fogparty

NBC

almost forgot...

"the run" will be featured on NBC evening news with brian willliams this friday. i think it will be in the "making a difference" segment near the end. that's from 5:30-6:00 (est)

can someone tape it for me? Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.

back in the rv...

it's been a long but wonderful day. the first day of "the run" experience is all about catching up with people we haven't seen since last year... meeting new runners... and swapping stories of how "the kids" are doing. "the kids" being the various family and friends we each know who have been or are st judes patients.

i'm so thankful to be able to report that emma's doing well and approaches her 5 year mark in the new year. one of the new runners in our group has a daughter who was diagnosed when she was 4. she's doing well too.

tonight after dinner... we enjoyed presentations and awards... and heard some more stories. you never get tired of the stories.

some are sad, but all remind us of why we do this.

this being the 25th year for "the run", special attention was given to mike mccoy who got the whole thing going. over the years the various runs have raised over 12 million bucks for care & research! so 2 bronze statues have been commissioned. one will be in memphis... and the other in peoria. but i'll tell more when i can add some pics.

the night ended up with songs from "the dueling elvi"... always a treat... then finally a song that ripped our hearts out... or at least it did for me as a st jude kid parent.

how quickly i forget how much we've been through... ...and those who are facing it even now as i post this. to think that right this minute some parent lies awake... close by their child in pain... both wondering where the road is taking them...

...but with a bit of hope because they see people running from memphis to peoria...

...just for them. Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.

We're off!

This is the first of many posts along the way... that is... unless i drop from the heat.

The "send off" went well and its good to connect with friends from last year's run. we're in route to memphis, so it'll be a long day of travelling. some wonder if you lose much weight on the run. Nope! Everyone brings tons of candy and cookies and banana bread and peanuts and brownies and... you get the picture.

One of my RV mates is a drug rep with pfizer. (that's why last year we were named "team Viagra"). Anyway... She just finished telling me about a new drug that's going to change everything when it comes to helping people stop smoking. Sounds very cool.

One new member to our team is a st jude parent too. Her daughter was diagnosed with a tumor in her kidneys and abdomen when she was 4. And mom was 5 months pregnant at the time. She is doing well now... with the help of st Jude.

I love hearing the stories... especially when they have great endings. Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.

great day...

started the day out with a run along grandview drive here in peoria.  i love this route... mostly because of some good memories of connecting with G*D along the way.  i did the 2.5 from the top to the bottom... then spent some time at one of my favorite spots.  then did a long run along the river and then back up the killer hill on Forest Hill Drive.  it was indeed a killer.  but i made it.  (why i thought i should attempt to run my killer hill on the same day i'm adjusting to illinois heat... i'll never know.)

then we spent time with old friends who've been amazing to our whole family over the years.  good times... good memories...             ...and they love our family... which makes them extremely special people to us all.

got a call from a good friend who's sensing G*D might be moving him into a ministry of some sort...  he just wanted to talk.  he's a great guy and i'm curious to think about what G*D is up to in his life.

so... we gather in the morning at 6... and 170 of us will pile into 23 motor homes... with friends and family waving good-bye... and begin our 8 hour drive down to Memphis (into the center of the furnace!)  i'm not sure why they picked mid-summer for this run.

the past 2 years they've asked me to pray at the send off.  they haven't mentioned it this year... so i'm not sure if they're assuming i'll do it again... or if they've found someone else.  to be honest... it's a blessing... and somewhat a curse.  i love doing it of course, but it labels me as "the pastor" or "the preacher"... and then it takes a day or two for people to realize i'm normal... or at least somewhat normal.

at least that's how it's gone the past 2 years.  we'll see how it works this time.

it's kinda late...

just finishing up on the final prep for a week away.

lots to look forward to this week...

seeing old friends... running old routes... the run... the telethon...

all good stuff.

