I owned and operated Casa Bonita Hair Salon until I married Don, my first and only husband. A pretty boring life up until then.
 

Don played hockey for the Nashville Dixie Flyers from l967 - l970 (three seasons). In l970, He was picked up by the St. Louis blues, sent to their farm team (The Denver Spurs) where we made our home for the next 28 years.  While he was on the road playing hockey, I was in the high country learning to snow ski. Within 2 winters, I became a ski instructor at The Keystone Ski Resort west of the mile high city (Denver) on the western slope in Colorado.

We became members of Pro Athletes Outreach for Christ while playing for the Phoenix Roadrunners in Arizona, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes when we were raising Spanish Barb Horses and our good friend, Don Andrews, was establishing the first "on site" medical facility for Rodeo (The Justin Healer), and The American Association of Christian Counselors of which we are active today.  
 

We jumped leagues when the World Hockey Association came into being and joined the New England Whalers Hockey Team in Boston, Mass. Don made the All Star Team. We always returned to Denver after the play offs to backpack all summer. Over the years, we took in all of the Colorado mountains, parts of Montana, Wyoming, and  Washington State, hiked the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and other interesting places. It kept us thin, in shape, healthy and remote for weeks at a time. No cell phones. No any kind of phones. No fast food. No T.V. and nothing insane for our kids to get into. We have since graduated into a 5th wheel for travel and camping. Fifth wheels do not keep you in as good of shape as a backpack but we are enjoying the luxury. After retiring from sports in l980, we purchased a farm in Ft. Collins, Colorado (north of Denver) and established a landscape and nursery operation.
 

In l988, Eleven tornados, in one day, touched down in Northern Colorado. They were the first and last since l952. One of them took us out- totally destroying our farm. Within that time frame: My oldest brother died when his car went over a cliff. My youngest brother, a pilot, crashed into a mountain over the Azores killing all 280 people on board. My dad had a stroke. My mother was alone with these difficulties. By 1990, all of this being absorbed, we made the decision to move back to Nashville. That decision alone nearly gave me a stroke. My recovery period, slow and painful, was about 5 years but it has proven to be a good move afterall.
 

In 35 years of marriage we gave birth to two sons and adopted three daughters (two from South Korea and one bi-racial). Bringing them to be raised in the south created concern for me. Don, being a western Canadian, had no clue what was meant when I said, "if we wake up with a cross burning in our yard, we are packing up and heading west." HIs answer, "Cross? What kind of Cross?" After a dissertation on the prejudice history of the south, I am relieved to say that our obvious "mixed race" family has been treated well. The occasional ignorant statement was dismissed by us and explained to our children.
 

Since arriving, I turned my nursing degree into a Christian Counseling degree and set up a marriage and family private practice. (Should have shared this information with most sports people we knew). The focus is on building strong marriages because the truth is: with knowledge, all marriages can be saved. Our first book, Delivered Into Oneness, is in the making.
 

In l998, Anchored Marriage Ministry, Inc. was born. We accepted a marriage ministry position with the Assembly of God church. Gateway, our home church, has a large Latino community that opened up an interest for missions in Central and South America.  Anchored Marriage Ministry, Inc. is in partnership with International Youth Impact, Inc. The focus, at this time, is in Costa Rica.
 

In the meantime, our grown children are establishing their lives:  Donnie is a paramedic/firefighter for the city of Franklin, Tn. David is an Aerospace Engineer teaching at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Kinzli is an English teacher in London, England. Annie is a senior on a music scholarship at MTSU and recording a Christian Concert CD that will be out this summer. Kaila has been accepted into the American Bible College and is seeking a degree in Children's ministry.
 

We have our commercial rental property listed for sale for the purpose retiring into full time, self supported missions. We see that as fun, not work. We pray that God grants us a long, healthy life with continued energy to fulfill all that we have planned. Life is wonderful, full of fun and great people with the joy of the Lord raining blessings on our everyday life.

We gave up Park Ave. Nashville for 60 acres on the Cumberland River at Big Bluff Creek Rd. and Hwy. 49 W. Ashland City. TN. Don hopes to put his ranching skills, from growing up on a Hereford Ranch in Saskatchewan, back to work with Black Angus. The acreage comes with a cottage and a lot of work.  We are living in the cottage until we build on the hill overlooking the river. Then, the cottage will be used for “life coaching” and a marriage retreat center (a sort of weekend B & B for couples wanting to save or restore their marriage). Our web, coming soon, will be www.anchoredmarriage.org. Mailing is: P.O. Box 504 Ashland City. TN. 37015.  Phone: 615 – 352 – 2172. New E-Mail: Marsha@anchoredmarriage.org.  We have lots of plans but the main one is to never move again.  Ashland City, with it’s own plan to build marina’s, condo’s, businesses and restore the downtown area, is a strong investment.

Our daughter, Annie, married Nathan Robertson in July. She auditioned for American Idol, made it to Hollywood to become one of 20 out of 300,000 before being released to come home. I reminded her that our prayers were not that she would become an American Idol but that the Lord would protect her from things we can’t see. Her agent is happily booking concerts for her first album, “Freedom.” Freedom, a contemporary Christian album and can be purchased for $12 at the above address.   

Kaila, our last at home, attends cosmetology school in Franklin and graduates in June.

Donnie, a fireman/paramedic in Franklin and owns Land Marq Builders in Murfreesboro, is married to Lena. They have two sons, Dillon and Blake.           

David, an Aerospace Engineer officer in the United States Air Force, is married to Sara.

Kinzli, adopted at 10 from the streets of Korea, chooses to be estranged. The big lesson for us is when older children from extreme conditions are adopted, their emotional tank is drained of the ability to give or receive love. Accepting this reality freed us from the unrealistic expectation of receiving something from a child rescued from unbelievable conditions. It gave us a whole different perspective on saving children. Her story isn’t over yet.

As we face the change from work to retirement, we are apprehensive and excited about moving to a new page of our life. The plan is to funnel our experiences into the area of “life coaching” for the purpose of helping others see that life is good even when facing adversity. When lost in the dark, follow the light. Our purpose is to be a resource of light when couples find themselves overwhelmed by darkness.  

Our personal resource of light is an active membership in the American Association of Christian Counselors where we continue to learn to teach.
 

Dios les bendiga,

Marsha Daugherty Borgeson