Joy in the Journey

Today was the Fort Ebey Kettles Half Marathon! Jason and I spent the night in Anacortes at Jason’s parents’ house last night and then drove over to Fort Ebey State Park this morning for the start. On the drive over, there was some light rain and we were prepared for a wet and muddy run, but we were pleasantly surprised to have a partly cloudy day with some gorgeous sun breaks.

Jason and I ran the race together and had a lot of fun together. I will say that I was the only one on the course with a costume and definitely the only one who ran the half marathon with a crown on the whole way!  A few people asked me what the occasion was, and I was delighted to share that I was running in honor of your 13^th birthday.  At the end of the race, one woman took a picture of us coming across the finish line and said that in her book I won the “sparkle award.”  Another runner told me that I should win the “fairy award”, and a spectator told me I was definitely the best dressed.

I know you don’t want to grow up, and my silly antics in running in a sparkly dress and crown today are proof that in some parts of life you don’t really have to!

As we ran through a very hilly course, the phrase that kept going through my mind in thinking about you and this next chapter of life for you was “joy in the journey.”  During the race, there were ups and downs, points where we needed to speed up and slow down, times that felt easy and times that felt uncomfortable….but all through the course, I was so grateful for a beautiful day to run and a healthy body to enjoy the miles.  We found so much joy along the way, and that is my prayer for you, Hannah, that you would find joy in the journey God has prepared for you.