Legacy

Today was pretty intense. I attended a funeral of a wonderful YOUNG woman who battled human's great enemy known as cancer for the past 10 months. She was a good friend to my brother, and though I originally attended to support him, I left feeling like she would have wanted me there.

Funerals always have a way of helping you put things in perspective, but this one hit me in a special way. I am lucky that I have not attended many in my life. I haven't struggled much with the loss of someone close to me. Her service made me especially grateful for that. It also made me start thinking about how I'm living my life. I think that was one message she particularly wanted to get out there. Hers is a message of hope and of life and of love.

They told a story about how she deliberately but somewhat subconsciously would reach out to those a few steps outside of the group to make them feel welcome and at ease. I think this is a great way to be remembered. It made me wonder, "How will people remember me?"

The service was at the biggest church in town, which easily seats 3,000 people. You walk in and think you might have mistakenly entered the Sprint Center. The place was probably half full - which is a complete testament to how wonderful this woman was and how she touched so many lives in so many ways. It made me wonder, "How many lives have and I will I affect for the better?"

The pastor spoke of her courage, her optimism, her hope. How she loved her family and prayed for them in her last days that God would make things easier for them. Her husband's message of continuing her life through our own lives hit me. "You can love your life. You can look at each day as a gift and make the most of it. You can smile more, and frown less. You can Love. " It made me wonder, "How can I adjust my lifestyle in order to create more happiness, more hope and more love?"

I know these thoughts don't directly relate to triathlon or my journey to Ironman, but in a way they do. This is going to be a year of self-discovery, a year of pushing myself to the limits, learning about what makes me tick, and finding the legacy I want to leave. I in no way mean to trivialize the loss of such a great woman and wonderful person, but I think she would be happy to know that she is making a difference even after she's gone. I'll think about her and her battle as I fight the hill on Old Sauk Road in September and ask for a little push and to borrow a bit of her courage.