i'm going to be using my posts to reflect on previous runs and journal about this one.  for those of you who read... i hope you find it interesting.  i think it should be good for me too.  sometimes one just needs a good reminder of G*D's presence... and ability to work in amazing ways.  that's what the run has been like for me in years past... and i'm kinda feeling like i could use that right now.

i'm turning off the "comment filter" for the week so people can comment as they like without me having to check it first to make sure your comments are appropriate.  so... i'm trusting you all to be good (a challenge for some of you)... and hopefully i won't get much junk from those "automated commenters"... which is the reason i turned it on in the first place.

oh... in case you didn't see the article in the Cit Pat...  ...supposedly some guy nabbed some pics of the cougar.  unfortunately the article said that they were inconclusive.  there was nothing in the picture to give perspective to the size of the cat.

but the guy was convinced it was the real thing.

hmmmm...  right buddy.

oh, by the way... i'm just over 2/3's there on my support for the run.  anyone still wanting to make a pledge... just let me know and i'll get the info to you.  and in case you're interested in our specific schedule, you can go to http://stjuderuns.org/schedules/ .  i'm on the "gold team".  it won't say when i'm specifically running, but just know that when it says the gold team is running... i'll be up and doing my thing.

road rules...

since i started running a lot later in life than many people, i kind of developed my own rules for the road… rules that help me physically… and mentally… and spiritually.  here they are…  …maybe not the ones you’d choose, but they work for me.

1. always greet people with “good morning”… not just “mornin’”… never let how you feel rob you of the potential of each new day
2. give yourself permission to walk when you feel you must… you’re not out to kill yourself, so relax
3. when you feel like walking… before you stop running, pick a place up the road where you’ll start running again… inertia is a hard thing to overcome
4. if you’re walking, never start running just because you see people approaching… swallow that pride
5. never walk up a hill, no matter how steep it is… you really can do it!
6. once you start running up a hill, don’t stop until you reach the very top… don’t cheat yourself of the sense of total victory
7. if your goal point is at the next intersection… …run through the intersection… you can always to a bit more than your body tells you it can
8. close your eyes as often and as long as is safe and feasible… relax and enjoy yourself… trust your instincts

anyone have any of their own?

by the way… i did my 10 this morning.  support is coming in slowly… very slowly.  tell all your friends!

why i run...

after a miserable attempt over the weekend… i managed to complete my prescribed 9 miles this morning before it got too hot.  i won’t be bragging about my time to anyone… but at least i did it.

as i was running, i was reminded of loads of stories that have been written into our lives over the last 4+ years since we first became intimately involved with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  but basically it all comes down to a few things.

1.)    our youngest daughter became a St. Jude patient after being diagnosed with malignant melanoma at the age of 8.  since it was discovered in her lymph nodes as well, she endured 3 surgeries and a year of treatment. 

2.)    she’s still alive today… doing great… and approaching the 5 year mark from diagnosis.  she has check ups 4 times a year, 2 of which are in Memphis at St. Jude’s main hospital.

3.)    for 25 years, people from peoria have been running the 485 miles from Memphis to raise awareness and funds for kids like ours.  they were running long before we needed them.  they were there for us… ready and waiting.

4.)    there are way too many kids out there who will suffer from cancer this year.  St. Jude offers them hope… and all at zero cost to the families…  …zippo.

so when i forget why i’m out there panting… i don’t have to think too hard or long to remember. 

this year will be my 3^rd “run.”  each runner must raise a minimum of $3000 dollars.  in addition to the money… “the run” is a great opportunity for me to totally unplug for 5 days and yet connect with people from all aspects of life who have 2 things in common.  they love kids and believe in the cause of St. Jude.

hey… if you’re interested in helping… send me an email.  i never want people to feel guilted into supporting me financially.  but i figure it never hurts to ask.  and since i’m less than half way there on my support with 2 weeks to go, i could really use your help.  (pledges can also be made as long as they are paid by the end of the year)  but don’t do it for me… do it for the kids.  (some employers match employee contributions to St. Jude… so don’t forget to check into it.)

