The Run Not Run is sometimes the Best Run of All!

This Sunday I had a plan for my last long 20 mile run before Boston. I had rested a few days for it and was actually looking forward to seeing how fast I could run it! Then the weather changed and the temp dropped to 40 and it started to rain....But I'm no WIMP, I said to myself and decided to go out anyway...then I got a call from a patient who might be in labor....well maybe I should wait a while and see what happens....wouldn't want to be out on a really long run and have an emergency at the hospital. So a couple hours later I hadn't heard anything, so I dressed up and was heading out the door when I got paged. She had made significant progress and I needed to head in within the hour. As i drove to the hospital, the rain got harder and harder, then the temp dropped some more. Now it was 36 degrees.....BRRRRR! Could this get any worse? Yes ! It started snowing!!!!! I was REALLY glad I was in my nice warm car :)

So, no long run. Instead I got to run a few errands, head to the (NICE WARM) hospital, check in with my patient, and then watched MSU dominate an excellent Louisville team, while Tim was there in the stands! How cool! Then, I got to watch Tiger come from 5 back to tie and then take the lead in a tournament just a few miles from where Mike and Jessica live in Orlando! Two holes to go......"Dr Fleming, we need you in Labor Room 1 - your patient is getting ready to birth!" Drat! But God had a plan for that, too. My patient was a former golf team member in college and was VERY interested in seeing who won, too!

SO, it was "PUUUSSHHH" then "Did you see that shot?" then "PUUUSSHHH!" then "He sank that putt! Can you believe it?" "Take a look at all that hair! PUUSSHH!" "Here he comes!"

And so, a new baby boy was born just a few minutes after Tiger roared back into the headlines. And they named him Jackson! Simply awesome!

So, sometimes the best run is the one NOT run at all! Thanks be to God!

PS - The weather changed dramatically again today - after all, this is Michigan we are talking about - so I got to run late this afternoon in the nice warm sunshine :)

PPS - Boston is only 21 days away!

Transfiguring Moments

Recently I was in Utah on a family ski trip and enjoying myself immensely. We had the best snow of the year and God blessed us with so many things.

But perhaps the best was a wonderful Mass we attended in a beautiful Catholic Church in the mountains called St Mary of the Assumption. The music was very good, the gospel was the Transfiguration, and the homily made it come alive. Basically the message was that God's love was the power that transfigured Jesus. The Father's living love was received and returned so perfectly by the Son that he was revealed for who He really was, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Then God spoke, "This is my Beloved Son. Listen to Him!"

And God desires to pour out His love into our hearts, too! Our problem is that we are not always open to the experience of total joy and love that He wants to give! So sometime He uses amazing life experiences to help us be more receptive, like a beautiful ski run, a magnificent sunset, or just the snow covered mountains themselves! In these moments, God lets us know that he really loves us; that we, too are His beloved sons and daughters!

And so I thank our God for the transfiguring moments he has given me. Think about your own moments and see if you can experience God's love in them as well.