RunningAHEAD - Topic: Dedicate some miles, please?

Aamos

posted: 3/3/2009 at 4:39 PM
modified: 3/3/2009 at 4:40 PM

Most of you know I write and now-and-again column for our local paper. This is the last one. If you want to help, the Caring Bridge website is at the bottom. Click there, and then click on "read story" for more details. TO leave a note, click on guestbook. Thanks so much. Over the years, I have developed a network of runner friends who support each other in times of trouble. One of us will send out a simple alert and we connect, usually via email, to run "prayer miles" for the one in need. It is not sectarian, and folks who don't pray report they meditate or just focus on our friend for their run. Today, I want to ask all of you who run, walk, or do any form of exercise to devote a mile or a unit of your program to a friend of mine. He's a runner, but like all of us, he's so much more. This weekend, when you are out and about, would you devote some time to praying for, or just sending positive thoughts to him and his family? To protect their privacy, I am not identifying them by name. I will tell you what they are going through, and hope you will join in to support them in some manner. The family is like many others: parents in their early 40s, married for 20 years, busy with children, jobs, community commitments and all the daily stresses we all experience. I know them through the dad, a public servant, who was on the other side of the courtroom from me for many years. While we had many spirited disagreements on our opposing views of the law and our cases, we always maintained professional respect for each other. He is a man of integrity, firm in his beliefs and yet understanding of the nature of human frailty. Unlike many of us, he found a way to combine his commitment to family with his professional obligations and leisure interests. While he strikes a good balance between demands, family is first for him. I tried to get him to run with my running club after work, but it conflicted with his daughter's ballet class. There was one race I was goading him to run but he declined, saying he was instead attending a Marriage Encounter Weekend with his wife. He is one of those rare men who quietly but so exquisitely convey their love and admiration for their wives that you stop and draw some inspiration for your own relationship. Earlier this week, he was reading in bed. He looked over at his wife and realized something was wrong. She wasn't breathing. He immediately performed CPR to get her heart going and then called 911. EMTs arrived and she was airlifted to RCRH. She is still in the hospital and the prognosis is improving. It appears she experienced SCA, or sudden cardiac arrest. [Regular readers may recall my husband had SCA in June of last year.] The latest report is that the MRI shows no serious damage and while they are not out of the woods, we have reason to hope. We all live our lives on a daily basis. A lay-off, an unexpected car repair or a bad report card can loom large. Bad news makes us feel down; it can result in real depression. Sometimes, it takes a life-threatening crisis to make us stop short, take stock, and look at our lives from another perspective. Even though we think we learn this lesson whenever we go through it, I know I feel I need periodic reminders, or “tune-ups.” This family believes in the power of prayer. Please, if you have the time and the energy, take some time this weekend to pray or send positive thoughts their way. They also believe in giving of themselves. If you are inclined to do more, I know they would say do something for a neighbor or our community today or tomorrow. Maya Angelou observed: “I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. “ So, run free, give freely and enjoy the rewards. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/crissykrull

Masters 2000 miles

deez4boyz

posted: 3/3/2009 at 4:44 PM

I would be honored to pray for them!! Thank you for sharing.

denise

eliz4015

posted: 3/3/2009 at 5:18 PM

I'm not running again until Thursday, but your friends will certainly be in my thoughts and prayers while I'm doing yoga later this evening and tomorrow. (((Aamos))) Eliz

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fatozzig

posted: 3/3/2009 at 5:29 PM

Your friends will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Leslie
Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain
-------------

Trail Runner Nation

Sally McCrae-Choose Strong

Bare Performance

tselbs

posted: 3/3/2009 at 5:33 PM

Aamos, your friend sounds like a special person. My thoughts are with his wife, him, and the rest of the family. TomS

evanflein

posted: 3/3/2009 at 5:57 PM

A good reminder how precious life is... petty problems seem stupid in comparison. Prayers for your friend and his wife, and for their family.

Peter NC

Hill Runner

posted: 3/3/2009 at 5:58 PM

Amos...I'll be sending some positive vibes during my runr tomorrow morning...

Upcoming Races:

Boston Marathon, Boston,MA 04/15/13
Grandfather Mountain Marathon,Boone NC 07/14/13
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divechief

Maniac 505

posted: 3/3/2009 at 9:00 PM

Wow, you never know when you will be blindsided by something totally out of left field. I am reading the "Black Swan" I am beginning to realize left field is all around us Shocked

Of course I will run some miles for your friend, and I am still doing a few for Dan, and a lot for Donna. (and a few generic miles each week for all walking wounded boomers) Good thing I have a 20 miler coming up this weekend. Dave

rasmussenmp

usandtoto-2@msn.com

posted: 3/3/2009 at 11:05 PM

It will be my honor to think about them through all of my runs this week, sending them positive healing vibs. You never know when or to whom things like this strike. Please keep us posted and thank-you for sharing.

Marathon Maniac #530 Mike (My Indian name is "Runs for Beer")

mainerunnah

posted: 3/4/2009 at 7:34 AM

I have to stay in York today for a meeting later this evening with officials from another town that we are negotiating providing some services for and had planned on running 5 miles along the ocean. I'll certainly dedicate some extra miles for your friend and his familyand I'll be thinking of Dan as well. Good runs to you Amy and may God Bless.

coastwalker

posted: 3/4/2009 at 8:52 AM

Amy, your article is beautifully-written, sensitive and moving. Thank you for writing it and sharing it. I will be thinking about your friend during my workout tomorrow, and will also continue to wish for good health and long lives for Donna and Dan. Jay

Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.

Holly S.

Marathon Maniac #957

posted: 3/4/2009 at 9:16 AM
modified: 3/4/2009 at 9:16 AM

I will certainly spend time in prayer for Crissy during my run tomorrow, as well as Donna and Dan. You have given us a well-needed reminder that we never know what could blindside us, that we need to let our loved ones feel our love every day. Thank you for sharing this.

Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."

Mariposai

posted: 3/4/2009 at 9:46 AM

My DH and I put this family on the top of our prayer list so we will be praying for them daily. Please keep us posted on her progress. Yes, health is a gift we often we take for granted.

"Champions are everywhere; all you need is to train them properly..." ~Arthur Lydiard

Aamos

posted: 3/4/2009 at 10:52 AM

Thanks everyone. Kevin reads all the notes people post to Crissy--the nurses in the ICU say that often when people awake, they remember things people said to them. I'll be sure to get this thread to him.

Masters 2000 miles

breger1

posted: 3/4/2009 at 10:59 AM

I have added your friend and his family to my prayer list. Bill

"Some are the strong, silent type. You can't put your finger on exactly what it is they bring to the table until you run without them and then you realize that their steadiness fills a hole that leaks energy in their absence." - Kristin Armstrong

Masters Running

Dedicate some miles, please? (Read 266 times)