and if you can’t help financially, pray for me.  i’m not getting any younger you know!

running asleep...

sometimes… not very often… i run with my eyes closed.  i’m not asleep.  but it is very relaxing.

is that unusual?

yesterday as i was running, i was thinking about the paradox of living as a Christ-follower.  there’s this grace part that is all about G*D doing his work in me completely void of anything i do.  then there’s the discipline part where i have to continually step up to the plate.  but then there’s this spot where the two seem to fuse…

most people seem to lean to one side or the other.  we either sit on the grace side and almost poo-poo the discipline side. or we give lip service to grace and live as though life was all about discipline.

i tend to flip flop between the two… going from one extreme to the other.

but as i age… i’m sensing G*D inviting me to the muddy waters where the two are more indistinguishable. 

one of the verses G*D has continually pulled me back to over the years has been Isaiah 46:4.  In repentance and rest is your salvation.  In quietness and trust is your strength.  But you would have none of it. 

that verse has helped me let go of my compulsions and exchange it for rest in G*D on countless ocassions.  but frankly… i’ve struggled with what it really looks like to rest and work at the same time... especially when the work seems all consuming.

i’ve usually concluded that it’s more a attitudinal thing than a physical thing.  and i think that’s probably right.  but when things are really hard… i mean really hard.  the resting part isn’t quite so easy.

so yesterday as i was running and talking with G*D about all this stuff… i decided to experiment even more with the whole running with my eyes closed thing.  and i realized that while i couldn’t do it all the time (like when i hear the sound of a car approaching), i did find this spot where i could keep my left eye open just enough to be able to almost unconsciously discern where i was in relationship to that white line on the edge of the road.  and there were longer and longer periods of time where i could close my eyes and simply allow myself the pleasure of resting while i ran.

maybe G*D is giving me this experience to invite me into new ways of thinking about how i can rest in him as i deal with the sometimes overwhelming pressures of life.

hmmmmm…..

gotta keep running...

i ran as best i could during our 2 week vacation.  usually it worked out to be every other day.  it’s a good thing that i like running hills.  there were some doozies!

when i ran in ontario…  there weren’t too many hills, but just the beautiful shoreline of the st. laurence river.  not much time for breaks or short walks… the deer flies were merciless!

i ran in quebec city…  old town is at the bottom of chateau frontenac and the zigzag road up the steep hill made for a wonderful challenge.

i ran in new brunswick…  up, down, up, down, up, up, up, down.  the fog made it a bit difficult to see too much.  but when the sun burned it off… it was beautiful!

i ran a couple times in prince edward island…  each hill unveiling a breathtaking vista.

and i ran in boston…  much flatter, except for the bridges over the river.  but each step beneath those old structures felt sort of like a run through history. 

now, back home in michigan… it’s time to knuckle down.  only a few more weeks until the st. jude, memphis to peoria run.  this morning’s run went well... which was good, because i’ve been a bit discouraged.  just haven’t had the stamina i’ve had in the past.  need to build some consistency now.

we’ll see!

that felt good!

yes... i've been running.  and although i've had some good runs... i'm moving slower than i'd like and having to take more breaks than i should.  eating right hasn't gone quite as well.  still can't pass up the goodies.  i've restricted myself to some degree... but still give myself permission way too often.

but near the end of my run today... it felt like an old friend returned.

maybe you won't understand this... but it's kind of like my old stride came back.  unfortunately it was near the end of my run.  i wanted so bad to head back out and really add some miles.  but jenn's honors ceremony was this morning.  couldn't miss that.

hope it's there the next time too.

i'm heading to cleveland for a friend's wedding from a church where i was on staff.  i'm hoping to run the old tow path like i used to.  that's really where i first started running.  a bit of nostalgia.  seeing old friends and capturing old memories.  maybe just what i need right now.