Thank you Gail for writing such an inspiring blog! I added a few words to the end of this post but the rest is written by Gail. Enjoy!
Gail's Guest Blog
For weeks and weeks and weeks and…well, you get the point,
of Sue kindly suggested I submit a guest blog.
Overall, I was resisting the request because I truly felt like I had
nothing to say to you, her blog followers.
Yes..I was inspired to start running by Sue. More because she talked about herself as a
non-runner or run-walker that decided she could push herself further than
because I have some burning desire to run a marathon (I do NOT!). I thought…who really gives a damn about a
random mom from Iowa that is busting out of her jeans and needs to get her fat
ass running???
However, a conversation Sue and I had the other day
triggered a thought. I decided to share
why I decided to donate (twice) to Sue’s fundraising effort.
I am a mother of 4 beautiful children – Jack (14), Caroline
(11), Jane (8), and Matthew (6). These 4
blessings drive me absolutely bonkers many, many days. They argue with each other, don’t pick up
their stuff, and complain about chores…typical kids. They are, however, HEALTHY. My husband, Gary
and I have been blessed with 4 beautiful, healthy children.
But, Gary and I are not special. Our children are healthy by the grace of God
and luck of the draw.
When my children are sick, I am the one they want by their
side…Gary is a very close second. J They are just like all the other children in
this world that simply want their parents when they aren’t feeling well.
It makes my stomach turn to think of one of my children
seriously sick and in the hospital. I
know Gary and I would keep watch over them 24/7…taking turns tending to kids at
home and our sick baby. We both have
good jobs, so if needed, we would travel to the best hospitals, staying in
hotels nearby, so we could always be close by.
I would refuse to leave my sick, suffering child alone in a strange city
without their parents.
Then I think…what if I had no choice? What if, the best care
was hundreds of miles away and we couldn’t afford a hotel? What if we couldn’t
afford to drive back and forth 120 miles each day for my beautiful child’s
chemotherapy treatments? Now THAT,
really makes my stomach turn.
The reality is that this is EXACTLY what hundreds of
families face every day. The agonizing
thought of necessary treatments to save their child’s life, but the inability
to afford the logistics to be there for them.
Can you imagine that? What mother or father could survive the
thought of their child going through a spinal tap procedure without being there
to hold their hand or snuggle them afterwards?
Here’s where The Ronald McDonald House Charity comes
in! Their website describes better than
I can, what they do…..
Ronald McDonald House program
provides a “home-away-from-home” for families so they can stay close by their
hospitalized child at little or no cost. Our Houses are built on the
simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on healing
their child – not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next
meal or where they will lay their head at night to rest. We believe that
when a child is hospitalized the love and support of family is as powerful as
the strongest medicine prescribed.
You
can go to http://rmhc.org/ to read personal stories from families that
benefited from Ronald McDonald House.
I
donated on Sue’s behalf, not only because she is a friend, but because I am a
parent. I can’t image any parent not
understanding the profound impact an organization like Ronald McDonald House
Charities would have on a family that needed it. How
much would a nice dinner out celebrating the blessing in your life cost..$50,
$75, $100, $200? How about donating that
amount to RMHC and staying home to snuggle those healthy, beautiful,
pain-in-the neck kiddos?
AAANNNDDDD…. Because Sue’s blog is never complete without a shout
out to running…. I give a big thumbs up
to the program called “Couch to 5K”. The
program will get you from a lazy ass to 5K runner in 8 weeks. You gradually increase the amount of running
and decrease the amount of walking each week.
I’m at the end of week 4....alternating running 5 min/walking 90
secs. Next week....running 2 miles with
no walking. AAAAHHHH! Their free app , “C25K”, is awesome. It “talks” to you…telling you when to run and
when to walk. It even talks over
music. I’m scheduled for my first 5K on
Oct 6!
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Thank you again Gail!!!
20 mile run on Sunday! I am nervous but also know I can do it. I ran the 1/2 marathon at an 11:03 pace so I am GOING FOR IT and will run the 20 miler with the 11:00 minute pace group. I have never run with a pace group and they will all be strangers to me. I feel like a kid at the first day of kindergarten...I'm a little nervous...not sure I will fit in...and don't know what to expect. The longest I have EVER run is 16 miles. If I finish the 20 miler well, I will be more confident I can run 26.2 miles in a mere 3 weeks!
Wish me luck!!! I hope I don't trip :)
Your friend Newbie
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Please donate…it only takes a few minutes (I PROMISE) and the children of RMHC need your help. Current total is $5,508 with a $10,000 goal...only 22!!! more days until the Marathon and blog farewell
Link to my blog
Link directly to donation page
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