Run to Live

Tonight’s run was a hard, but necessary, one. The weight of my thoughts was literally weighing me down.

I tell my sister she saved my life by getting me into running and I’m serious. With the birth of my 4th child and all the responsibilities that come along with it, I’m feeling I need to step up my game. In spirit, chasing the extraordinary is challenging but energizing. In the flesh, chasing the extraordinary is hard and it causes stress. This is where running comes in.

When I run I can literally feel my stress levels moving from my feet up to the top of my head. Somewhere in the middle of my run the desire to quit is overwhelming. But I can't quit because soon after I push beyond that point, my stress rushes out of the top of my head and into the air. What’s left is a refreshed and rebalanced me.

With this renewal I’m ready to take on the challenges of life again. And when I feel overwhelmed I go for another run. Assuming I go running every other day, my stress levels stay at the optimal level needed for creativity and productivity.

Tonight’s lesson is to never fear dying while running on a treadmill (or in life).

Will Smith has something interesting to say about this lesson.

Amazing Grace Arianna

Do you believe in miracles? What if I told you I saw one today with my own eyes? What if I told you I watched an angel open her eyes for the first time ever and in them I saw God? Would you believe in miracles then?

Today my daughter Grace Arianna was born and words cannot begin to explain the beauty of it all. I have been waiting for her all my life. I think even before I was born into this world I knew her. As I gazed into her beautiful eyes I saw something wonderful. I saw me through her eyes. In her eyes I am me in my purest form because she knows me no other way. That’s why I believe I saw God in her eyes. Because that’s how God sees me… and you.

You see, life is really not that complicated. We are born into this world pure and free. Over time that pureness and freedom is tainted and challenged. But no matter what we do or what happens to us, God sees us as we were the day we were born. Remembering this truth frees us from the self-imposed prisons we construct in our hearts and minds.

As I look at my beautiful daughter and children I can’t help but wonder if I'm fit to be their parent. But you know what? I think I am. Not because I know anything special or because I am perfect, but instead because I know where they came from and why they are here. They were born into my care so that I might love them as God loves me – without condition. God placed dreams in their hearts that I will help them discover and follow. Not a day will go by that I don’t tell them I love and believe in them. Not a day will go by that I don’t tell them they are a gift to the world and the world is a gift to them.

Through my children I am reborn. Through them I remember who and what I really am - a child of God who has known suffering but in the end awoken to the truth of life.

Grace Arianna, I love you with a love that is inexplicable. Thank you for choosing me to be your daddy. Thank you God for this gift.

Tonight’s lesson? Life is amazing. You are amazing. Let God's grace fill your heart with this truth. You will be amazed at what happens next.

Bring Out the Fire

I stood to face the horizon
The future a big unknown
The past a windblown memory
The journey must continue...

I awoke to a new sun
One that shone a different perspective
Its glow let me see again
The journey must continue...

The struggles, the pain
It consumes my being
Endure, drive forward
The journey must continue...

Days and nights trapped in photos
Moments too many to carry
Embrace it, love it
The journey must continue...

A new horizon
One without a beginning or an end
This is the meaning of life
The journey is eternal...

The lesson? Live the journey. "If you want more... bring out the fire..."

Here is a song to inspire this lesson.

Family Man

Sometimes I wonder what the meaning of my life is. Why was I born into this world? What exactly am I to do with my life? What’s going to happen to me when I die? Am I on the right track? Why I do I wonder so much.

I think it’s because I have always been curious. My dad reminded me of this tonight as he recounted memories I had long since forgotten. Beautiful memories that I am grateful he still holds on to.

The answers to the questions above are simple. So simple they are sometimes difficult to accept. I, you, we are the meaning of life. God made us simply to be us. We are born into this world to realize that truth. When we die our bodies fade into the earth and our spirits reunite with God. Am I on the right track is not the right question. The real question is have I awoken to my journey? The answer is yes when you stop living for the destination and start living in the moment. The reason we wonder is because wondering is one of our greatest God given gifts. Wonder is what’s needed to bring this world in alignment with God’s original intent for it.

Tonight’s lesson is to remember and embrace that which makes life beautiful for you. For me it’s my family. There is nothing I would rather be than a family man right now.

This song and movie remind me of this.

Written in the Stars

I think I finally understood something tonight. Life’s struggles are needed to prepare us for the afterlife. Through life’s struggles our mind, body, spirit, and emotions are strengthened and refined. The more theses parts of our being are strengthened and refined, the closer we come to knowing God’s purpose for us. I believe our ultimate purpose is to love and be loved by God. And we are to share this love with others to include the non-human world.

This thought came to me after a long run on my treadmill. I had pushed myself to a point where I thought I had no more to give. Then something inside of me said, “Keep at it and incline the track as high as it will go.” That’s were my exhaustion turned to pain. It’s also where I discovered struggle is needed if you are to grow. In my case I want to run farther and farther. I want to run to my life and never stop.

Tonight’s lesson was inspired by my dad who reminded me that no matter what life throws at you, you always have the choice to choose your response and attitude. Keep a positive spirit and one day your name will be written in the stars. I love you dad for inspiring me with this truth.

Here’s a song to inspire this lesson. “Ohhh, written in the stars… I'm on my way...”

Power from Within

I run to be free. Free from the thoughts that hold me down. Free from the emotions that blur my vision. Free from the rage that will consume me if I don’t first burn it out.

I run to lose my mind. To forget who and what I am. To forget where I am or where I came from. To finally remember I am me. Just me. No more. No less.

I run because of love. Love for my wife and children. They deserve the best of me. A balanced and peaceful man is what they get when I run.

I run because God created me to do it. When I run, stillness overtakes me. In those moments I intensly feel His presence. God is always there, but when I run I lose myself in the moment with Him.

Running, or anything that seriously gets you out of your comfort zone, is good for you. It brings you into balance by aligning you mind, body, spirit and emotions. This is tonight’s lesson.

Here are some videos that resonate with this lesson. I love this song and running on the beach.