I’m hosting a 5K on my other blog to help with my friends’ adoption expenses.  You can read their story here.  You can get the 5K details here.  But here are 10 reasons I think you should be involved.

1.  Cancer sucks.  Most of us have been directly affected by cancer at one point in our lives.  We can beat it by helping out here.

2.  You know exactly where the money is going with this fundraiser.  Once I find the place where I will get the T-shirts printed, I will post an accounting off where EVERY PENNY is going.  Seriously.  I’m paying for the shirts and for the invite service I’m using to sign up with.  The rest of the money is going to Matt and Cathy.

3.  I know these folks.  They’re the real deal.  They will love on kids like you wouldn’t believe.

4.  We’re promoting adoption and health in the same event.  The theme of Run With The Big Girls is that it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to do it.  It’s just the point that you’re doing it.  The theme of The Esau Project is to not sell out to the trivial things that this world has to offer.  We were created to love on each other.  We were created to live healthy and fulfilling lives.  This is a way to do both.

5.  Anyone can do this.  I don’t really care if you run, walk or crawl for the 3.1 miles.  You can do this.  I believe that you can.

6.  You’re living a better story by doing this.  I’ve recently listened to an audiobook that has changed the way I’m looking at life.  You’re going to be reading more about it in the next few weeks, but this is your chance to help someone.  I realize that you might not know them, but you know me.  You know my heart because you’ve been reading this blog.  We have a chance to step in and help bless someone and in the process of blessing them, change their lives.  That’s what we’re all about here.  Living to be the best we can be.  No selling out.

7.  Because I’m asking for help.  I’m not the kind of person who asks for help much.  Just ask those in my closest group of friends.  But I have no problem asking for help for something that I believe 100% in.  I believe in this couple.  And coming up with these expenses has got to be a strain.  Let’s help them out.  OK?

8.  You don’t have to come to Podunk Fairfield to run in a piddly little 5K.  You can go for your normal daily run, and it will count.  The difference?  You’ll be making a difference in someone’s life.   AND you’ll get a rockin’ T-shirt for your effort.

9.  10 things is a lot to come up with.  Especially after I’ve cracked open a bottle of wine.  But take my word for it.  Even if I’m having trouble typing 1o things right now, give me time.  I’ll come up with 100 reasons why you should be involved with this 5K.

10.  Cathy lived with me for about three months.  I don’t know how she did it.  My house was always a mess.  My life was crazy.  I don’t know how I paid my bills at the time.  But she came and she lived with me.  Our friendship grew over those three months and it’s only gotten stronger as the years have gone by.  There aren’t many people who could live with me, but it proves she lives a life full of grace and love.  Only someone full of the Holy Spirit could live with me for three months and still like me years later.  Let’s join in to help for a good cause.

What are your opinions on this 5K?

Seriously.  You need to go visit my other blog.  You can click HERE to go do it.

Think you’ll join us?

I remember my mother’s hands.  I remember them down in the hot soapy water washing the dishes.  I remember them out in the fields planting the pumpkins or helping with the harvest.  I remember those same hands that were scratched and dirty during the day, fixing our meals at night as we were getting ready to settle in for the evening.  I remember her putting her hands to my forehead to see if I had a fever and gently rocking me to sleep if I wasn’t feeling well.

I also remember once Mom telling me that she didn’t really like her hands.  They were starting to show some age.  We’d been working on something that left stains on our hands, and none of our hands were looking very good or clean at the moment.

Our hands tell stories of where we’ve been.  I shudder to think of what my life would have been like if Mom’s hands had been smooth and untarnished.  The lines and scars come from years of work, and play and love.

I’m so thankful my mother is still here with us.  I’m thankful that her hands are still here for us to hold.  They’re still here to check to see if we have a fever.

And I know there aren’t many things that Mamma’s hands can’t fix.

Hope you celebrate your mom every day of the year!

I spend some of my free time as a very amateur photographer.  I have a fairly decent camera, and I love to take pictures.  The great part about having a good camera is that you don’t have to know all the ins and outs of photography to get a good picture.  The bad part about having a good camera is that you don’t have to know all the ins and outs of photography to get a good picture.

The thing, too, about photography is that in order to get one fantastic shot, a photographer has to take dozens of others and weed through to find the perfect shot.  Every now and the, though, you just stumble upon the perfect setting.  The lighting is just right.  Everything about it is just absolutely perfect.

But you can’t take the picture if you’re not prepared.

Seriously.  This picture couldn’t have been much better…unless I’d taken it on something other than my  phone.  I always used to drive around with my nice camera in the car with me, but when I bought the new car, I just didn’t transfer it along.   So while my camera was sitting at home, I was left to take this perfect picture with just my phone.

I’m not saying the picture is bad.

I’m saying it could have been better.  

A thousand different situations can come up every day that we need to be prepared for.  I know some things we can’t mentally prepare for, but I’m talking spiritually.  Every day we can get up and start our day off right.  Be prepared for what God has for you.

His gifts may surprise you.

I was checking on the results of the half marathon yesterday. I was just kind of curious to see what the time was for the winners of both the half marathon and the marathon. I believe the overall winner for the half marathon finished in 1 hour and 14 minutes and the winner for the marathon was in 2 hours and 36 minutes.

That’s pretty incredible to me.

But you want to know the first thing that popped into my head?

Man, I’m slow.

I’ve been training for six months and I finished in 3 hours and 33 minutes. That’s an hour slower than someone who ran twice as much as I did.

Now I know that these aren’t thoughts that even matter because they’re so ridiculous that I would be comparing myself to someone who runs all the time and just loves to run, but I was doing it.

When you do something that’s out of your comfort zone, it’s easy to start comparing yourself to others who’ve done it better and to those who have been doing it for years.

Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. ~ Jon Acuff

We get caught up in what we think we should do and be and we forget to just do and be. Do what needs to be done and be present while doing it. Too much of life gets passed over and forgotten because we’re not living in the moment or we’re too busy trying to be someone we’re not. I’d love to be able to run a half marathon in an hour and 19 minutes, but I haven’t been running for years. I don’t have the build of a “runner.” I don’t know that I want my training to take that direction. But I’m obviously not awesome if I can’t run it in that time.

Do you guys ever feel like this? How ridiculous is it to compare ourselves to people we don’t even know or will ever see again?

So I started really looking at myself. Six months ago I went from sitting on my couch all evenings to working out 3-4 days a week in one of the most strenuous regimens I’ve ever experienced. Six months ago I started running with a purpose. Six months ago I had 10% more body fat than I do now. Six months ago I got out of breath walking to my mailbox.

Four days ago?

I ran a half marathon.

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s awesome. And here’s the best part. I ran it with 40,000 other people. My overall place in the race? 20,653. My place in my gender? 12,887. My place in my age division? 2,343.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express the change that has happened in my life during this journey. And the best part is is that I’m still at the beginning.

Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.

Never downplay your achievements.

Sure. Three hours and 33 minutes is slow to the first 20,652 people that finished the race. But it’s fast to the other 20,000 behind me. And it’s 30 minutes faster than the last time I ran that distance.

What you do, do for you. Don’t let yourself downplay what you’ve done.

You’re amazing.

Don’t ever forget that.

So I just got back from my weekend running the half marathon.  I’m tired.  You can go to my other blog, Run With The Big Girls, tomorrow to read some of my observations about the race.  Hope to see you over there Tuesday!!