Sunday, September 16, 2012

When Life Shows up With a Vengeance


Due to a crazy work schedule, my oldest starting high school, and a BIG lack of motivation, I haven't posted in a while.  Even though Boston was all I ever dreamed it would be, I have not had the goal to requalify.  I have done more biking, swimming and now I find myself in the middle of marathon training again.  How did that happen?
However, Thursday, September 6th, 2012, life showed up with a vengeance and stopped me and my family in our tracks.  Isn't ironic that when tragedy strikes, all the "important" stuff ceases to matter.  We drop everything and focus on what is really important.
September 6th, Gwen Phelps beat cancer.  She beat it by receiving the ultimate healing from God.  She had lived with Primary peritoneal cancer (also known as primary peritoneal carcinoma) for some time.  Her body finally said "enough" and she let go. She is now singing with the Angels and praising our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Gwen is my sister's mother-in-law.  However, this family is part of my family.  We vacation with them, care about them, and now grieve with them.  We grieve not because she is in Heaven, but because we are left here without her.
So here we are..... left without her, trying to figure out how to go on.....
So I decided to do what will keep me out of therapy.
I run!
I run to forget.
I run to make since of it all.
I run to remember.
I run in her memory.  This next marathon I run, I will run for Gwen.  She has blessed my life in so many ways.  She gave freely without expecting anything in return so the least I can do is run a race for her.
The Thunder Road Marathon is the next race on my list.  This is the same race I qualified for Boston on.  However, this time the run will not be about qualifying, it will be about Gwen's memory.

To find out more and how you can join the fight, go to http://www.primaryperitonealcancer.org.
I hope to help raise awareness and some money.
I hope to honor Gwen's memory!