monday inspiration - THE BIG BANG!

{cj  and brad}

i want to share with you some inspiration this week.  the blogosphere is always bursting with life and energy and amazing stories.  but sometimes you need look no further than your own backyard for remarkable people.

once a neighbor poked her head in the back door and commented, "do you know your husband runs every day while you are at work?"  {i know, right?  small town...}  as if i had something to be worried about.  that man of mine was sneaking around behind my back.  running.  dear me.

so let's talk about that for a minute.  in the early days of our marriage i used to beg him to run with me.  his response: "only when chased."  and then something happened that changed our lives.  changed the lives of so many of our friends and family.  and in the end it has pushed my husband to live the kind of healthy lifestyle that often leaves me in awe.

in 2007 our friends cj, jen and jackie lost their father, carl, after a very brief battle with lymphoma.  i remember talking to cj on the phone days before the end and encouraging him that there was no way this was going to take his dad.  carl was a fighter.  he was larger than life in my mind.  more commonly referred to as THE BIG BANG!  in reality, cancer doesn't take into account the magnitude of its victim.  it doesn't refer to the owner's manual about life's work, goodness of heart, or plans for the future.  it doesn't ask about the widow who will be left behind or the children or the grand children.  it is so selfish that way.

cancer arranged for carl's abrupt departure.  but he was the big bang.  and he didn't go quietly.  he left part of himself in those children and his spirit with his wife and beloved friends.  and shortly after he left us, brad and cj started on a mission.  raising nearly $10,000 in the first year, they joined team in training the fundraising arm for the leukemia and lymphoma society.  brad bought a road bike.  and those boys found themselves training for a 100 mile bike ride around lake tahoe.

they finished the race.  it was terribly inspiring.  we stood just before one of the check points, my little boys cheering for every single person that rode by in a purple shirt.  often i found myself crying.  that these men and women put themselves on this grueling bicycle route.  that they pushed themselves through crazy pain for hours and hours.  all united in the belief that cancer shouldn't have the right to choose its victim.  not one more person should suffer the way our friend did.  not one more family member should be left behind.

now, four years later brad and cj have raised around $20,000 to fight cancer.  they have participated in the century ride around lake tahoe, a triathalon, a half-marathon and in less than a month will run their hearts out at the rock & roll marathon in san diego.  they are not about to be silenced by carl's death.  they will shout in the face of cancer every step of the way.  and they honor him.  they honor his memory. 

but listen.  i would have been disappointed if that nosy neighbor came over and told me, "the whole time you are at work brad is doing yard work."  disappointed because we know too many people who are struggling, fighting, surviving this ambitious disease.  and i love that he runs and trains and takes seriously his mission against cancer.  not in a quiet way.  but in an active, healthy, fight. 

brad and cj are carried across the finish line on angel's wings.  with the stories of survivors and fighters pushing them along.  and this entire week i want to focus on their mission.  support my husband.  support carl's wife barbara, cj, jen, jackie {and family}.  to honor carl.  to celebrate in the victories of some and scream hope into the lives of those who are still fighting. 

please share.  please comment.  send your encouragement.  tell your story.  give these boys something to fight for!  tomorrow i am going to introduce you to amy.  you do not want to miss what she has to say.  inspiration through and through.