Two things changed my mind. The first was an excellent article about Retreat and Refresh Stroke Camp, that my oldest son and I volunteered at a few weeks ago. Reading about camp reminded me again how much I loved working with the stroke survivors and their caregivers, and how much the smallest actions can sometimes have the biggest impact. It wasn't a big deal for me to bring my son and 'give up' a weekend. I had as much fun as anyone else there - I never felt like it was work. But the very fact that I brought a plate of food from the buffet for a survivor so their spouse didn't have to do it for once, such a small act for me - meant so much for the caregivers who never otherwise get to just eat without first serving their loved one. And the best reward for me was to see the smiles light up the faces of the caregivers and survivors alike. There were plenty of tears that weekend too - but for the most part they were tears of relief that other people understood, tears of laughter at jokes that may only mean something to people who have been through the destructive hurricane of stroke, tears of joy at finding a new skill, re-learning a lost ability, or learning that perhaps something might not be unattainable after all. I loved that weekend. And what made it even better was that I was able to share it with my son, whom I hope will take at least a piece of the love and strength in the face of adversity that we witnessed that weekend with him for the rest of his life.
The other reason (or sort of two, closely linked reasons) that I changed my mind and decided to write is that a) I've become addicted to the stats page that tells me how many people have visited my blog, and b) I really can't let a day go by without plugging my marathon training/fundraising endeavor. If you're reading (and I know you are, I've been watching you) and you haven't given a donation yet Please Please visit my page HERE and give - even $10 makes a difference. I had a good run today, 10 miles at a steady 11 minute/mile pace and I'n feeling strong and ready for this weekend's long run - 16 miles I think. And tomorrow I'm going to go with some beautiful new posters and try to get even more local businesses to let me put out collection jars.
Which reminds me! I owe a big thanks to MaryBeth and her precious baby Abby, who donated in the last few days. And to Eric at Black Forest Auto and Ryan at R&R Coffee, which were honestly two of my favorite shops in Black Forest to begin with - big Thank You's as well because they already agreed to help me raise money before I even had a good plan of what I was asking for! I will feature them more in future posts. For now I will say that my car is always in perfect running condition now that Eric's guys take care of it. And R&R is hands down my favorite place to hang out and drink delicious coffee and pig out on fantastic homemade pastries, and sandwiches, and omelets, and pancakes, and... well, everything they serve is delightful - when I have the luxury of such things like time on my hands with nothing else planned, suffice it to say, it is not often enough.
And now I must sign off again, because tomorrow starts far too soon.
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