Running in the Rain

Several years ago, my friend Mary and I formed a running club for kids. She and I had been wanting to do it for quite a long time and when it finally happened, it took off quickly. So many kids joined that we had to limit registration until we got enough volunteers for the hundreds of kids who wanted to run.

The above photo was taken at our annual Jingle Bell night. Right before all the kids arrived, this small group gathered around with me to set up. It was so cold out, but our hearts were warm and the fun we had was unforgettable.

Today I am unable to run temporarily because I have a broken leg so when I came across this photo and began to think back to those days, my memories of one of the greatest experiences of my life gave me such a boost. I will heal up eventually and get back out there and I hope I can find the joy in running I once had.

One of my greatest memories of all time happened with this group of kids one Saturday morning. We were running in circles in an elementary school parking lot when it began to rain. At first, it was a light rain, but it quickly got much stronger. I told the parents of these kids that as long as there was no thunder and lightning and as long as the kids wanted to run, I would be there and they could stand under the covered porch to watch. 

Instead of coaching from the side, I began to run in the rain with the kids. Soon, the parents did the same. No one stood under cover to watch and no one left. It was raining so hard that it was slapping us in the face, but it never thundered so we kept on running. The more we ran, the more we laughed. We jumped in the puddles. We skipped sometimes. We ran and some of the parents held their children's hands as they ran and laughed and played. Suddenly, we were all filled with a joy like I never had experienced before or since. In fact, some of the moms were so happy they began to cry.

I have no idea how to explain it, but running in the rain that morning was one of the top uplifting moments of my life. It was like God Himself showed up to run with us and play. I could feel His presence as He ran through the parking lot and the puddles in the rain with the kids and us grown ups. There were no thoughts of the pressures of life. There were no discussions about problems or work or the issues of life. There was just laughter and joy and running around like care-free children.

Later that week, I received so many text messages and emails from parents telling me that the rain run that Saturday had a huge impact on their entire week. They and their children were still talking about it days later and eventually, months would pass and I was still getting emails from parents telling me that this run changed them in a profound way, reminding them that life can be good. It was the simplicity of it that made it so profound. We were lifted up mentally, spiritually and emotionally while just acting like kids enjoying life a bit. 

There are moments in life that are truly devastating. Darkness exists and it can so often grab us and choke the joy right out of us. When that begins to happen, I suggest that you go out and run in the rain. If you can't run, go out and dance in the rain. If you can't dance, do it anyway! Splash in the puddles. Sing at the top of your lungs outside in the rain. Let the joyful waters from Heaven pour upon you and soak in the joy of God Himself as you run or dance or sing or splash in the rain!!!

 

Guard My Children

 

When I was a little girl, my mom said this photo reminded her of my brother Drew and me. As a mom, it reminds me of my two children, Morgan and Dylan. They have had to walk many dark paths and along some scary ways and no matter where they go and no matter what they do, my prayer is for the Lord to send angels to watch over them and keep them safe from harm

From Psalm 121:

He will not allow your foot to be moved

He who keeps you will not slumber

He shall neither slumber nor sleep

The Lord is your keeper

The Lord is your shade at your right hand

The sun shall not strike you by day

Nor the moon by night

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil

He shall preserve your soul

The Lord shall preserve your going out

And your coming in

From this time forth and forevermore

Words

"Words are a heavy thing ... they weigh you down. If birds talked, they couldn't fly." ~ Marilyn

My favorite television series of all time was Northern Exposure. When it first aired, I was still in college and only got to watch it occasionally. Later in life, I purchased the DVDs and have now watched it many times. The writers for this show were brilliant. The series is witty and wise and quirky and profoundly thoughtful.

One of my favorite characters is Marilyn. She is quiet and calm and a great listener who sees way more than the folks around her realize. During the third season, she began dating a mute man, but she understood everything he was saying. In fact, their "conversations" were quite fascinating.

There are some people in my life who are not big talkers. My mom and my son are two who are filled with incredible wisdom and when they do choose to share it, you might feel blown away by them. When I think of them, I am reminded that it truly is important to let your words be few. I have gotten into many of my troubles simply by opening my mouth!

With our tongues, we hold impressive power. Our words can do positive things. They can bless those around us. Pleasant words, in fact, are like the honeycomb - they are sweet to the soul and health to the body (Proverbs 16:24).

