Friends and Running

I've gotten the running bug. Never thought it'd bite...since I used-ta-couldn't-ever stand even the thought of running unless it was to chase a spotted ball, bounce an orange ball, get under a grapefruit sized ball, or pop-up a white ball. I hated it, it hated me...

...Then I met Tiffany. Freshman year of Moody, we both decided to give running one more shot -this time with a friend. And wow! Does a friend make it better! Loved the growing friendship, but still hated running at 6:30-7am, before Old and New Testament Survey classes at 8. But then, sniff sniff (sarcastically), I had to stop due to knee problems. What a bummer...NOT! :p

...Until Bess came along. Senior year of Moody, after laughing through chorale, I met Bess and started running again. I still didn't like running. But it was good for my knee... and the only time in both of our schedules to hang out. So we ran together. And grew closer to each other with every mile ran.

20 minutes of huffing and puffing plus breaks (I let Bess do most of the talking!) became 2 miles. Then a consistent 3. Then an occasional 4, and then almost 6. And then Bess left fora semester in Italy.

I still went running. I still wanted to run. I enjoyed it! What in the world? It had happened when I least expected it. The joy of being able to run freely had come like a gift unexpected.

Friends and running: They are quite similar really. Both grow better through time spent together. Both build into the character of a person. Both have value that is unseen, known only to the one involved. Both leave lasting imprints -in sand, on the roads, and in our lives.

Beginnings = Ends

Beginnings happen all the time. We all have them. Beginning of a new year. Beginning a class. Beginning a paper. Beginning the day. Beginning to run. Beginning a game. Beginning a blog.

Beginnings.
Do they start something only? Or could they mark the end of something? To start something, that means something happened before hand that had to stop, in order to start the new thing. What was before it? When a new year begins, the old one has ended. To begin a class, summer, free time, or something that filled time was replaced with the class. Papers take over the research prep. Running ends whatever mode of transportation or movement was before it. Beginning a game ends the warm-ups and preparations.

Beginning a blog marks the end of what? Summer? Vacation? Free time? Packing? Unpacking? Praying? No. Nope. Not really. Non. Nein. No.

So what then, does it end?

Silence.

Silence in lack of communicating. Silence in living in a spread-out world. Silence in unable to share bits and pieces of life with those who I care about and who care about me.








What does it begin? Sharing.

That's what this blog is about. Sharing bits and pieces of this life God is giving to me. Sharing what God has done and is doing. Sharing His story through my story.