Highs and Lows

What a day of highs and lows. It started out early this morning. I left the house at 5am to head to the lake. 20 miles were scheduled for today. It was a great running day - clear and 50 degrees. It started out great - and ended not as great....I ended up walking the last 4 miles. The longest distance I had run before today was 15 miles. I missed the last 2 weeks of running for different reasons - I was sick, out of town for Angie's wedding in Vegas, just being lazy and undisciplined....so I had not donned my running shoes in 2 whole weeks. So, it was my own fault that the last 4 miles were miserable....but as one of the greatest coaches, Isaak, said as I crossed the finish line...it doesn't matter how fast you made it....you MADE IT! So, I walked to my car feeling accomplished but sore. A huge high to realize you have just ran/walked 20.5 miles! I checked my phone and had 3 messages from my good friends from camp and my MDA family. This usually means one thing.....bad news and the pending huge low. This had happened just about a month ago when Joey died and it is all too soon to go through again. At his funeral we had all decided to get together to do something fun....not for a funeral. I knew that this wouldn't happen and I dreaded making the phone call. I called Kevin first - he seems to give me bad news in a way that isn't so hard to hear - but got his voice mail. So, I called Dawn and she gave me news that absolutely shocked me. Knowing lots of individuals with neuromuscular disease, you become used to hearing about our kids passing away.....it never gets better....but you usually aren't shocked to hear it because those that pass away have usually been sick and in the hospital. Through tears, Dawn told me that my dear friend Jennifer Wells had died this morning. She had not been sick or in the hospital since I had seen her at our Camp Craig Allen fundraiser a few weeks ago. She had started having difficulty breathing around 2:30am and by the time the paramedics arrived, she had given up her fight. I know she is better off....she is no longer suffering and will never again have to spend time in the hospital being prodded and needled. I will miss her. Her passion the past couple of years has been Camp Craig Allen. I know she will be cheering Dawn on to continue to work diligently to finish the project that they had been working so hard on together. I pray for Jenn's family and friends. She was an amazing person and will be missed. She left the world a better place for having lived in it. I love you Jennifer!

Just a fun pic of us at an after camp party at Jenn's house. I am glad we have good memories.