I ran 8 miles this morning. I ran slowly, since my knee was kind of twitchy. The hope of spring was in the air. Signs of life were everywhere. Wind rippling waves in the giant puddle in my neighbor's yard where the snow had melted. A frenzy of geese honking madly overhead as they sighted water in the wetlands up ahead. Soggy grass that definitely looks greener. Robins squawking with short, choppy chirps. A pack of big dogs making sport of chasing me with snarls, snapping jaws, and paws slapping on the boggy ground. I'm glad they were on the other side of the fence. A covey of mourning doves launching out of a shrub as I ran by. A squirrel perched on our mail box by the road, enjoying an early lunch. Spring is not far away, and I'm glad for the signs of new life. It gives me hope.
I saw a big article in the Goshen News this morning about Zion Chapel out near the county fairgrounds, raising money for RETA by filling baby bottles with loose change. Maybe you can come up with a unique idea for supporting RETA.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Resolved
This is New Year's Day. It is a day for New Year's resolutions. I have mapped out my resolutions for running for 2011:
1) Run a marathon without walking.
(In my first marathon, in October 2010, I walked most of the last six miles.)
2) Run a marathon in less than 4 hours 30 minutes.
(I finished my first marathon in 4 hours 56 minutes.)
3) Run a 5 K in less than 22 minutes 30 seconds.
(My fastest 5 K in 2010 was 22:48.)
4) Run a 10 K in less than 54 minutes.
(My fastest 10 K in 2010 was 54:43.)
5) Run a half-marathon in less than 2 hours.
(My only half-marathon, in May, 2010, was 2 hours 22 minutes.)
6) Run an ultra-marathon (any distance longer than a marathon.)
(I would like to run the Huff 50 K in Huntington, Indiana in December.)
My resolutions for life are to try to keep doing what I tried to do in 2010:
Serve the Lord sincerely, and ask forgiveness when I crash.
Be a good companion in life and a partner in ministry with my wife, Linda.
Be a good colleague to people I work with and be fair and just to people I deal with through
work.
Be a good friend.
Pray as RETA discerns its resolutions for 2011. Pray that the folks at RETA can maintain the ministry with the resolve to serve the Lord and to serve families that they have had for years. Perhaps you can resolve to help RETA in 2011: volunteer, or donate, or tell someone else about RETA.
I'd better get going. I have a lot to do in 2011. And miles to run before I sleep.
1) Run a marathon without walking.
(In my first marathon, in October 2010, I walked most of the last six miles.)
2) Run a marathon in less than 4 hours 30 minutes.
(I finished my first marathon in 4 hours 56 minutes.)
3) Run a 5 K in less than 22 minutes 30 seconds.
(My fastest 5 K in 2010 was 22:48.)
4) Run a 10 K in less than 54 minutes.
(My fastest 10 K in 2010 was 54:43.)
5) Run a half-marathon in less than 2 hours.
(My only half-marathon, in May, 2010, was 2 hours 22 minutes.)
6) Run an ultra-marathon (any distance longer than a marathon.)
(I would like to run the Huff 50 K in Huntington, Indiana in December.)
My resolutions for life are to try to keep doing what I tried to do in 2010:
Serve the Lord sincerely, and ask forgiveness when I crash.
Be a good companion in life and a partner in ministry with my wife, Linda.
Be a good colleague to people I work with and be fair and just to people I deal with through
work.
Be a good friend.
Pray as RETA discerns its resolutions for 2011. Pray that the folks at RETA can maintain the ministry with the resolve to serve the Lord and to serve families that they have had for years. Perhaps you can resolve to help RETA in 2011: volunteer, or donate, or tell someone else about RETA.
I'd better get going. I have a lot to do in 2011. And miles to run before I sleep.
Last Run
Friday December 31, 2010. Last day of the year. My last run of the last day of the year was 3 miles on a treadmill. I'm not a big fan of treadmill running. It's like a bad metaphor for a bad day: frenzied running but getting nowhere. But I did get some miles in, and I got to think about the year this run was capping. I survived cancer after prostate surgery in March. Linda and I helped a couple of family members survive the economic storm. My mom is like a cat on her ninth life, but she has survived when her doctors thought she was gone. I ran farther than I have ever run in my life: a half-marathon 9 weeks after surgery; and my first marathon in the fall. But the year also ended with a reminder of how fleeting this life is. Two local attorneys died in the last couple of days after battling cancer. Our professional colleagues and friends will gather in a few days to remember them. As I powered down the treadmill to a cool-off jog, my RETA t-shirt was soaked with sweat and my heart beat rapidly. I am glad to be able to run, even on a treadmill. I am glad to be able to make plans for the new year. And I pray that the new year will be about more than survival. Please pray for RETA and its ministry in 2011.
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