Sunday, February 14, 2010

Dad.


It wasn't a date.

I had thought it would be,

But there was another girl there.


"He" didn't know,

Just stuck in an awkward place.


"No worries," I told myself

"Just have fun."


The Sweetheart 5k,

My first official race.


After a little bit of awkwardness,

And reassuring kindness

We were ready to go,

All three of us,

Ready to run 3.2 miles.



I turned my iPod to Kelly

And we were off at a steady pace.

"I'm doing it," I thought

And I pushed on, determinedly.


Almost a mile

"He" and "She" passed,

Left me in the dust,

Leaving me to run the Sweetheart


By myself.


"I'll catch up," I told myself,

But my side ached and I got slower.

Off they ran together.


"You belong with me-ee-ee,"

Taylor Swift taunted from my iPod.


I changed the song,

Kept running.



Past mile 2,

I needed a break.

Physically and emotionally drained,


I walked.


Quickly. But pathetically.

The rain washed over my face

As if daring me to cry.

I almost did,

But someone honked,



Dad.



He beamed encouragingly

And gave me a thumbs up.

I ran again,

Filled with a renewed strength,


Love.


Almost done,

I could feel the end getting close,

But how close?

Again, my legs turned to jello

And my breathing got tighter in my chest.

I wanted to turn down the street and run home,

Kind of.

I looked up ahead and smiled



Dad.



Waiting for me,

I ran faster.

He high-fived me as I passed,

"You're doing great! Keep going!"

I smiled and breathed in real deep.

Turning my head as I ran, I called back,

"Thanks. I love you."


He jumped back in the truck

And rode beside me,

Keeping my pace.

As I rounded the corner

He rolled down the window,

"You're almost there.

The end is close,

...Sprint!"

And with childlike trust


I sprinted.


I pushed to the finish.


I was done!


Did it feel good?

Honestly? I wanted to throw up,

But I was proud of myself!


I found "He" and "She"

Eating oranges

Holding there numbers:

80-somethings.


I took an orange

And began to munch on it.

Someone came up behind me

Hugged me,

Twirled me,



Dad.



"You did it!" he exclaimed proudly.

I showed him my number disappointedly

151.

He laughed. And I laughed.

He knew I could do better,

But he didn't care.

He loved me no matter what.



I keep running.

I still get exhausted.

I want to give-up,

And then there's a voice,



Heavenly Father.



"You can do it!"

"Keep going!"

You're almost there!"

"I love you!"


My strength is renewed

And I run again.

He doesn't care what number I come in

Or that I slowed down a couple of times,

He loves me no matter what.



I'll keep running.

I'll make it to the end,

Because of Him.

For Him.



Dad.




12 comments:

Leon said...

This is my favorite post so far, Lindsay. Thank you for sharing. Maybe one day I'll be able to write beautiful things like you do! :)

Dayna said...

This is so sweet. I love it, and I love you!

Anonymous said...

wow-- what an awesome post.

you have the gift of writing :)

Jessica Leigh said...

Beautiful! And so true. He doesn't care what number we are -- as long as we keep going and make it through the race :)

Thanks for sharing! Love you!

Kim said...

I teared up reading this, what a beautiful heart you have!

tscotriverside said...

I'm sorry that the 5k didn't turn out quite the way you might have liked it to...

With that said, I never cease to be amazed at your ability to take an 'aw'ful/'aw'kward situation and turn it into something 'awe'some by putting a spiritual twist on it.

Thanks for sharing...

TheCoys said...

This is great Lindsay. I'm so proud of you for finishing and doing so well! And yes, I agree with all the other comments that you're a wonderful writter. You have a beautiful outlook on life.

Anonymous said...

That was simply beautiful! And so true.

I'm proud of you, too, for finishing!

lovinlife said...

That was beautiful, Linds. :) I really like the imagery of our Heavenly Father and Earthly Father.

Love you!

andrea said...

Lindsay, so recently I've been stalking your blog. This post made me cry. Love it. Keep up the good work.
love,
andrea hymas

Jojo and Coco said...

My Goodness, Lindsay! You are so talented. I am glad you are so in tune to receive something like that! You will bless many lives :)

Vicki Hess said...

You know how much I love this blog entry. As you know, it's what I turn to to share with people who don't have the privilege of knowing you, but whom I want to have a really good idea of who you are. I'm so glad you were sent to our home. I love you!!!!
Mom