Temples

Change.

At this beginning of this year, I felt the Spirit whispering to me that things were about to change.
It did not specify WHAT.
But the feeling persisted and persists. A whisper, "Things are going to change. So cherish what is."

And I've wondered and watched.
Will it be a new calling?
Will it be a new baby?
Will it be a new house?
A new job?
.....

On Thursday I got a call from my kid's school. About 15 minutes after school got out and only minutes before the bus was supposed to drop them off. I looked at the caller ID and thought "Huh?"

A frantic secretary. Something is wrong with your son. We don't know what . He isn't responding. You'd better come.

So I yanked the wee munchkin out of a blissful, deep sleep, dragged Thing 3 away from her promised half hour of TV, and drove as fast as I could to the school.  My daughter's teacher was waiting at the front door to grab my other kids. My son was in the nurse's office. Eyes open, but no one was home. A vacant stare.

The teachers and principals start telling me what they saw--it sounds like a seizure. Boy starts coming around. He cocks an eyebrow at me. He doesn't remember what happened or how he got where he is. At the pediatrician they go from unconcerned to more concerned. It isn't a fever or dehydration or low blood sugar or an inner ear infection.

We have an EEG tomorrow. They want to look at some scary things. Little pieces of a puzzle, coming into place. And I wonder to myself "Is this it? Is this what you're trying to tell me?"

I still don't know.
Sometimes, that is ok.
And sometimes, I am afraid to find out.

Today...

5K (or "Just keep swimming...")

Today was my first ever 5K race.
I started training at the beginning of August for this run, and even though I've run the same distance (or more) several times, today felt big.

My goal was to run the whole race, without stopping to walk even once.

As I lined up at the start line, I looked around at this gigantic crowd wearing white t-shirts, tu-tus, and feather boas. Some had sinewy such runner's legs, and some looked... more like me. I felt just like I do before I go down a big waterslide... only this one was 3.3 miles long. And then the doubts, oh, the doubts! I hadn't trained enough for hills. I didn't run enough this week. It was bitterly cold, so my knees hurt, even with braces on. I felt a bit like an imposter: a walker, pretending to be a runner.

We counted down, and we went.
Down, down, down a hill. Then up, oh, up and up and up. It felt brutal.
But the kilometers came and went. I earned each color, all the way to the balloons at the Finish Line.

And I didn't walk once.

Celebrate.

Via.

For my 33rd birthday, I celebrated by...

1. Putting a candy bar and a note in my mailbox for the mail lady.
2. Paying for the next car in line in the McDonalds drive thru.
3. Taking treats to the child-care center at the YMCA. (They are so good to my little ones.)
4. Giving a treat to my personal trainer. (Irony.)
5. Canvassing to get out the vote.
6. Putting away stray carts at Walmart.
7. Bought a gift card at Walmart and turned around and handed it to the lady behind me.
8. Volunteering for lunch duty with my daughter's class.
9. Giving a treat and a note to each of my kid's teachers.
10. Muffins to the poll workers at my local Early Voting station.
11. I voted.
12. Chips and salsa to our local volunteer fire department.
13. Treats to my OB/GYN and his office.
14. Treats to the nurses in labor and delivery. (They do such a great job.)
15. A balloon and a smoothie to a random brand new mom on the L&D floor.
16. Tape quarters to vending machines.
17. Treats to the ER nurses. (We've been there...2? 3? times this year?)
18. Drop off cookies and juices at Bright Blessings, a great organization here that hosts birthday parties for homeless children.
19. Drop treats off to my favorite librarians.
20. Have lunch at a small, local cafe that is struggling to stay in business.
21. Take treats to a good friend who is going through a rough patch.
22. Drop donut holes off at the sheriff station.
23. Play checkers with my son. (Yes. That counts as a service. I don't do games. *grin*)
24. Sing extra songs to all my kids.
25. Make 75 baggies of caramel corn for our ward's trunk or treat.
26. Scatter lucky pennies.
27. Pick up garbage.
28. Take bags of toys and clothes to Goodwill.
29. Watch neighbor's kids to help them out.
30. Take someone dinner.
31. Make cookies for neighbors.
32. Rub my sweetheart's feet.
33. Give to humanitarian aid.

I am exhausted. Next year, I would definitely spread it over several days, but it was a FANTASTIC birthday...

33.

From Pinterest.

Tomorrow is my 33rd birthday.

To celebrate, I'm planning The Grand Day of 33 Nice Things--a whole day of service projects. (I was inspired by this.) Today I am getting ready--making my list, calling ahead, baking and prepping. It is going to be great.

Won't you join me in celebrating? Do something out of the ordinary tomorrow for someone else. I'd love to hear about it.

3.3 Miles (or 5K)

Image credit here.

3.3 Miles, people.

That is 5K.

I did it.

And yes, I cried.