With wings like eagles

Back in the winter a young college friend of ours, Lorrie, told me that she wanted to run a race in my honor this summer. I couldn't believe that she would do that and felt very touched. She asked to meet with me about once a week to discuss our races and share with each other. So we did.

When we would meet, we would share different aspects of our races. She was in preparation for a half-triathlon, so she was running, swimming and biking all the time. My three events were surgery, chemo and radiation. We would talk about our physical, emotional and spiritual status through it all. We would always close with a prayer time.

Well...last weekend Lorrie ran her race. She drove from Arkansas to Michigan. She had a huge crisis on the way...her bike flew off of her car! But she got it back at a police station in Memphis. Then, she had to get it repaired in Nashville. She kept going on and got to Monroe, MI on Lake Erie on Sat.

Sunday arrived, and she ran and swam and biked. She said she really enjoyed the whole race. Lorrie came in FIRST in her age division for women!!! YEAH!!!

First of all...let me thank her again here in writing. THANK YOU Lorrie...for this huge honor. What an incredible expression of support and love. It will always, always be remembered. Thank you!

Second, there were many parallels for us, but there were also lots of ways that our races have been different. The most obvious is that mine is still going on. And, actually, will continue on some level for the rest of my life. Life IS a marathon race. I intend to keep running hard and hopefully more focused than I would have 8 months ago. My finish line is not just to get over all these treatments which, thankfully, are coming to an end. But I want very much to run this Life Race with joy and hope and a loving heart and selflessness and, I could go on and on.

I will be running this race with clearer vision, more focused on the Life Giver, Jesus. He is Life. I love Him. I just want to love Him more.

Two weeks left. Ten more treatments. Then we'll see what's next.


"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might...He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; BUT...those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:28-31