I have written before about energy and about people who never seem to slow down. This is about one such person, our daughter-in-law Amy. I am proud of her and admire her relentless energy and accomplishments.

Amy is, first and foremost, a devoted wife and mother. But like many moms these days, she is employed outside the home. As Director of Communications for Team Ortho Foundation, an organization that raises funds for Orthopedic Research, she uses her PR skills to promote athletic events in Minnesota. The mother of two daughters, Amy is a soccer mom, active in her daughter’s school and sings in the church choir. Last school year, she and our son Joel, hosted a Foreign Exchange Student from Norway.

For most women, that would be a full plate. Not Amy. Since our oldest granddaughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease as an infant 10 years ago, Amy has been a prime mover in raising Celiac Disease awareness and money for research.

Celiac Disease is an intolerance of Gluten. The disease is well controlled by a Gluten Free diet. Gluten is found in wheat, oats, barley and rye and is present in thousands of consumer products from bread to toothpaste. Celiac Disease is much more than a food allergy, however. So Amy has written articles, done interviews, taught classes and taken on the daunting task of educating school district lunch managers about the need to provide for children who cannot tolerate even a “crumb” of gluten. Amy is fast becoming the “go to” non-medical person for Celiac Disease in Minnesota.

Enough? For the last 9 years Amy has been involved in managing “Making Tracks for Celiacs” a walk/run event and gluten free food fair, that raises tens of thousands of dollars for Celiac research.

Amy also maintains a web site called “The Savvy Celiac” to help educate adults with Celiac Disease and parents of Celiac children about a healthy Gluten Free lifestyle. http://www.savvyceliac.com

Don’t be surprised, Amy became a runner a couple of years ago. As a runner, she is a partner with her sister-in-law, our youngest daughter Danielle in http://www.runningmoms.com a website dedicated to running mom’s and women who would like to become runners.

And this is just the Amy I see. A very busy lifestyle with two young girls, a husband, two dogs and a cat gives her little time to “kick back”. So to our daughter-in-law Amy I say, take a short break. Remember how much we admire your efforts and energy.