"I Get Knocked Down, but I Get Up Again..."

I get knocked down, but I get up again…You’re never gonna keep me down…

How many of you remember that song from the band Chumbawamba? You could say that was my song for the day…

I ate my Lucky Charms this morning for breakfast, in preparation for the Get Lucky 7K. I’m not sure how “lucky” they were, though…

Last year at this time, it was 80 degrees! This morning, it was 20 degrees. Yes, I admit it: I’d rather run in the heat, hands down.

First of all, it took 45 minutes from what the start time was supposed to be, in order for ALL of us running to even start the race…It was cold and windy…But, I would NOT give winter the satisfaction of keeping me from running this fun race.

Then, early in the race, that’s when it happened: I slipped and fell. It only takes a second, and there you are, on the ground. I could hear people behind me gasp.

This is the first time I have fallen during a race/run. It was the second time this winter. To say that I’m OVER winter is an understatement. :)

What did I do? I get knocked down, but I get up again…You’re never gonna keep me down…

Thanks, Carrie, for helping me back up…I also thought of Finding Nemo and the “Just keep swimming” line…Just keep running…

Not my best race. Not my fastest race. But I kept going. I hate winter, and I did it. I fell, and I finished. Take that, winter. :)

For some reason, I thought of Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NRSV).

How many times do we fall down in life? But God is there, picks us up, dusts us off, and continues the journey with us. We are still God’s children. We will keep falling, but NOTHING is able to separate us from the love of God. NOTHING.

When you fall down, do you feel like giving up? I urge you to trust God…When we place our fears and worries in His hands, it frees our hands to be as Christ to each other, and help others up when they fall…Embrace them when they are hurt…Welcome them when they are outcast.

With the Romans passage in mind, I wrote my own “mini-version” of it, if you will…I don’t know what Paul would think of it, but here goes:

“Neither cold nor wind, neither slippery streets nor falling down, shall separate me from finishing the Get Lucky 7K…”

…And drinking an EXTRA HOT, double-moosed Northern Lite Caramel High Rise from Caribou! :) My friends and I have a tradition of going to Caribou Coffee after our races…I LOVE this tradition! And my friends. And coffee. :)

 

And, it felt SOOO GOOOOOD to hold a HOT coffee in my hands after a COLD race. :)

 

I am blessed to have the friends that I do in my life…THANK YOU for being a friend! :) For those who have encouraged me in my races, both literally and figuratively, THANK YOU! :) Your support means more than words can say…I hope you all stay a part of my life! :)

I guess my Lucky Charms were lucky after all…Even though I fell…Even though I was locked in a car (We went to lunch to celebrate our friend Jen’s birthday, which is tomorrow…There was some sort of child safety-thing with the lock, so I wasn’t able to get out of her car)…Today was a blessing: I didn’t get hurt, and I had the chance to spend the day with some amazing people…Well, forget luck: Call it blessed. :)

 

When I got home, I read from a book that I have on positive quotations, and wouldn’t you know it: Today’s was entitled, “The value of friends.” The quote for the day says, “True friendship consists not in the multitude of friends, but in their worth and value” (Ben Jonson).

Yes, we humans like to feel wanted…Our true friends know us and love us as we are…Truly, you can’t put a value on that. It’s priceless. My friends, I hope you know that I love you and give thanks for you…May we pick each other up when we fall down. :)

If you are reading this, chances are, you have made a difference in my life…Thank you. Thank you for being you…Thank you for your support and encouragement…Thank you for your time…Thank you for your thoughts and prayers…Simply put: THANK YOU! :)

Oh…And, WARM FUZZIES!!! :)

May you be blessed as you are a blessing,

Caroline :)