Sadly, however, Marilyn was right about words. They are often heavy. They can hurt. They can split up marriages and damage children permanently. They can ruin your entire life. How often do we remember the kind words spoken to us over the ugly words? Those mean words sting to the core and stick forever. And if pleasant words can bring you health to your bones, what does that say about ugly words? 

There is a saying that God gave us two ears and only one mouth because we should listen more than we talk. I agree with Marilyn. Birds would never be able to fly if they could talk. It really can mess us up.

So, may my words be few. May I love in deeds. And may I only use words that bring God glory.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

In the summer of 2018, my husband Bill and I moved from our home of 20 years to a new home in Fort Worth, Texas. Our youngest child had just graduated from high school and when we dropped him off at Texas A&M University, there we were empty nesters in a brand new town.

It is not hard to make friends in this very friendly little city. It is the quintessential Texas town which means, among many other qualities, the folks are very friendly. While our house was being built, we spent half a year living in corporate housing downtown. Although I missed my friends at home and I missed my kids away at college and I missed even having my possessions which were all in storage, it really was a fun and interesting time in our lives. 

Without kids at home, we started doing ballroom dancing and it was an absolute blast. We toured wineries and did some traveling, just the two of us, like we were newlyweds again. Probably my favorite trip was the one we took to Italy just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world.

Lockdown taught me a lot and I will share that on a different post. This one is about "blooming where I'm planted". You see, I am grateful for my wonderful life and for my hard-working husband of 25 years. I am content with my beautiful home and my new friends and my new life in this great town, but this was not my first choice. My first choice was a mountain home in Colorado and we thought that was where we were headed. Life had a different plan for us. At least for now.

I was working until December when I decided I no longer wish to work. For the first time in my life, I have no kids at home and no job and even though I am fully vaccinated, we haven't really returned to normal parties and hanging out with friends. So, I am often alone and it's been strange to not have kids to take care of or a job to do. I have felt purposeless. 

All my life, I have been the worst gardener on the planet. I kill everything. When people give me plants, I always feel so much anxiety because I know I will kill it quickly. Bill is pretty good at gardening. He has always enjoyed it, but just doesn't have much time for it. I knew it was risky, but I told him I was ready to try to plant an herb and vegetable garden this year. I have the time to care for it, so I was ready.

We have beautiful flowers in the front and a few in the back and all the credit has gone to Bill who cares for them. This was going to be my attempt to cultivate a garden and I was scared. We had just come through a huge snow storm that killed so many bushes and plants. North Texas does get snow sometimes, but nothing like what we had in February. I wasn't sure what to expect for the approaching Spring, but I was ready to try.

I began by digging up a large space near my back windows for the herbs and vegetables. Near it, I dug an even larger space between this garden and my apple trees (my mom gave us these as a house warming after our house was built and they are thriving). This big space, I filled with small pebbles and placed a fireplace in the middle with chairs around it and alongside it, large boxes filled with plants and flowers. I used leftover bricks from our home to create a small path leading to the back porch and I put in garden lights. I did the hard work of digging and planting and on the weekends, Bill helped me finish it all off and together, we built a very beautiful garden and we have bees swarming and tomatoes popping up. The apple trees are filled with budding apples. We have huge herbs which I have already been using in my cooking and the peppers and watermelons are even coming out strong. The plants and flowers in the front and back are massive and so colorful. I have been so blessed and happier than I could have imagined watching the effort bring such beauty.

I have a flag in my herb garden (photo above) that serves as a reminder for my soul. You see, I did not move to the town of my choice. And I have felt lost sometimes. I built a beautiful life for two decades in The Woodlands and I still have friends there who are like family to me and I miss them all the time. I miss my running and triathlon friends and getting together with them on Saturday mornings and Wednesday nights to run and hang out. I miss my swim team friends. I miss my girlfriends and grabbing brunch with them or getting mani pedis together. I miss my friends from the Leukemia Society and planning fundraising events with them and MD Anderson Cancer Center. 

I also miss the dream I had for my ranch in Colorado (that is a whole long story in and of itself). But what I am learning, especially since resigning from my job in December, is to "bloom where I am planted". Right now, for whatever reason it may be, God has placed Bill and me in Fort Worth. We are in a stage in life that is different than I would have imagined. I know the pandemic has caused this time in our lives to be much different than what we had hoped or planned. But every single day, I hear the words in my mind and soul "bloom where you are planted". Every day, I am learning to grow just like my garden is growing. I am accepting the many situations and circumstances and learning to bloom.

