Merry Christmas
As we reflect on the past year, it was a time of
loss, a time of change, and a time of gain. We had to say good-bye to our dear Aunt
Tootsy and our beloved Midnight. We also witnessed the senseless bombings at the
Boston Marathon which I was close enough to hear. In September it was wonderful
to see our great cousins and Uncle Howie at Aunt Tootsy’s memorial in Auburn.
In November it was so touching to see the outpouring of love from Midnight’s
friends in the neighborhood. And back in April there was a tremendous response
from the Fresno running community in support of the people of Boston. I was
asked to speak at a number of functions regarding my perspective on what had happened
in what was my 15th Boston Marathon.
I
coached 2 marathon teams this year adding one for the local running store (SRC)
as well as one for Team in Training. The season was extra special because I met
my girl friend, Jodi Nili, and coached her for her first marathon. She and I had
a lot of fun going to a Fresno Grizzlies’ baseball game, hiking in Sequoia and
Yosemite, going to a Cal football game, and visiting Mom and Bill in Calistoga.
I also got my picture taken with the Giants’ 2 World Series trophies from 2010
and 2012 when they came to Reedley. The FSU Bulldogs’ 11-1, conference
champion, and bowl-bound football team provided a lot of excitement this year,
too.
My
running this year suffered greatly from the dislocated and fractured shoulder I
experienced skiing in December 2012. I did join some of my Westmont buddies at
Big Sky, MT for some skiing in February, but spent 6 months of 2013 doing
shoulder and hamstring rehab. I ran only
5 marathons this year including one in South Carolina where I got to
spend a week with Becki and Bob McKee. I ran 2 more marathons in Canada
(Winnipeg, MB and New Brunswick) and did qualify for Boston 2015 at CIM in
Sacramento in December. My two cats Boston and CIM (named after my two favorite
marathons) continue to be such attentive and affectionate buddies. After
running CIM, I did get on TV to talk about Boston and CIM (the marathons), but
the clip didn’t include the part about the cats being named for the marathons: http://fox40.com/2013/12/08/runners-brave-freezing-temps-in-cim/
An
extra special week was the one I spent in August with Brad Towers and his
family at Newport Beach. Brad and I went to an Angels game and to Disneyland
with his nieces and acted like kids again. This year I have also been teaching
Bible classes and developing a computer-based library at “Rescue the Children”
which provides Christian homes and training for women and their children. It is
such a blessing to work with these ladies. And that brings us back to thanking
the Lord for being with us through all our gains and losses this year, and to wishing
you all the Lord’s blessings in 2014.
Have a great
New Year,
John
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