The beauty of a new day.....

The beginning of summer to me is like the feeling of falling in love. There’s so much excitement in the air, counting down to when the days stretch ahead without THE SCHEDULE, to when the bathing suit of the morning becomes the clothing of the day, to waking in the cool stillness of the morning, checking the watch then rolling back over, whispering something before falling back to sleep again.

Sitting, wrapped in a blanket listening to music on the porch, hot cup of coffee in my hand, I love the feeling of each new day. It’s almost like that feeling when waiting for a lover to rise, the anticipation of what you’re going to say, wondering what lays ahead, excited to get the show started. Each day gives me this wonderful feeling of anticipation along with the feeling of peace, of being exactly where I should be. Listening to the stirrings in the house, thinking, “Finally….we can get started.” Let the peace and beauty of the morning go as the bustle of the day starts.

This feeling like those others that come and bring happiness are sampled, savored, then tucked away as the day begins – tucked away for that time when stress or insecurity come and you need to find that peace. Pull out that memory, take that feeling and flow – flow back into the arms of joy and let it fill you with peace.

We only got two days, what will you do?

Did you know that the Rapture is coming in two days?

There’s a billboard on Highway 52 stating that the Rapture is coming on May 21st, given it any notice? Does that billboard make you think, even on a small level- what if it is true? How does that make you feel?

What if you are that person that feels the need to do something quickly? “Earle, I’m going to drain the bank account, let’s go and see how much we have left before the Earth ends, we’ll go and splurge….” Earle continues to guess the answers to Jeapordy without phrasing it in the form of a question until Tina comes back, “Never mind, we’ll just go over to breakfast at IHOP again, I hear it’s buy one get one free.”

Stanley is driving past that billboard with his buddy on the way to work and casually says, “Well, that’s one thing that FINALLY will not make the price of a gallon of gas go up.”

Margaret finds the drive to do something good, “I’ve only got two days left to spread goodwill towards men, did I spread enough good will towards men? Do you think I treated my neighbor as myself, let me get my bible back out and read it again to make sure I understand it correctly. Honey, I’m out the door to spend the night at the mission, I’d better take advantage of this time and get some brownie points in.”

Steven is sitting at the bar watching the Sports Channel with his buddies, “Man I knew something was going on when the Football players and owners didn’t cut a deal.”

Jeremy taps his beautiful wife on the shoulder at 2am that night with a very raunchy suggestion in her ear. “What? Are you crazy?” She asks, mad that he woke her up but glad because the dream included Arnold Schwarzenager. She swats his hand and rolls away from him. He lays back and stares at the ceiling, “But the world is ending in two days.”

Finally all the children are doing what they should be doing knowing that the world is ending in 2 days – nothing, living their lives. Adopting God’s principles as a life mission all your life rather than when there’s only two days left is the best way to approach these days – with the love and faith of knowing that there’s paradise awaiting. What will you do with your last two days?

Gettysburg, PA - Attitude Adjustment

Race Report – Gettysburg PA


Amazing what an attitude adjustment can do on race day. Gettysburg was supposed to be my mecca, I’d trained, I’d put in the 22 mile runs, I tapered (as best I could), I’d gone up without any distractions, I’d carbo-loaded, I was ready and excited about the race. Since it was an out and back course, racers got a nice preview of the return, I started out on pace and ready to rock. The race billed itself as only a 379 foot elevation gain with rolling hills, and as I ran out I mentally checked to redefine “rolling hills” and that it didn’t say that elevation gain 5 times! This course was one I would LOVE riding a bike on, as cramps started on the way back I knew the time I’d planned was chucked out the window. By Mile 18 my whole body felt like a nice big cramp, even the middle toe of both feet was cramped out in a “F” you to the road – it made me smile to think of this.

I could get mad and be disappointed at the time I knew I was wasting, or I could simply accept it for what it was, a bucket list race. A group of us formed, walking then running, encouraging each other to walk and then run, laughing as we picked obscure part of the body cramping (I think my eyelids just cramped) and enjoyed the scenery we didn’t get to see on the way out trying to hit a specific time. We had a lot of fun with all the roadkill on the road, commented on who resembled each poor animal, everyone laughing at the raccoon with a GU sitting on top on his bottom.

These types of race make you see what you are worth to just get to the finish line, when you’re feeling bad way to early in the race but determined not to give up and do what it takes to get to the finish line. Squelching that overwhelming desire to just stop by the side of the road and look like the roadkill rather than climbing the next hill.

As a bucket list race, this was pretty cool – it was like getting lost and rather than getting mad simply enjoying the scenery – looking at the battlefields as we passed them, the flowers blooming in the fields laughing as I limp because my toe is giving the road the finger again. Would I do it again? Maybe, if that year there were two courses and the South resembled our road here in North Carolina, judging from what I drove that probably won’t happen any time soon.