Remembering Love Lost

Gone - flitted away,
Taken the stars from the night and the sun
From the day!
Gone, and a cloud in my heart.
~Alfred Tennyson

Your life is filled with people that you have grown so accustomed to being around, that when they leave we suddenly realize just how much we are bonded to them. Our lives can become so intertwined with another, that we fail to see just how close the bond is until they are gone.

Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle
Everything I do is stitched with its color.
~W.S. Merwin

We find ourselves trying to regain the image of these people, a loved one or maybe a friend that has slipped from our sight. We try to pull our dreams at night out into the gathering light of day. To experience their presence once again hopefully.

Thou art gone from my gaze like a beautiful dream.
And I seek thee in vain by the meadow and stream.
~George Linley

With each passing day, we look for anything that will remind us of that missing piece of us. Is it the green leaves of a tree rustling in the wind, a child laughing as she skips down the road or the circus noise from high upon a Ferris wheel; where can we capture that moment again?

Oft in the tranquil hour of night,
When stars illume the sky,
I gaze upon each orb of light,
And wish that thou wert by.
~George Linley

As we gaze upon the stars or look to shapes within the clouds, we each will find that reminder of ones gone before us. It might be a star in the sky, the floating cloud formations above us or the gentle trickle of a stream.

"Missing someone gets easier every day because even though it's one day further from the last time you saw each other, it's one day closer to the next time you will."
~Author Unknown

It will become easier as our memory grows deeper with the spirit of a loved one. We experience that in a much different way and grow closer to them by keeping them within our hearts.
_

Hope For A Cure

The year goes wrong, and tares grow strong,
Hope starves without a crumb;
But God's time is our harvest time,
And that is sure to come.
- Lewis J. Bates

So here is a good one to write. On Saturday, November 15, I ran in the Purple Stride - Atlanta 5K Run. Many of you contributed and have heard me talk about this event. The local affiliate is in its third year of existence and this is the third annual event. Its intention is not to only raise funds for research, but it is to raise awareness of the fourth leading cancer killer of the major cancers...but is the least funded. In raising funds we help with research to come up with early detection, better treatments and ultimately a cure.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a nationwide group of people working together to advance research, support patients and create hope for those affected by pancreatic cancer. Founded in 1999, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has grown into the only national organization fighting pancreatic cancer in a comprehensive way. They accomplish their mission by directly funding research and demanding that the federal government increase research dollars for pancreatic cancer; by providing patients and caregivers with reliable information to make informed decisions with their health care teams; and by helping individuals and communities work together to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for pancreatic cancer

So for this local event being held in Atlanta, GA (USA); it was a bit cool but the colors were wonderful in the trees. Our mother would have loved the beautiful colors of fall, the briskness of an early morning but more important; the laughter and chatter of people gathering together. There were 750 runners this year and our local group raised nearly $104,000 dollars, much of that support coming from folks like you that supported my efforts.

Also, I want everyone to know that I came in first place in the 45-49 year olds that were born in Fremont, Nebraska. It turns out that I was the only one in that category! But I did run the 5K in 39 minutes, 20 seconds and feel pretty good about it as this was quite a hilly course. I don't fancy myself a great runner but at this age, I feel great that I can. I also enjoy the idea of just feeling alive when I run in these events.

I submitted a "Tell Your Story" and picture for the local affiliate to use. These stories and pictures will be heading up to Washington DC given out to all of the congressman/women and Senators. The bigger story with all of these individual ones is that there are real people associated with this cancer and personal stories of hope, loss and survival. There is also possible testimony to be given in a committee meeting and I hope to possibly be there and speak myself.

The event also featured a "Remembrance Wall" that was very touching. In the upper middle part of the board I placed our Mother's picture with our Dad. I used a picture of them both as two become one in so many years of marriage. The love of each other's lives is the way I choose to remember.

The other stories on the wall are ones just as heart touching as our own. Lives shortened but not forgotten, so many that didn't last as long as our Mother, so we have to feel blessed by the amount of time she was able to stay with us.

There was information from a research doctor at the University of Alabama who talked about new treatments that are promising. But the thing I didn't hear about is early detection except for a young woman whom is a four year survivor. Her early detection was a nagging stomach pain deep inside that she wouldn't let her doctor simply pass off. They did the CAT scan and found the small tumor in a very early stage in the pancreas. Surgery, lots of weight loss as one expects, months in the hospital and lots of support from family and friends.

All touching, all encouraging news, but everyone I talked to say that even though we have come a long way, we have a whole lot further to go. So thank you everyone for supporting me in running for all of you, your loved ones and the survivors.

More importantly, thank you for expressing your love for Mom.
_

Fitness

The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports launched its Adult Fitness Test in May of 2008. I am one of those that missed this announcement as I am certainly not one that does a very good job of watching my own fitness. I tend to focus on other parts of my life and find it difficult to balance out those Six Spokes of Life.

So recently I was reading the October issue of Readers Digest and found a pretty simple and easy guide to measure yourself as an adult. I found that I'm not close to these particular and simple tests. Yet I'm setting a goal for myself to achieve these.

You will see they don't take expensive equipment or gym memberships to achieve them. So we will see how I do and how long it takes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Test: Push-ups
The Goal:
Women (on knees): 33 without stopping,
Men: 40 without stopping
Tips to Boost Your Score (gradually, to prevent injury): Work your chest and triceps three days a week. Vary the push-ups by doing them on an incline or decline, or do some chest flies or chair dips, says personal trainer Kelli Calabrese, author of Feminine, Firm & Fit.

The Test: 1.5-mile run
The Goal:
Women: under 12 minutes,
Men: under 10 minutes
Tips to Boost Your Score (gradually, to prevent injury): Walk/run three times a week, and do non-impact activities like swimming or cycling on the other days. Add a day of interval training (going faster than your normal pace with periods at a much slower pace).

The Test: Half sit-ups
The Goal:
Women: 60 in a minute,
Men: 65 in a minute
Tips to Boost Your Score (gradually, to prevent injury): Do a variety of abdominal exercises three days a week. "Core strength is so important because it improves posture, can reduce back pain, and may help stop a fall as we age," Calabrese says.

The Test: Sit and reach
The Goal:
Women: 9 inches beyond heels,
Men: 8 inches beyond heels
Tips to Boost Your Score (gradually, to prevent injury): After warming up, Calabrese says, increase flexibility by doing the yoga pose downward dog: Position your body in an inverted V, with your hands and feet on the ground and your butt in the air.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But why get fit? Will it add years, days or just minutes to the length of my life?

The point in my mind is not how much longer one might live by being more physically fit. What it will do is make all of your years of living that much better. One can live to be 85 years of age, but if you are so unfit that walking six steps is a struggle for the last 30 of those years, then the quality of those 85 years just isn't very good.

So try to achieve the goals above; try to join the President's Council and take the Adult Fitness Test. Enjoy a more fit life; enjoy life!
_

Open Road Missions Update

Go to Open Road Missions.

Find the DONATE button to support Paul in his efforts.

Bless him with our giving and then pass it along to your friends.
_