BOOK END

THIS WEEKEND'S EVENTS, FOR ME, WAS A PERFECT BOOK END TO THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS. AS YOU ALL KNOW BY NOW, JUST SEVEN MONTHS AGO I HAD BRAIN SURGERY (A CRANIOTOMY). I WOKE UP FROM SURGERY LATER THE NEXT DAY AND NOTICED I COULDN'T SEE THE HUGE CANVAS PICTURE OF MY KIDS THAT THEY PROMISED TO PUT AT THE END OF MY BED, SO THAT THEY WERE THE FIRST THING I SAW WHEN I WOKE UP. I WAS HALF BLIND, AND BEGAN TO PANIC. THEN, I OVERHEARD THE DR'S TELLING MY HUSBAND THAT ALTHOUGH THE SURGERY WAS A SUCCESS, IT HADN'T GONE EXACTLY AS PLANNED, SO THEY HAD TO GO BACK IN AND DO ANOTHER VASCULAR SURGERY (COILING) JUST 7 WEEKS LATER, AFTER I RECOVERED A BIT FROM THE CRANIOTOMY. WHAT A BLOW. IT'S BEEN QUITE A JOURNEY, AND THERE'VE BEEN SOME REALLY TOUGH MOMENTS. BUT, WE GRASP ON TO THE THINGS WE CAN, LIKE: THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT; THE DINNERS THAT WERE DELIVERED BY FRIENDS FROM ALL PARTS OF OUR LIVES FROM AUGUST 30 THROUGH DECEMBER 1; THE PRAYERS AND MESSAGES AND FLOWERS AND CARDS AND EMAILS AND CARINGBRIDGE SITE MESSAGES AND VISITS AND WALKS AND RIDES AND LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP AND DID I MENTION ALL THE PRAYERS??? THE BEST GIFT OF ALL, THE PRAYERS. WE TAKE THE GOOD WITH THE BAD, AND MUST FORCE OURSELVES (AT TIMES) TO MAKE A CHOICE: BE BETTER OR BE BITTER.

I CHOSE TO BE BETTER. I CHOSE TO SEE ALL THE BLESSINGS. I CHOSE TO BE GRATEFUL. AND, I CHOSE TO TAKE WHAT I COULD GET. I COULD RUN. I WAS ABLE TO RUN, AFTER 3 MONTHS OF RECOVERY. SO, I RAN.

NOW, I DON'T MEAN TO MAKE THIS SEEM EASY. IT WASN'T. IT RARELY IS. AND, I COULD NEVER HAVE HAD THE STRENGTH TO MAKE THIS DECISION ON MY OWN. IT WAS BC OF ALL THE PRAYERS AND LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP OF ALL OF YOU, MANY OF WHOM ARE COMPLETE STRANGERS, THAT GAVE ME STRENGTH.

IT WAS BC OF MARK KNUTSON. HE HAD CONFIDENCE IN ME, WHEN HE ASKED ME TO GIVE THE SPEECH DURING THE PASTA FEED LAST FRIDAY NIGHT. MARK BELIEVED IN ME, WELL BEFORE I THOUGHT I'D BE STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY OUT HIS REQUEST. MARK ASKED ME TO DO THIS MANY MONTHS AGO, BEFORE I HAD EVEN DECIDED TO DO THE MARATHON, ANY PART OF IT! MARK SAW IN ME SOMETHING I HADNT SEEN IN MYSELF AT THAT POINT. MARK HELPED GIVE ME HOPE AND TO BELIEVE IN MYSELF. HIS REQUEST WAS A GIFT, AND I AM GRATEFUL.

I WANT TO THANK EACH OF YOU FOR KEEPING TABS ON MY PROGRESS AND FOR CHECKING THIS BLOG. I AM GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS, YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR PATIENCE, AS YOU READ THROUGH SOME LONG ENTRIES. :)

I WANT TO CONGRATULATE ALL OF YOU ON YOUR PERSONAL VICTORIES LAST WEEKEND. AND, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP BEING KIND. IT'S A WONDERFUL GIFT. YOU'VE BEEN KIND TO ME, AND YOU NEVER KNOW HOW THAT KINDNESS WILL IMPACT ANOTHER PERSON.

