So Run, That Ye May Obtain.

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."

This last week, with an equal dose of happiness and sadness, we watched Devin finish her high school cross country racing career. And what a career it has been - especially for parents who watched as the daily miles - year after year after year - accumulated; as the pile of warn and discarded running shoes continued to grow; as the commitment to excellence and perseverance became sharpened and focused.

There was something really special about watching a child push themselves. Even the struggles became moments when our joy was tightly connected to watching her conquer her own fears and her own sense of inadequacy.

It's certain that we will miss - and most likely long for - the anticipation of cool fall days watching a cherished daughter run that she may obtain.

Hey, Don't Tell Me I'm Not Going to Have a Great Christmas.

Ahh, the evening news. The network news. The Online news. The radio news. The any-where-and-everywhere-you-turn news. It's almost as if it's all ganging up on me as the there bearer of bad, bad tidings. And here I am, simply looking for tidings of great joy.

Here's the deal: Sure the economy is in a rough spot and the future isn't looking so bright. But does that mean my anticipation of great things to come needs to be tempered, beat up and put to bed without supper by a face on a screen or a few lines on my computer? I hardly think so.

Prognosticators are forecasting one bummer of a Christmas. Stores will be closing and merchandise will be left out of Santa's sleigh and sitting on shelves surrounded by desperate buy-me-now discount stickers. But who says the joy of Christmas is ultimately connected to some sort of consumer purchasing index? Call it naiveté, but didn't we learn a long time ago - Thank you Mr. Grinch - that Christmas doesn't come in a box, it comes from a babe in Bethlehem.

From all I hear outside my door, trouble is a-brewing. But when I shut the door and kneel with my family, all I feel is peace. And that's not such a bad thing, is it?