Twenty Questions

See this shirt?

Wanna know why it's hanging over my shower?
Because it's soaking wet.

And why there is a number pinned on it?
Because this morning, for the very first time in my 40-something-year-old life, I ran in a race!

Can you tell I'm proud of myself?
*smile*

So, why is it wet?
Because it rained this morning. The entire time I was out there. Buckets and buckets of rain.

And how did you do in this very wet race?
Well, now, let's see. I ran a little bit. I walked most of it. But I came in under 40 minutes.

Is that a good time for someone of your age and stature?
I have no idea.

So who else ran?
Everyone in my family ran. Even Maggie--it was her first 5K too.

And how did they all do?
They all beat me.

Even Maggie?
Yes, even Maggie who did an amazing job of sticking with her dad. He said she didn't complain once.

Where was this race held?
This is one of the reasons I wanted to do this race, because it wove through my neighborhood, starting and ending at our church.

How many people ran?
I'm not sure, but over 400 people, since, as you can tell from the picture above, I was "runner" (and I use that term VEEERRYY loosely) 399.

Did you see anything interesting along the race route?
Just a lot of umbrellas. And my daughter's history teacher (which really kind of embarrassed me as I strolled past him since he's the high school cross country coach).

Was this some kind of fundraiser?
Yes, it was.

And what did the funds go to?
I'm so glad I asked! The money that was made off of this race goes to a wonderful ministry within our church called the STARS ministry.

What is the STARS ministry?
It's a ministry to disabled people. It's so great because they provide all kinds of programs for mentally and physically handicapped people and their families. They even provide a summer camp experience for many of the STARS participants.

That's cool. Why do you like supporting that particular ministry?
Because every time I see one of our STARS worshipping at church, singing songs, and clapping their hands with a huge smile on their face, I think that I get just a glimpse of Heaven. I just know that Heaven will be filled with all these beautiful people who know God, understand their own need for salvation, and believe in Jesus. It's a beautiful thing.

Really? You think they can know Jesus?
Absolutely. I've seen it. I've heard their testimony with my own ears. They know God's love and forgiveness just as much as I do.

What about church? Don't they ever interrupt the service?
Oh, sometimes it gets a little crazy or loud, but it's something we've all come to expect and to appreciate. You just never know what's going to happen. Wouldn't the world just be boring if everyone were "normal"?

Oops! I guess that was question number 20. A rhetorical one, but a good one, I think.

All I have to say about this morning is that even though it rained, even though I didn't run even half of the race, and even though I froze my sweet patooty off being drenched from head to toe, it was worth every minute to see the smiles on the faces of the STARS participants. They were so excited to hand out medals to the winners and to high five anyone who would high five them back.

The sun didn't shine outside this morning, but it sure shone in the faces of the STARS.