YOUR KINDNESS HELPED ME REACH THAT FINISH LINE. I PROMISE YOU, IT GOT ME THERE THROUGH SOME VERY TOUGH MILES AND SOME SEVERE LEG CRAMPING, STARTING AT MILE 10!!! YIKES. BUT, I THOUGHT OF OUR COMMUNITY AND SOME OF THE STRANGERS WHO I'VE MET AND SPOKEN TO THIS PAST WEEKEND AT THE EXPO OR THE PASTA DINNER ON FRIDAY NIGHT. YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND KINDNESS RANG THROUGH MY HEAD THROUGHOUT THE 24 MILES (I WAS DELERIOUS AFTER MILE 24 AND VERY WEEPY, SO I'D BE LYING IF SAID I REMEMBER WHAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT THEN!!!).

MY SISTER-IN-LAW HAS A SIGN IN HER HOUSE THAT READS, "BECAUSE NICE MATTERS..." IT DOES, AND YOU ARE. I AM HUMBLED BY THE OVERWHELMING COVERAGE AND SUPPORT I'VE RECIEVED THROUGHOUT THIS JOURNEY. I AM GRATEFUL, TOO. AND, BLESSED.

THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF MY STORY, AND FOR SHARING YOURS. NOW, WHAT BETTER WAY TO BOOK END THIS LAST SEVEN MONTHS....

WITH LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP AND THANKSGIVING,
KATHLEEN

HARPER'S FIRST RACE!

THIS IS HER PICTURE FACE! WHEN SHE SEES A CAMERA, SHE BREAKS OUT THE SMILES. :) APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE, I'M AFRAID. IT'S IN HER DNA. HOPEFULLY, I LOOK AS HAPPY PULLING INTO THE DOME TOMORROW AFTERNOON.

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY...MUST GO PREPARE FOR TONIGHT. THIS IS JUST NUTS. HOPE I'M NOT DEHYDRATED TOMORROW BC OF ALL THE TEARS I'VE SHED THIS WEEK. PEOPLE ARE STOPPING ME IN TARGET AND WISHING ME LUCK WITH ALL SORTS OF BEAUTIFUL KIND WORDS. IT'S A BIT OVERWHELMING. OURS IS A SPECIAL COMMUNITY. THANK YOU...

BRING YOUR OWN STORIES TO THE LINE-UP TOMORROW. EVERYONE'S STORY MATTERS AND THEY'LL GET YOU TO VICTORY.

WE ARE BLESSED. I LOVE FARGO!

KATHLEEN

CONGRATULATIONS, KIDS!

THE KIDS RACE WAS SUPER! WELL ORGANIZED. FUN. FLAT. FRIENDLY. ALL THE ADJECTIVES MARK AND HIS TEAM BOAST ABOUT!

ALL THREE OF OUR KIDS AND MY NIECE AND NEPHEW COMPETED. YES, EVEN HARPER (WHO IS ONLY TWO) RAN HER FIRST RACE. AND...SHE DIDN'T WEAR HER PRINCESS SHOES.

MANY PARENTS I TALKED TO MENTIONED THE WAIT, BUT ONLY IN PASSING. THEY WEREN'T COMPLAINING. WE TALKED ABOUT THE DETAILS THAT GO IN TO PLANNING SUCH AN EVENT WITH SO MANY CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT AGES AND THE SAFETY REASONS BEHIND SOME OF THE STRICT RULES. THEY WANT OUR KIDS TO HAVE A FUN EXPERIENCE, WHILE KEEPING THEM SAFE AND PROTECTED.

EVERYONE WAS HAPPY. EVERYONE WAS IN THE SPIRIT! ALL HAD A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!

THANK YOU MARK AND TEAM! YOU'RE REALLY PHENOMENAL!

KATHLEEN

KIDS' RACE

GOOD LUCK, KIDDOS! OUR 9, 7 1/2 AND EVEN THE 2 YEAR OLD ARE RUNNING TONIGHT...HOPEFULLY WITHOUT HER PRINCESS SHOES.

HAVE A NICE RUN!

MARATHON T-SHIRT FINISHED! THANKS, SHIRT SHOP...GREAT JOB!