Reasons to Believe
You may have noticed I've been AWOL (I hope you have anyway...) To put it mildly, waters in the Fishbowl are all churned up. I've drafted several posts in response to increasing, and increasingly, hateful, needless acts of violence & our political situation, but haven't published them. Why? As I was recently reminded:
The only way to vanquish hate is with positive energy, light and love.
A recent note from my friend author, Ellen Yeomans, filled me with hope and admiration. In short, did what I want to do and encourage in The Fishbowl: it Inspired me. My hope is it will inspire you too.
And if you are inspired to lend your support, Here's the TCS NYC Marathon Link:
“Dear Ones,
It’s true. I’ve taken a big step and registered for the New York City Marathon. To RUN. Figured I’d better make that last bit clear. Most of my friends and family will be scratching their heads by now and calling out to their significants, “Honey, did we know Ellen ran?”… “Ellen, who?”
Yeah. I know, surprising. But, people, I’m more than just Carhartt’s and pretty dresses. I have actual “workout gear” and running shoes. I even have an ipod playlist entitled “Running”—that’s how serious all this is. I’ve been running a long time now. Well, okay, I’ve been running since the end of December. Some have asked me how I was able to qualify for this marathon. Look, I’m NOT qualified, just rather determined. And if you have more determination than actual experience you can sign up to run through one of many great charities that have open spots. And that is how I’ve come to all this running business.
One of my incredible editors, Alvina Ling, lost her beloved young husband, Greg, to cancer on Christmas day. Their story is here:
goo.gl/OOSLcP . Alvina edited my novel, RUBBER HOUSES, which deals with a family navigating life after the devastating loss of the youngest child to cancer. So Alvina and I together have dealt with cancer both literally and literarily. Alvina resolved to run the marathon in Greg’s memory and asked if anyone would join her. I pulled a pair of sneakers from my closet, went outside, ran three miles, and decided I would.
And yes, 26.2 miles is a long way to go on foot. But some journeys loom larger still. The twice daily, six tenths of a mile I walked—and sometimes ran—from the Ronald McDonald House where I lived to Boston Children’s Hospital where my daughter, Paige, was a patient remains one of the longer journeys I’ve ever taken. It took forever to get there early each morning to see for myself how Paige was doing. The return trip to my room late each night seemed never-ending to my exceptionally weary body and spirit. Months of this daily journey passed and, as most of you know, Paige did not survive. Diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia at six years old, she died shortly after turning eight. A kinder, more considerate soul this world has never known.
So. I will run in memory of Paige and in memory of Greg. I will do this by raising money for Memorial Sloan Kettering’s “Fred’s Team.” Our official team name is Alvina’s Team for Greg. If you can help with a donation go to: goo.gl/kqcLwV If that is not possible, I will accept all of your prayers, good wishes, and New Age vibrations. Anything good that you’ve got, send my way! For those of you concerned that I need more than donations and good vibes, I have a coach. Phew, right? My coach attempts to keep me from doing anything particularly stupid. She is a dear friend who just competed in yet another Ironman triathalon this past weekend and I went along to spectate. Significantly, I now know what a marathon looks like. On November 6th my aim is to complete one. Help if you can, in whatever manner suits you best. I shall be grateful to you every step of the way.
Fondly, Ellen
”
