July 24th, 2013 – 8.66 Mile Run

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

This was a rough run. But we’ll get to that later.

It’s been quite a while since I last posted. So I gotta bring to you up on the summer I’ve been having. For the most part it has been GREAT!!!! I have had a great time with friends and family. Keeping extremely busy!!!

Last month I went on a cruise with my friend Sherri!

This was, of course, amazing fun. I’d never done a Girl Trip before. And I must say, I highly recommend them. Sherri & I have many things in common. However two of my favorite things are: Mad love for Michael Jackson and we both value health and fitness. We worked out every day that we were on the ship.

Some might say that would have ruined the trip for them. For us, that made it awesome!

Then of course, June 25th was Michael Jackson’s Death day, which I had to recognize. So I dressed up as MJ for the day. This is me at work. What?!

This month has been crazy busy too!
Chris and I went to the BET Experience Concert at The Staples Center. We got to see R. Kelly and New Edition. But the big draw for me was THE JACKSONS!!!!

That was fun. Hanging out with my best guy and seeing a great concert. You just can’t beat that!

Then we took the kids to Hurricane Harbor! Their cousin Logan was in town, so we got to take him too. That was a blast!

Yes! A busy busy Summer and I’ve been trying to get a run in anywhere I can. Jayda even ran with me once. She is my sweetie. I love her!!!

Now, about this run….

This one was a cleansing run. I was given some less than great news from my doctor. I had an abnormal mammogram. I was supposed to go into work afterward, but when we got back home, I just geared up and headed out the door. This run was less about time and distance and more about crying and praying.

The first half was pretty rough. I was just trying to run until I felt like myself again. At about mile 4, I was at the end of my fuel, which is typical for me. So I stopped at CVS and bought some GatorAid and a pack of nuts. I sat on some grass under a tree and wept.

Tears are not normally how I would express myself but I was out of resources by then. I was exhausted and in pain, both physically and emotionally. So I just let the tears come.

Up until this point, I was listening to my Speed Workout Playlist, which consists of Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Eminem and many others. But on the return trip, I had to call on Jesus. I put on my Gospel Jams Playlist and headed home.

It helped. It always does. I can’t say that it helped my run, but it helped my mind-frame. I discovered I was afraid, and ashamed of myself for being afraid. A child of the King should never be afraid. Then one of my favorite songs came across my playlist:

You don’t have to worry,
And don’t you be afraid.
Joy comes in the morning,
Troubles, they don’t last always.
For there’s a friend in Jesus,
Who will wipe your tears away.
And if your heart is broken,
Just lift your hands and said,
“Oh… I know that I can make it.
I know that I can stand.
No matter what may come my way,
My life is in Your hands.”

I wept more. But I felt grounded and grateful that God already knows how this is going to turn out. He knows what I can handle. He knows what my family can handle and He’ll be with us no matter what.

Later that day, my friend Paul showed up with enough ice cream to choke a horse. Gotta love Paul.

So what happens now?

I keep going.
I keep living.
I keep doing.
I keep loving.
I keep playing.
I keep laughing.
I keep smiling.
I keep praying.
And I keep running.

Biopsy is set for next week. I’ll letcha know how it goes.
Prayers appreciated.