We are breathing again and those who were well enough ran the last of the kids’ series of runs a local running club held this spring.  Kieran’s pics made me smile. (he is center of each) They so capture the essence of our boy…

Alannah ran the mile and a half this time. She hadn’t been training very seriously and the course ran uphill for a good chunk of the way. I was holding my breath as we tracked her progress. She was very close to the end at the midway point. By the time we shot this picture she was bringing up the rear. I had visions of a teary finish, but no.  As you can see morale is still good! As a matter of fact the announcer said, "Wow, you never see them finish with a smile on their face!"  Certainly you don’t see the dead last runner smiling. <g> As it turns out there were a couple other kids behind her but, realizing they would be last, they dropped out before they rounded the bend to the cross the line.

We asked her how it went afterwards. She said "Whew, that was rougher than I expected, but I just slowed down when I had to and then picked up when I could." She truly enjoyed every step with little concern about where she ranked among the runners.  I have been mulling over her example since. Too often I worry about how my performance stacks up versus focusing on doing my best and making peace with that. Someday I hope to grow up to be like my daughter. This is the face of a girl who is content with herself. : ) 

"…Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…."  Hebrews 12:1