Y Day

So my daughter's teacher did an A to Z countdown for the last 26 days of school. I thought it was such a cute idea, that I decided to do the same thing for the teachers whose rooms I work in on a regular basis, with quotes and little surprises to just add some fun to the last 26 days of school (shh, I didn't really say fun!). These last few weeks of school have been quite interesting with every last teacher moving to a new building...lots of goodbyes, lots of changes, lots of chaos.

Today's day was "Y" and this is what I wrote. It sums up what I'm feeling these days.

It's Y day...and I can't help but wonder 'why'?

Why do goodbyes have to come? Why does life have to change? Why must we move elsewhere when we were content with here? Why does God allow some people in our lives for only a season, and others for a lifetime? Why, why, why?

I love the lyrics to Amy Grant's song, "Somewhere down the Road"

Why, why, why... Does it go this way?
Why, why, why...And all I can say is...
Somewhere down the road, There'll be answers to the questions
Somewhere down the road, Though we cannot see it now
Somewhere down the road, You will find mighty arms reaching for you
And they will hold the answers at the end of the road

We don't have the answers to the whys, yet we can live with a confidence that God is in control and because of his deep love for us, we can move forward on this journey.

"Yesterday is the past. Tomorrow is the future. Today is a gift, that's why it's called the present."

So now I must go and finish working on our family's A to Z Days of Summer fun! Summer vacation begins tomorrow!!!

Race Day - Part 2

I am still in disbelief. Not only did I finish the race, but I am sitting here typing with a medal around my neck! I placed 3rd in my age group today!! I finished in 30 min 32 sec! Not bad for my first race ever. I never ever thought I could run...and yet with determination and hard work, I did it! I'm not saying it was fun. I literally thought my legs were going to collapse out from under me the last 1/4 of a mile...but they held me up and got me across the finish line! I just kept saying "Winners never quit and quitters never win...keep moving....it will be over soon!" It also took me at least 10-15 minutes to catch my breath afterwards. I will say that I feel a deep satisfaction in accomplishing that which I set out to do. And I'm thankful that Mike shared the journey with me and finished strong, as well. Lastly, I am thankful that Darian spent her Saturday morning hanging out with the girls at the 5k so we could run and they could share in the experience with us! And I'm thankful to Emily for cheering me on! :) Oh yah, I won a door prize too! fun! Here are a couple of pics before running the Habitat for Humanity 5k today.



And of me with my medal back at home. Think I'm spending the rest of the day on the couch reading a good book!

Race Day - Part I

I can hardly believe that in less than 2 hours I will actually be running my first race ever! I really have no hopes of actually placing...but I do have high hopes of finishing this journey I started! At the beginning of the year I made a commitment to run 3 times a week...not so much for my physical health, but rather for my emotional health. Ever winter I struggle thru some depression and this winter I made the commitment to exercise in hopes that it would help me through the winter months. And it did. Oh I still had some 'down' feelings/days, but all in all I really found that it helped my mood. I began just running in January, as far as I thought I could, then I'd walk. Then I discovered the couch to 5K program (a 9 week running program that gets you from the couch to a 5k race) and here I stand today at the end of those 9 weeks.

I am definitely glad Mike and I committed to do this together, as we helped keep each other motivated along the way. And I have so enjoyed that our run has meant built-in conversation to our days. More than the running itself, I have looked forward to spending the time with him and just talking about everyday stuff.

I am filled with excitement this morning, so close to accomplishing what I set out to do. Wishing I felt a little better, wishing I had slept a whole lot better, and thankful it's not raining!