This is total rip-off from my pastor’s blog, but it was worth repeating and I don’t think he will really care.

We started a new initiative several weeks ago.  Here is an email I received in response ::

Dear Pastor J.R.

We were the recipients of a lovely act that was extended to our family.  My name is ____.  My son ____ was at Wendy’s last week.

We needed a treat and sent him with a few bucks to buy our family of five a frosty.  We are going through a terrible time – I am battling cancer and my husband is out-of-work and very ill.  We don’t have a lot of money due to this situation and really watch our pennies.

Sometimes, I try to cheer up the kids with a small treat & yesterday was that time.  To my son’s amazement, when it came time to pay someone had already paid for our Frostie’s.  The cashier simply said that the generous person was from Freedom Church.

I imagine that they thought they were doing just a small thing, but it meant the world to us!  Cancer is tough, I’ve lost friends through it, I’ve lost hope…briefly….I have been so weak that I couldn’t lift my head from my pillow…but I fought and fought hard…with God at my side and holding my hand, and I wasn’t afraid.  God gave me strength and we’ll get thru the rest of this too.  God will heal my husband, and he will see and receive the hope that he needs.  I thank you for the hope that this Frosty provided.  Yes a frosty can give you hope. :)   The gesture offered comfort, knowing that people care – people we didn’t even know.  You never know how you can touch someone’s life one small gesture at a time!

Keep up the great work!  I hope the person that did this can read this message as well!

Keep it up Freedom Church!  Little things can make all the difference.

I decided to do something big this year… I took Chad, my 9 year old son, snowboarding.  The “I” here means just me and him, no mom or brother around for 6 whole days!  The great news is that the trip is over and both of us survived.  The better news is that I think both of us would do it again.

This was one of those ideas that just popped into my head one day and everyone I talked to about it said that it was a good idea.  After weeks of deliberation I finally settled on Beaver Creek in Colorado as our destination.  I had skied there before and had heard that they have one of the best ski schools in the world.

Both Chad and I decided to give snowboarding a shot so I booked both of us in a one day beginner lesson to get us started.  The instructors were great, and by the end of the first day both of us were able to do the easy runs without killing ourselves.  The second day we tried to do some of the harder easy runs on the mountain, but Chad was not quite ready so we spent most of the day practicing on the beginner slope.  By the end of the day, Chad had that slope mastered and you would think he was Shaun White with how he strutted around and talked about how he was such a better snowboarder that I am.

Thankfully I escaped without major injury.  I smashed my tailbone pretty good on one fall, but it is healing nicely and I can almost sit down now without it hurting.  Overall the trip was great, and I think I enjoy snowboarding more that I do skiing.   I’m sure Chad is still not tired of telling his friends about the 1040 reverse double upside down McTwist that he pulled on his snowboard.  He just won’t tell them that he did it in an out-of-control crash… not in the halfpipe!

As I struggled to finish the Georgia Half Marathon a few weeks ago I told myself, “The only way I will run a marathon this year is if I win a spot in the New York City Marathon.”  It’s funny how things happen sometimes.  This past Thursday I was greeted with an email that said, “Welcome to the New York City Marathon class of 2010″.  It was one of those moments where I felt excitement and “oh crap!” at the same time.

As a quick primer.  This marathon has room for 38,000 runners and it is estimated that over 100,000 people enter for a spot.  For $11 you get to enter the lottery and try and be one of those 38,000 spots.  After 3 years, if you still have not won a spot you automatically get in.  I figured, “What the heck” and entered.

So, in mid July, training will begin.  I think I might actually be looking forward to this.