Love

There has been talk of Jim Rosing going after his coveted sub-three-hour time at Monday's Boston Marathon. But it seems more just like playful teasing between he and his wife, Mollie. The actual general hope is that they run together, husband and wife, and cross the finish line together. It would be another sign of their love. They have four children together. There is love there. There is love that is in their home at the port streets in Corona del Mar, where they moved in August.

When Kevin Doyle's daughter was 2 years old, she was spry and energetic, but in the space of a week, she went from jumping and skipping to not being able to roll over in her crib without help. Doctors believed it was a virus that would pass, Doyle said, but now at 7 years old, Mercy Doyle is struggling with the same symptoms. She suffers from tremors in her feet and deteriorated muscle coordination. She is unable to walk or crawl. "We've been through four different chemotherapy treatments and some other similar-style stuff that people use for very strong arthritis," Doyle said.

NEWPORT BEACH - It's a new year in more ways than one for Laura Wilkening, who is celebrating her 100th birthday Sunday. The Chicago-born centenarian will celebrate with 40 long-time friends and family at her daughter-in-law's house in Newport Beach. But Wilkening has no need for New Year's or birthday resolutions. "I make a resolution every day," said Wilkening, who lives on the Balboa Peninsula. "I'm a determined person. If I'm going to do something, I do it - and that's it. " Maybe that explains how the talkative, upbeat grandmother of five has lived to see so many birthdays.

A little less than four years ago, Paul Briggs gave me a quote that basically summed up what he thought of his life. Briggs, a former Orange Coast College football assistant and a high school coaching legend in Bakersfield, died on Monday at age 90 while in an assisted care facility. He coached for 57 years, including 20 seasons at OCC. At Bakersfield High, he guided the Drillers to a 210-99-15 record. He was such a great mentor to many, and one of my all-time favorite people.

SANTA ANA - A prosecutor made clear that Robert Alan Lehmann loved his daughter and wanted her to receive the best possible education and treatment for her development disabilities. But that love and concern ultimately fueled a heated battle between him and his ex-wife, whom he stands accused of shooting dead alongside her father in front of his Costa Mesa home, prosecutors asserted in opening statements Wednesday afternoon. Lehmann, 37, is accused of two counts of murder. The charges include sentencing enhancements for lying in wait and for multiple murders.

A couple of years back, I thought I would die if I had to have one more meeting in a Starbucks, so I set out to find some new places. What I found was Amorelia Mexican Café at 2200 Harbor Blvd. This gem near the corner of Wilson Street sits by Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts Store. Amorelia has become my go-to meeting place. I always order the café de olla — a sweet, rich coffee — and, for lunch, a grilled vegetable salad that is not on the menu but is worth asking for. My favorite thing to eat there is the mole verde; the chicken is so tender, the flavors just perfect.

The Daily Pilot visited Eastbluff Elementary School and asked: "What does Valentine's Day mean to you?" "You get together with people you love and spend time with them to get to know them better." Megan Lambert, 11 Newport Beach "Valentine's Day is to spend with friends and relatives and to show them how much you love them." Hannah Hagemann, 12 Newport Beach "It's about cards, kisses and presents." Tyler Wright, 11 Newport Beach "It is for people to express feelings to people they love."

CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON "Love is the greatest thing that God can give us; for he himself is love: and it is the greatest thing we can give to God." -- JEREMY TAYLOR Last week after church, I walked around the church patio to have a cup of coffee and to connect with some friends. As I waited in line for the coffee, I watched a little girl who was in the line near me, waiting to get some water. She wore a pink and red jumper over a white turtleneck with little red hearts around the neck.

We love our daddy, Coby Sonenshine, because he gives us lots of hugs and makes us laugh when we play hockey together. He is our best friend. SOLOMON, 6, and MAX SONENSHINE, 3 Dear Poppi, We love you so much! You are funny, crazy, silly, sweet, loving and strong. We are very blessed God made you our poppi. Thank you for all that you do for us. Love, KATIE, 3, and CODY HESS, 2 My dad is actually my sister's dad too, but she's only 6, and I'm almost 6, so I'm writing this.

