, what exactly am I celebrating in 2026? The answer still makes me pause. 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of women attending the United States Service Academies, including my alma mater, the United States…

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A Seed Grows

Published September 8, 2025

I am currently a student at the Renovaré Institute, a two-year online and in-person school dedicated to learning how to live in deeper intimacy with God. The program blends academic study with practical exercises aimed to shape us to become more like Christ. In August, our practice was to pray the “Jesus Prayer”, an early Christian prayer dating back to the 6th century. The invocation of Jesus’ name began even earlier, and the “Jesus Prayer” has…

When Good Ideas Catch You by Surprise

Published August 24, 2025

It seemed like a good idea three months ago—doesn’t it always? The kind of idea that feels manageable at first, then suddenly grows bigger and barrels toward you like D.C. rush-hour traffic. For me, that idea was planning a family vacation for eighteen people, complete with celebrating Gary’s 70th birthday and retirement. Balancing Structure and Flexibility When you’re responsible for organizing something this big, there’s a delicate balance: you need enough structure to guide people…