I Was Tripping

I have run in many beautiful places. One of my favorite places to run is the 10 mile loop around Lady Bird Lake in Austin, TX. This path is mostly crushed granite. It is flanked by several varieties of trees. The Boardwalk section takes you right over the lake. It is a gem in downtown Austin and, as such, is a very busy trail.

One morning, about two miles in to my run I came to a bridge with wooden planks. A lady was walking on the bridge ahead of me. She wore comfortable pants, a button down light weight yellow top and, to my horror, a black bra underneath! Dark bras under light shirts have always puzzled me.

I was deep in thought about this outfit when I tripped on an uneven plank. I flew forward. With arms flailing I caught myself before I face planted! This kind woman made a comment about my good recovery. Embarrassed, I ran off quickly.

I learned a good lesson from this. Judging others will trip me up!

Laura's Gift

When I decided to run a marathon I had friends who thought I was crazy. I have to admit, I understood where they were coming from. It sounded crazy to me too. Why would a person run 26.2 miles in a day? It’s one thing to like running. It’s another thing to run a marathon.

Training for a marathon was a major commitment. I had to learn how to fuel my body for hours of continuous exercise. I had to steadily extend my long runs to build my endurance. So I signed up for races of increasing length to prepare for the marathon.

At the end of my first half marathon my legs were wobbly and tired. But I had done it! It gave me the confidence to put my name in the lottery for the St. George Marathon. I was one of the 7,000 lucky runners chosen that year.

About a month before the marathon I ran a 20 mile training run. I started up a canyon in the mountains. As I came to the mouth of the canyon I felt good. I had run this path many times before. I had the trees around me, the river to one side and I was feeling strong. In the valley my speed remained consistent. I was rocking out to my tunes through the neighborhoods and eventually back along the river.

It was the last three miles of this run that were painful. I hadn’t prepared well the night before. I had never gone this far. And frankly, once I finally reached the end I didn’t think I wanted to run a marathon. I didn’t see any way I could run six more miles than I had just run.

The next week I visited with my friend Laura. When I told her I didn’t think I wanted to run the marathon anymore she said, “You have to. You can do it. It’s the best feeling.” Laura had run a marathon before. She knew the feeling of crossing the finish line. She knew it could be done and was worth doing. Her encouragement made the difference. I determined I would finish what I had started. I would run the marathon.

The day of the race was cool and rainy. As I neared the finish line of the St. George Marathon I was completely soaked but I was excited to be on that road. I saw friends who yelled out my name and cheered me on through those last steps. I saw my family waiting there with signs that said they loved me. I was so emotional I could hardly breathe. I’m not sure how it is for everyone but I can’t cry and run at the same time! Laura was right. Finishing the marathon was one of the best feelings ever.

I finished the marathon with the feeling that if I could do that I could do anything. But I never would have had this experience if it weren’t for Laura. Laura’s gift to me was a life-changing moment made possible by her encouragement.

I’ve learned many lessons through running. I’ve even learned how to be a better friend. I want to be like Laura. I want to be the kind of friend who helps others reach their goals. I want to be the kind of friend that tells them they’d be crazy not to set their goals high.

Something Beautiful

Mother Teresa once said, “My prayer is that you make your family something beautiful for God.” As I thought about this it occurred to me that if I were able to contribute to making my family beautiful for God that would be enough for me. In all my pondering about what to do with the time I have there really isn’t anything more important for me to do.

I love the simplicity of this goal. I can do my part to make my family wonderful. And not just wonderful but wonderful for God. God has given me this family. What I can give Him is what I make of it.

This changes how I see challenges in my family. I feel more patient with family members I struggle with because I now see this as a way to prove where my heart is. Is it full of anger and bitterness or full of love? Can I be loving with the goal of creating a better family for God? And really, the irony here is that I feel I am doing this for God, but by following His commandments I get the blessings, not Him! When I am loving and kind I feel happy. I have fewer, if any regrets. I feel His love for my family and for me.

I’ve come to understand that really loving someone is its own gift. When I do something kind for my husband I feel joy. When a son sits in my lap and we read books together I am happy. When I play games with my boys, when I’m totally present in that moment, I savor that time together. The immediate result of loving my family is I feel happy. I am blessed by loving.

It’s easy to miss seeing motherhood in this way, especially when my child decides to be the most stubborn human on the planet! But when I look back on our annual photo albums and recall all the happy times I see the frustrations in their proper place. They are things that happen, but they don’t define our family.

When I see motherhood as a way to love and serve others, even a way to make something beautiful for God, I don’t look at the everyday hard work of cooking, cleaning, nurturing, taxiing, playing, refereeing, teaching and disciplining as terrible work. I see it as the gift God has given me to make, little by little, each day, something lasting and beautiful.

On a morning run along a lake I passed a fenced-off condominium construction area. There were bricks, tools and debris everywhere. I had the thought that we make a big mess in the process of making something beautiful. There’s really no way around that!

Next time I feel like I’m in the middle of a mess at home, figuratively or literally, I’m going to remember that I’m building something beautiful for God.