Valentine’s Day is celebrated with greeting cards, flowers, chocolates, romantic dinners and other gifts — all in the name of love. Legend has it that St. Valentine actually sent the first valentine while in jail. It is said that he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter and, before his execution Feb. 14, he left a letter to his beloved signed, “from your Valentine.” Not all tales of love are as sad as this. Check out some of love’s many highlights and lowlights in the following entertaining reads.

Mom, I love you so much and am so grateful that you are my mother. I have always loved you and will always love you. Happy Mother's Day! Love, Sierra

This week a young man, having read our website and perhaps the article I wrote for the Pilot two weeks ago, engaged me in conversation.   He was very polite, though he tried to question me about my faith, entrap me in the Bible's condemnation and ultimately warned me of being a false prophet. It was obvious we see our Christian paths differently. We have a fundamental disagreement about the nature of God.    He initially asked me what I believed about God in a nutshell. My answer was this: "God is the nut, and God is the shell.

To borrow a line from Tennessee Williams, patrons of each year's Newport Beach Film Festival benefit from the kindness of strangers. Make that the unpaid kindness of hundreds of strangers. The festival, which kicks off Thursday, gets by on the contributions of more than 500 volunteers and no salaried staff. A handful of team members work as paid contractors, but the majority of helpers do it out of passion for the craft - and the reward of seeing one of Southern California's top festivals run like a well-oiled machine.

Doug Penikas received his acceptance to the Newport Beach Film Festival in the most unceremonious of ways - an email that landed in his junk folder. "I didn't believe it," he said. "I thought it was a hoax. Especially when I couldn't tell anyone till April 1st we were accepted. " Penikas' first-time venture, "Blood Type: Unknown," revolves around college student Caitlyn Rose Landale and her love affair with writing, and her popular but secretive classmate Adam Godfrey, who can avoid intoxication despite any number of shots.

There has been talk of Jim Rosing going after his coveted sub-three-hour time at Monday's Boston Marathon. But it seems more just like playful teasing between he and his wife, Mollie. The actual general hope is that they run together, husband and wife, and cross the finish line together. It would be another sign of their love. They have four children together. There is love there. There is love that is in their home at the port streets in Corona del Mar, where they moved in August.

Jeff, my love, you left us all a year ago today. During your time here, you touched so many lives - most significantly, mine. You were the better part of me. No one can, or will, take your place in my heart. As we often said to one another, “Come back to me…” Your Kathe

When professional surfer Rob Machado rolled into the Corona del Mar High School gym Friday morning, he brought a message with him. "World Water Day," he said after hopping off a skateboard. "We're here to honor what keeps us alive. " To mark the United Nations-designated day, the surfing superstar spoke at a CdM assembly about the importance of clean water, noting the lack of access to it in many parts of the world. "We're spoiled. We live in Southern California. You can drink tap water here," he said.

NEWPORT BEACH - Tom Watson, the Hall of Famer with 39 PGA Tour victories, is not just a fan favorite, but loved just as much by the golfers on the Champions Tour. Rocco Mediate and Steve Elkington, both making their debuts at the Toshiba Classic, said they have always looked up to Watson as a hero. When asked how that made him feel, Watson said, "Old. " Watson said he watched a recent David Feherty interview of Jack Nicklaus, when the golf legend was asked if he could still play.

There was some big-time beefcake at a ladies fashion event last week in Newport Beach. Maksim Chmerkovskiy , the super-handsome male dancer made famous by his 13 seasons wowing American television viewers on the hit ABC show "Dancing with the Stars," fronted the March 4 "For the Love of a Child" fashion show and luncheon benefiting Childhelp. Chmerkovskiy had all the ladies melting, including the Childhelp chairpersons, Pam Pharris and Christine Bren , along with 400 pretty gals in early spring fashions, raising a whopping $250,000 net in support of the programs of Childhelp, which fights for the rights of abused and neglected children.

Sonora Elementary School third-grader Kyler Schumacher showed off a 3-inch seedling he'd just received in a small plastic pot. He wasn't sure how long it would take, but he already decided he was going to help it grow until it was 50 feet tall. He and his classmates, who were lined up on the blacktop Thursday morning, each got a prize for listening intently to a 20-minute Arbor Day ceremony: a tiny carrotwood tree seedling. The Newport-Balboa Rotary Club gave the plants to every Sonora third-grade student in preparation for the annual day of tree planting.