Gloves of Gratitude
Today I am grateful for the fresh fall air and breeze as we enjoyed Sam's last football game of the season yesterday afternoon. I am also grateful for my favorite cereal/banana combination.
The gloves in the picture below will serve an important purpose on Sunday when we head to the starting line for the St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. (Thanks to Sam for taking the picture for me.) We anticipate a little chill in the air and will be outside for an hour or more before we start the run. The gloves, though a little worse for wear, will help me stay warmer. I don't like cold hands. Once I start running, my hands will end up too warm with gloves on, and I will discard them.
It is fitting that these gloves will make this trip with us and be with me at the starting line. They are the same gloves I wore at the start of my second marathon-The WhistleStop in Ashland, WI on October 15, 2005, nine years ago today. (I didn't recall the date right away, but I went to look at my finisher's medal when I was preparing this post and it had the date on the back.)
I don't recall which one of us bought these, but my memory says it was a two-pack and my sister Ruth wore the other pair on that chilly morning. I was wearing a fanny pack, so when my hands got warm, I put the gloves in there and have had them ever since. I am sentimental that way. They are now worn thin and it is time to retire them. I can't think of a better send-off after these 9 years than to bring them from Marathon #2 to Marathon #12.
They will bring good vibes with me. Not only did my sister Ruth run the WhistleStop, so did my sister Zita. Zita hadn't been able to run the Chicago Marathon the previous year because she had just undergone cancer treatment. My high school friends Beth and Melissa (of the "Lake City Nine") also ran it. My sister Aileen ran the half-marathon and other family and friends were also running or there for support. It was a good weekend and a good run. It was especially meaningful to see Zita cross the finish line. Little did I know what breast cancer would bring to my running days over the next years.
There's a lot of good energy, fun memories, and large quantities of gratitude signified by those little gloves above. Run on!
The gloves in the picture below will serve an important purpose on Sunday when we head to the starting line for the St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. (Thanks to Sam for taking the picture for me.) We anticipate a little chill in the air and will be outside for an hour or more before we start the run. The gloves, though a little worse for wear, will help me stay warmer. I don't like cold hands. Once I start running, my hands will end up too warm with gloves on, and I will discard them.
It is fitting that these gloves will make this trip with us and be with me at the starting line. They are the same gloves I wore at the start of my second marathon-The WhistleStop in Ashland, WI on October 15, 2005, nine years ago today. (I didn't recall the date right away, but I went to look at my finisher's medal when I was preparing this post and it had the date on the back.)
I don't recall which one of us bought these, but my memory says it was a two-pack and my sister Ruth wore the other pair on that chilly morning. I was wearing a fanny pack, so when my hands got warm, I put the gloves in there and have had them ever since. I am sentimental that way. They are now worn thin and it is time to retire them. I can't think of a better send-off after these 9 years than to bring them from Marathon #2 to Marathon #12.
They will bring good vibes with me. Not only did my sister Ruth run the WhistleStop, so did my sister Zita. Zita hadn't been able to run the Chicago Marathon the previous year because she had just undergone cancer treatment. My high school friends Beth and Melissa (of the "Lake City Nine") also ran it. My sister Aileen ran the half-marathon and other family and friends were also running or there for support. It was a good weekend and a good run. It was especially meaningful to see Zita cross the finish line. Little did I know what breast cancer would bring to my running days over the next years.
There's a lot of good energy, fun memories, and large quantities of gratitude signified by those little gloves above. Run on!
I was thinking about the Whistlestop the other day. So very thankful for all the living I have been able to do in the nine years since then and God willing will be able to do for many more years to come! Will be thinking of you on Sunday as you run and cheering you on from a distance!
ReplyDeleteThanks Zita! I love running, but I also love that as long as I pay attention, I will never run out of blessings. You are one of my blessings! We have much to be grateful for. I see every marathon as a celebration of life and gratitude.
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