Last night, even though it is April 21, we had another freeze in Texas. At our house, it dipped into the 30s which meant a frost was coming late at night. I was so upset at the thought that we might lose all the plants we've worked so hard to cultivate. I bought plastic shower liners and we used those and some tarps we had to cover everything and we brought all the potted plants inside. 

This morning, the sun is out. The temperatures are up into the mid 40s. I took off the tarps and plastic covers. I brought the potted plants back outside and watered everything. And the gardens are beautiful. Nothing is dead! I am sitting out here in the garden with my coffee and I'm so happy.

I am not necessarily where I want to be, but I am choosing contentment. And I will, as the world opens up more, continue to volunteer for causes I believe in. I will bloom right here in Fort Worth where God has planted me.

Team Hoyt

A Father's Heart for His Son

This morning, I saw on the news that Dick Hoyt died last night. It has been a long time since I've logged on to this blog, but with tears in my eyes, I just had to get on here and put my thoughts and feelings down to capture them forever.

When I first started racing in triathlons and marathons, I discovered the duo known as "Team Hoyt", a father and son team that had a huge impact on the endurance sports community. Rick was born in 1962 and was diagnosed with a spastic cerebral palsy after his umbilical cord became twisted around his neck causing blockage of oxygen flow. Doctors told the Hoyts that their son would never be anything but a vegetable and encouraged them to institutionalize him. But the Hoyts believed there was something more to Rick and that his life mattered, so they found a doctor in Boston who believed in their son too and told them to treat him like any other child.

Rick's mom Judy spent hours every day reading to him and teaching him the alphabet. When he was 11 years old, his parents fitted him with a computer which enabled him to "talk" and they knew he was highly intelligent. In fact, with this computer, Rick was able to enroll in public school and excel. He even went on to graduate from college with a degree in special education!

In 1977, Rick told his dad he wanted to run a race for charity. Dick was 36 years old and not a runner. He practiced running with bags of cement in a wheelchair when Rick was at school. Following that first race, Rick said, "Dad when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped." And that was the beginning of many years of competition for the dad and son team. They raced in the Boston Marathon for decades. They raced many triathlons, including six Ironman races. For the swim portion, Dick pulled Rick in a boat with a bungee cord attached around his waist to the front on the boat. For the bike, Rick rode in a two-seater bicycle and then for the run, Dick pushed him along in his custom chair made for running.

Once Rick was asked if he could give his father any gift, what would it be and he replied, "The thing I'd most like is for my dad to sit in the chair and I would push him for once."

In 2006, when I ran the Boston Marathon, I knew Team Hoyt was out there running and although I didn't see them on the course, I remember feeling honored that I was getting to run in the same race as these two men who have inspired so many of us in running and triathlon. I remember thinking about them on the day I competed in Ironman Arizona. When I would get tired or felt like stopping, I would remind myself that Dick Hoyt did everything I was doing pulling or pushing along a grown man! That made my race seem easy.

But for me the thing that touches my heart the most about Dick Hoyt was that he demonstrated the love of a father. He made me think about God. And so many times I know that God as my Father has had to pull me through dark waters or push me along when my legs couldn't go any farther. He picks me up and gets me through my "race" of life. I could feel the love of Dick for Rick and he never ceased to remind me that a father's love for their child gives confidence, strength, joy and blessing. I miss Dick Hoyt already. I pray for comfort for Rick and all the family and friends he leaves behind. I am thankful to Team Hoyt for representing bravery, courage, the spirit of "can do all things", and for being a symbol of the Father heart of God. Rest in peace, Dick Hoyt!

The Entire Story of My Life

At the age of 15, I sat in my bedroom and literally wrote out month by month what I would be doing for the rest of my life until I took my final breath at the age of 90. That was 1985 and although I figured that by my death in 2060 we'd be like the Jetsons, I wrote what I knew at the time.

I wish I had kept that long and detailed booklet so I could compare it all to my actual life, the way things turned out instead. I do remember a few things. In my 15-year-old version of how my life would be, I would go to college and major in Journalism (that actually happened). I would have a writing job for a magazine that would make me lots of money (ha ha ha ha ha). I would get married at the age of 25 (in real life, I was 26) and two years later, I would become a mom (my real life meant having my first child at age 28).

