“I was nervous but excited. I didn’t want to say no to a challenge. I was determined to train for the marathon, even though I’m convinced the universe was trying to stop me. Even if I needed to walk or crawl, I was crossing that line!”
‘Why am I doing this?’ I couldn’t run at the park or playground. I hid my pain from my parents for years. When I spoke to them, they were shocked.’ Man surprises parents with life-changing decision
‘I am a people-pleaser. I’m a mom of 3 boys and a teacher and that, homies, is busy enough. ‘Can we swap so I can get a quick run in?,’ I asked my husband. But then, I got the text.’
“I got a text asking if I would make it to a meeting for Vacation Bible School leaders tonight. Um, what? This wasn’t in my phone alerts, on a Post-it, or scribbled on a calendar. I completely dropped the ball, and I handled it like any other mature 40-year-old. I cried. I lost it.”
‘This is not my year to run a marathon, drink 2 gallons of water a day, or make healthy, home-cooked meals. It is my year to survive.’
“This year, I’m laying it all down. I can’t. The truth is, I’m in the weeds. Some years aren’t meant to be record-breaking. Some years are meant to survive.”
‘I was 32 years old with a dead husband. I wanted to – needed to – feel in control. I worried people would think I was ‘over’ my loss. I wasn’t.’
“I couldn’t control my husband dying unexpectedly, but I could control this ending.”
