My Best of 2012

 “The only point of clocks and maps, the only point of looking back, is to see how far we’ve come”

- Dawes

2012 ends today and the news, itunes, you name it, is flooded with various Best of 2012 lists.  I thought I’d add my own list to contribute to the cacophony (whew! Finally finished my last New Year’s resolution; to use the word cacophony at some point during 2012.) 

My top 5 of 2012

My 17^th anniversary – In a world that is full of things that tear couples apart we celebrated our 17^th year together. I am truly a blessed man, because God has given me an awesome soulmate in Krystal.    Truly something to celebrate.  I love you Krys.

Spending time with my kids – We have laughed, danced, cried & learned together.  I have watched them discover more of who they are (sometimes with a little parental guidance.) 

Journey Campus - An awesome group of friends that are seeking to follow Christ’s will in their lives.  Blessed to call them my church.

Perdido Key, FL – Our family spent a week at Perdido Key Coves.  Sitting in a beach chair, with toes in the sand, while your kids frolic in the waves.  Hard to beat.  Did I mention the seafood?

26.2 – Trained for and finished my 1^st Marathon.  Something I never would have imagined a few years ago.  

Cleaning Out Gutters

Cleaning out gutters is never fun.  However, a few weekends ago, while performing this enviable chore, I experienced one of those thought provoking moments that only come while completing menial tasks. 

I began to think about how many times that I have cleaned out my gutters and how many times I will clean out my gutters in the future (insert gutter-guard commercial here.)

I mused about the fact that no matter how impeccably I cleaned out the gutters this time; I would have to do it again & again & again & again.  So, why waste time trying to do a good job?  These were MY gutters.  Beyond that, the quality of the job that I performed spoke of me as a person.  Would anyone ever come up to me and congratulate me for doing such an awesome job of cleaning out my gutters?  No.  That’s the beauty of this task…if I did the job right; no one would ever notice the gutters.  If I didn’t do the job right, the gutters would begin to fill with water regularly, sag, & eventually be pulled from the eaves of the house.  There are many things in life like this.  This is the definition of character to me.  Doing what you know is right whether anyone will ever know or even notice.  Doing it repeatedly, season after season, oftentimes without reward, because it’s the right thing to do.  Like cleaning out gutters, it’s not a lot of fun sometimes, but over the long run it’s worth the effort.

During this chore, I also contemplated the frailty of the leaves that I lifted out of the gutter and into the bag.  These leaves had given me hope in the spring and shade in the summer, but their time had come and gone.  The leaves are like many things in life, they come and go.  We worry and fret over things that seem permanent, but are only there for a season.  And like these leaves, they may seem beautiful at first, but before we know it they turn into a real pain!  We allow these fleeting things to consume and control us.  We want things fixed and we want them fixed FAST!  We don’t like cleaning gutters or dealing with problems that are clogging our lives, but I have found that it’s not really about the problems, but the process we are going through.  We can learn more about ourselves in difficulty, as it shapes us, than we ever could otherwise.  Dealing with difficulty is a part of our existence.  Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33   Our Heavenly Father knows what we go through and he sees the eternal purpose of our situation, not just the temporary nature of our troubles. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  So, don’t let the weight of your worry drag you down.  Lay it at the feet of the only one who truly understands.

The Marathon Journey

I ran my first marathon in Memphis last Saturday and it was an experience that I will never forget. 

I had a friend tell me that it’s about the journey not the finish, which is very true.  The journey included 4 months of training, which was difficult.  A little more than a month before the race, I had decided I was just going to run the half marathon instead.  Then, I drove to Oklahoma with some buddies to help pace Jimmy Brown as he ran 100 miles in 25 hours and 11 minutes.  After witnessing this incredible feat, I decided that if he could run 100…I could run 26.2.  I ramped up my training to be able to finish the marathon.  Along my journey of 26.2 miles I saw some interesting & inspirational things. 

Mile 3 - I saw the back of a girl’s shirt that said “Life is short…Running makes it seem longer” Not long after I spotted it she pulled over to the side and began walking.  As I ran past, I noticed that she was about 6 months pregnant.

St Jude Campus – Running through the campus of St. Jude Children’s Hospital was a humbling experience as patients & their families cheered us on.  This was, without comparison, the most inspiring section of the race.    

Mile 12 – This was the mile in which the half marathoners split off from us.  It seemed about 75% of the runners left us.  I had a moment of weakness about 200 yards past the turn. I considered taking the easy way out and running back to the turn and finishing the half only.  I’m really glad that I didn’t.   

Mile 18 – A couple of things happened in mile 18 that messed with my mind a little bit.  I caught up with a girl who was limping along on the side of the road like a zombie.  She was really having trouble with her left knee.  She would limp along for a little and then work up into a run and would go for a while before she had to walk again.  I don’t know if she finished or not, but it was painful to watch.

The next thing that happened is a little painful to admit.  I had been using a 70-something year old woman as my pacer up ahead.  She was running at the pace I had pre-determined for my first half and was a really steady runner.  In mile 18, grandma left me like I was standing still.  There.  I said it.  At this point in the race a lot of runners were sitting on the curbs and stopping to stretch and stopping period.  The herd was thinning.    

Mile 21 - I was passed by a one legged man.  I ended up passing him again, but needed to stretch.  I was stretching near a light pole and he ran by and called out “come on man, you can do it!”  Pretty inspiring that he was calling me out, but at the same time, pretty depressing that he was calling me out.

Mile 23 – some guy was holding a sign that said “Remember 4 months ago when this seemed like a good idea?”  It took everything I had to not punch him in the face.

Mile 24 – Oscar the Grouch was passing out water, standing there in his trash can.  I asked him “Am I hallucinating Oscar?”  he replied “I’m real man!”

Mile 25- One mile to go to the finish line inside of AutoZone Stadium and every time I looked up at the stadium lights, they seemed farther away. 

Mile 26 – DOWNHILL entrance to AutoZone Stadium.  Ran along the warning track & saw my beautiful wife Krystal on the front row yelling for me.  I was more happy to see her face than I was the finish line.  Thank you Krys for cheering me on and being my soul mate!

I am now a marathoner.  Crazy to think that a little more than 2 years ago I had not run more than 1.5 miles at a time.  I thank God for the ability to run and I enjoy spending time with Him while I run.  As Eric Liddell says in Chariots of Fire, “when I run I feel His pleasure.”