March 27th 2011

The year 2000 was a big year for me. This year that marked my second decade of life brought along two major surgeries – one to remove cancer and one to rebuild my jaw. Following the one surgery was radioactive therapy and the second was 2+ months of liquid diet from having my jaw wired shut.

Sure, not fun times, but my family was AWESOME! They were with me and literally beside me the whole way. Not to mention that God truly poured out His grace on me to see me through. Funny thing is that one of the most vivid memories I have from that time is how frustrated I was that I was so winded and wiped out just from walking short distances.  My attitude was, ok, surgery and treatments are over – now it’s time to be all better! And when that didn’t happen straight away, well, that was hard.

So, this one day, when I was walking around the lake but was forced to sit down on the curb because, after about 15 yards, I’d gotten so dizzy and breathless, I determined that I was going to be able to run around the entire lake without stopping. It was a spur of the moment determination because I’d never been a runner, only playing soccer in high school, but in that moment, that was the goal I felt that if I could do that, than I would count myself all better. And so it began…

And this past March 27^th, 2011 marks my 5^th mini marathon!!!! Oh yeah! If that’s not a testimony to God’s strength and faithfulness I don’t know what is. Like Eric Liddell said, “When I run, I feel His pleasure”. Now comparing Eric running and Amanda running is like comparing a sycamore to a forget-me-not, but I imagine the resulting God given pleasure is much the same J  

I Cor. 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.