Survivors BBQ

Last night, Dori and I hosted several couples who have been through or still are battling blood cancer. Our friends Tammy (survivor) and Joe, Melody and Kim (survivor), and Kim and Chris (four-year-old daughter is undergoing chemo for ALL) joined us for some backyard smoked chicken and sausage and other goodies prepared by my favorite cancer survivor.

We spent most of the three hours laughing while the kids played or watched TV. We also talked about the responsibility each of us has to make life better for those who will be facing cancer. Kim talked about how grateful she is to the people who came before us that helped her daughter have a greater chance of survival. We talked about life being a test, a brief one at that, with the opportunity to live in God's eternal kingdom.

The group agreed we're living life through a lens that some will never understand. We believe we've been given a gift, as difficult as that can be for some to comprehend. I looked around last night and liked what I saw - unselfish people with strong marriages, people who know how to deal with a lot of bull, and people I greatly respect.

After our guests left, Dori asked me what I thought. I said I'm glad she called three very different couples together to enjoy ourselves and to relate our experiences. She agreed, noting she thinks she should get the group together annually. We hope the couples who couldn't join us make it next year.


This morning, Dori followed through to the group on one of her projects - the Light the Night team we've formed for the Oct. 16 event in Nashville. Stay tuned for more. Dori also has been asked by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to speak Saturday to the local triathlete fundraisers who will be competing soon. This is an honor to Dori, who has become quite the speaker ... she's communicating fearlessly and from the heart at every opportunity. I'm certainly buying whatever she sells and hope many more do, too.

Maybe she can help me figure out why I had another dud run Sunday. Conditions were cool, though humid. I was fine the first four miles on a 9:15/mile pace, but bonked around mile six. I had to stop, gather myself and figure out what was going on. I'm still sorta weak today and felt the same yesterday. I've had congestion and some aching, so it could be a cold. That said, I wasn't thrilled my planned smooth 11 miler turned into a brutal 8.5-mile march in quicksand. I couldn't get up any significant hill the last few miles. Waaa, right? This, too, shall pass.

Congratulations to our friends Paige and Chris on the birth of their beautiful girl, Lillian Margaret! Classy name from a classy couple. Start saving for college, guys.