Saturday Joel, Gretchen, Melissa, Sherri and I ran 26.2 miles. Why did we do this this thing? This is question we are asked either directly or implicitly all the time. We did it because it is defining. When you commit to do something you should actually not be able to physically do, something inside your mind shifts. When in training, you complete every work out, whether you feel like doing it or not, something in your spirit shifts. The boundaries you have placed around what is possible for you and what is not start to fade and you begin to sense the strength God has sewn into your soul.
As I was running the last mile of this marathon I was struck with a sense of the greatness of all of the runners around me. Not being a fast runner, the group I finished with were not the elite athletes. They were the regular people who accepted the challenge, who wanted to try to do a hard thing. Everyone around me was completely exhausted. About 80% were walking, nobody was talking. I knew that most of their bodies, like mine, had totally given out and the main thing that was moving them forward was the will to finish. Something in my spirit responded to their courage and urged me onward to finish. That, is why I did this thing. Thanks a million to my running amigos. I love you guys!
I am also proud of my kids this week. They have all shown themselves to be great in the ways that are important to be great, in their own ways.
- Emily: Last night Felicity was suffering severe stomach pain and Emily Joy gathered all of her favorite books and came and sat with Felicity and read to her until she felt better. I was so touched by Em's compassion and love her sweet nature.
- Felicity: Last week in gymnastics, Felicity fell on her face while executing a trick and was sent to to corner to do cartwheels for her punishment (her coach would've loved to be a part of communist Russian athletics). But that girl will not give up and will not let the hard knocks get her down for long. Love that about her.
- Brandon: This week Joel put up a basketball hoop. The kids have loved it, and every day Brandon has spent hours out back, practicing his dribbling and shooting. I love how hard he is working to learn a new skill and do something hard.
- Lincoln: Linc gave his first talk in primary yesterday. While he was waiting for his turn he was winking at us and giving us the thumbs up, so he had us all giggling. He did an awesome job on his talk. He spoke loud and clear and threw in a little Lincoln dramatic effect to keep things interesting. He did such a great job that when he was done the Primary kids broke out in applause. So, maybe we didn't help with the reverence in sharing time, but we love that Linc, just being his funny little self, brought smiles to all of our faces.
As I was running the last mile of this marathon I was struck with a sense of the greatness of all of the runners around me. Not being a fast runner, the group I finished with were not the elite athletes. They were the regular people who accepted the challenge, who wanted to try to do a hard thing. Everyone around me was completely exhausted. About 80% were walking, nobody was talking. I knew that most of their bodies, like mine, had totally given out and the main thing that was moving them forward was the will to finish. Something in my spirit responded to their courage and urged me onward to finish. That, is why I did this thing. Thanks a million to my running amigos. I love you guys!
I am also proud of my kids this week. They have all shown themselves to be great in the ways that are important to be great, in their own ways.
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