sheri carlstrom...slices of an ordinary life

First Ever 5K

Zach was the one to say that he and Erin should run in the 5K that he saw  advertised.  Hmmmmm....thought this mom, that sounds like a great experience for them to have together. Then I realized it was a weekend Courtney would be home from college. So I threw the idea of joining them out to her. I looked at the brochure again; 10K or 5K Run/Walk. Hmmmmm....I could certainly "run" part of a 5K and walk part of it.

So I registered all of us for our first ever 5K. Zach in all his ambition wanted to run the 10K. I suggested that since he had never even run a 5K, he should run that instead. (Way to speak belief into him!!)  The three older kids started together - with Zach high stepping, running backwards, talking, falling back and then sprinting the whole way. (Note to self:  he could have done the 10K)

Kevin and I alternated jogging and walking, with Kyler hanging with us. (Kevin was gracious to be at my side as he could have finished much ahead of me!) It was a fun experience; the energy of the people was engaging, there were even a few people along the course cheering. I didn't care at all how I finished, I just thought it was fun to be a part of it.

They were posting results as quickly as people were finishing the race; at the point where we last checked, I had finished 8th out of 9th in my age group  (with more people still  to come in) and had a 13.87 mile time (hey, you gotta start somewhere). Since I'm not really very competitive, I was surprised that I immediately was thinking, I should do this again and work to beat my time! In the end, Erin came in 1st in her age group and Zach is now looking at a 10K!

I'm not sure everyone initially thought it was such a great idea to spend our family entertainment budget on registration fees for the race, but in the end I think we would all agree it was a good and fun family experience. Right kids?

with a 13.87 time and

Running in the Right Direction

 
Cross Country - a sport new to our family this season because of Erin. In sixth and seventh grades she ran the 800 meter in track so that she could run in meets (she wasn't fast enough in the shorter distances), but by her own admission running long distance was not her thing. So imagine my surprise when she chose to join the cross country team this, her 8th grade, year. She ran with the team all summer, displaying a motivation and work ethic that I admired in the early mornings that were sometimes hot and humid.

Her goal the whole season was to improve her time, if even by a few seconds. She did that. At one meet she shaved 30 seconds off of her time, I asked how she did that and she replied that she ran the whole way. Apparently she had been walking some segments of the race, but this time she had run the whole course. Serioulsy, I am so proud of her. Today, at her last meet, she set a new time goal and she met it - to the second!

The way Erin looks at things is inspiring. She wants to be involved, she wants to work to be better, she wants to learn new things. She sets goals, she meets goals, she sets new goals, she is encouraging to others. I'm glad Erin is my daughter, her presence is uplifting and her efforts are inspiring. Good job, baby girl.

Go Team!

OK, so I know I'm a woman and maybe don't understand sports and sports teams in the way that some men and boys do, (and some women) so feel free to comment and enlighten me on what I am about to tackle.

We happen to be from Minnesota, and as the Vikings made it further and further through the season, my household was excited and happy. In the big game that determined who would go to the Super Bowl, our team lost. It was frustrating and disappointing. But what I heard our youngest son say the next morning made me personally frustrated and disappointed.

"The Vikings lost last night. I was going to wear my Vikings jersey to school if they won, but now I'm not, because I'm ashamed of them."

I just looked at him, and then finally said, "How can you be ashamed of a team that made it to the final play-off game?"

If we only stand with our teams when they win, then I'm glad I'm not a team. I lose a lot, and quite honestly, I need someone wearing my jersey when I've lost...much more so than when I'm winning.

It made me wonder about the message being sent, in school, in our offices, in our homes. If your team wins, wear their jersey, if they lose, don't; in fact, feel free to make disparaging remarks about them. How does this translate to our kids and their spot on their sports teams? When their team wins or they make the perfect basket, or catch, we celebrate with them. And when they lose, miss the pass, drop of the ball, we let them know we are still proud of them, but I wonder...do they believe us?

If my son gets pinned in wrestling in the first round and I tell him it looked like he did his best, does he believe me? Maybe so, and I'm just being sensitive. Its just that I have been wondering how we are silently impacting our kids with how, and when, we do, and do not, support our teams.

Feedback?

Going Down

While at the ball field the other evening (in the rain) watching my daughter play softball, I heard the crowd from the field behind us make that collective "Ohhhhh" sound that makes you turn your head to see what happened. I watched as the teen ump turned and grabbed the fence behind her, dads ran to her and they held her as she started to slump to the ground. Adults were everywhere, someone got something for under her head, someone ran for ice, someone was on the phone, a blanket was put on her, an umbrella was held over her, a mom kneeled next to her. Within minutes an ambulance had arrived and she was off. Apparently she had been hit in the face with a foul ball.

The thing I thought about after she had left the field was how instantly and how well these strangers had taken care of her. It didn't appear that anyone knew her personally, but the tender and immediate care was what you would hope for if your child was hurt and you were not near.

When we care for strangers like that, it touches my heart. As we go about our busy days, its not uncommon to not even acknowledge the person we pass on a walk, in the parking lot, or at the ball field. But the thing that struck me was when this girl (stranger) went down, there "we" were; at her side, giving aid.

Sometimes we are going down but no one sees it because the hit we take isn't to the face. When the pain or brokenness is within, it makes it easier to hide and harder to see. We just don't know that you need someone to hold the umbrella, to put something soft beneath your head, to kneel at your side.

Caring for each other, especially in the body of Christ, is what we are to do. You would think in the church this is something that would come somewhat easier. Sometimes, for a myriad of reasons, I think this is not true. But I believe as surely as these strangers ran to the side of this girl, we would surly run to each other if the pain, or need, was known. I don't know about you, but sometimes its hard for me to admit that I could use someone kneeling at my side, but if we are the body, we can trust each other to run for ice.

Luke 10:34