Surprisingly, a few things I had planned turned out the way I envisioned them. I married a former athlete who was now a professional businessman. I became a published author. I got highly involved in cancer awareness. I had kids and dogs. I have spent lots of time traveling all over the world.

The stuff I got way wrong, though! I had two kids instead of three. I did not get my own ranch in the mountains. I didn't actually end up staying friends with anyone I knew in East Texas.

But the thing that stands out the most was that real life ended up having a lot more twists and turns and pain than I could have imagined. I knew there would be pain. It's not like I was raised in a bubble. My baby brother nearly died of cancer. I'd seen some destruction and sorrow. But when I wrote out the entirety of my life, I put the good stuff in there! There were no arguments with my husband. And he was always perfectly happy and healthy and wearing the greatest of fashions (mind you, they were '80s fashions because that was when I wrote this). My kids didn't cause me trouble even as teenagers. We always had enough money and friends and time to do what we wanted to do.

How I wish I could go back and read that darn thing. I spent hours on it! What kinds of things did you hope for as a kid that turned out the way you wanted? And what things did not turn out the way you wanted?

Italy 2019

Montepulciano where they filmed "Under the Tuscan Sun"

It's been years since Bill and I took a long trip just the two of us. Over the years, we have had a few little getaways and left the kids, but because we always wanted to take Morgan and Dylan on great adventures, we took them with us on most of our vacations.

They are both in college, so we decided to take a trip to Italy, just us two! We packed so much into this trip and walked between 15-20 miles each day. Our journey began and ended in Rome where we definitely did some of the touristy things. We visited the Colosseum and Vatican City where I stood in awe of the Sistine Chapel. We took photos in front of the Spanish Steps and threw a coin into Trevi Fountain. We ate lots and lots of food and drank wine and had gelato and quite a bit of espresso.

On this subject, I offer advice to anyone who has never been to Italy... don't eat at the touristy spots! The best Roman cuisine is found in the neighborhoods where Romans eat. If you are walking along near Vatican City or Spanish Steps and there's someone outside the restaurant trying to lure you in to eat there, don't go! And if that person is super good-looking and it's only 6:00 (real Italians eat after 8 p.m.), run! Our favorite meal in Rome was at a neighborhood called Trastevere which is a bohemian area with a super funky vibe. We stopped in to have pasta and we ended up sitting in this adorable restaurant for almost three hours where no one was speaking English. We returned to this neighborhood a couple of days later to eat by the river and listen to live bands. A young and fun crowd of Italians sat on the steps of Piazza di San Calisto and I wish I could have stayed forever.

As much as I enjoyed Rome, my favorite part of this trip was Tuscany. I had never been to Tuscany and had always wanted to go. We went via bus and made a few beautiful stops in Umbria on the way. We visited and toured Montepulciano, a medieval hilltop town surrounded by the most beautiful vineyards I have ever seen (no offense to Napa, but Italian vineyards are perfection). This adorable town is known for its vino nobile red wine which I must say was delicious. We also visited Montalcino for wine tastings and some seriously delicious pasta. And one of my two favorite gelato spots was found in a town called Pienza.

About gelato... so many of the gelato shops are fake crap. If you find a gelato shop and notice that the gelato is fluffy and super colorful, that's not your place. You want it to be fresh and natural. You know that bananas are not yellow, right? So if your banana gelato is yellow, that stuff is fake. There is a really great gelato shop not far from Trevi Fountain in Rome too. In fact, I might have liked it just slightly better than the one in Pienza. If you're ever there, it's called Gelato di San Crispino.

Now, sadly I'm back in Fort Worth, Texas, but I plan to recreate Italy in my kitchen. I will begin with Tuscany because I'm in love with it and the food there is like a taste of heaven. I found a site today to help me with this task and I hope things go well. I did bring back some wine from there. This one is Brunello which kind of likes to compete with the Vino Noble. I liked them both.

Italy, I know I'll return because I threw that coin into Trevi Fountain. Until then, thank you for the warm welcome and the beautiful time to escape. L'Italia è bellissima.

Walking through Montepulciano

Winery in Montalcino

Another Montalcino winery

Colosseum

Vatican City in the Papal Palace