Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s a day for flowers, chocolates, romantic dinners … and it’s the day I get to celebrate my sweet husband of 33 years, Ken Tada! That day when Ken and I made our marriage vows, we hadn’t a clue of what marriage with a disability would look like. And the truth is, we have faced many challenges. With my quadriplegia, chronic pain, and recent battle with cancer — life has not gotten any “easier” as the years have gone by. But we share in our book, Joni & Ken: An Untold Love Story, through sweet prayer in Jesus, time and time again Ken and I have encountered Isaiah 40:29, “He gives strength to those who grow tired and increases the strength of those who are weak.” But we also could have never made it this far without the help and encouragement of wonderful friends (people like my longtime friend and caregiver Judy Butler, and my “get-up/get-down” girls; and Pete Lubisich and Jan Janura, Ken’s best fishing buddies).

It’s why our “Heart for the Disabled” outreach means so much to me. And it’s why this Valentine’s Day I want to say thank you to all of you who sent in notes of encouragement and gifts to these special needs families. God bless you for having such a beautiful heart! And to the many husbands and wives who so lovingly care for their sick and disabled spouses, may Christ’s richest blessings be yours on this very special day!