Gifts Of Year 35

The older I get, the less I want or need tangible gifts. This is not to say that I have reached a stage of true contentedness. I still struggle with that. I do think that God continually reminds me of the gift that is life, of the ultimate value of eternal life, and of the wonder of the little gifts God gives along that way. In that vein, here are five great gifts from my 35th year around the sun, gifts I do not deserve, but which meant a lot to me:

My Dad's recovery from major surgery: I don't think anything ever prepares a person for a decline in their parent's health. I knew my dad needed surgery and would need some time afterward to recover. I never imagined how hard it would be for him, or for us, to claw his way back. Life does look different for him, and for all of us now, but we are so thankful to God to still have Dad in it.

Last Patriot Run 10K: The Patriot Run was my first run back after Dad's surgery. Dad got to be there to watch it, and I told him that I ran that last 5K lap for him. Little did I know that this would be the last iteration of this race, my first race when I moved back to Arizona, and a race I had done almost every year since.

The Mesa half-marathon: I wanted to run this race since running my first half-marathon, but kept putting it off because the time did not seem to be right. This year, I bit off the goal, and did it, and it went better than I could have dreamed, so good, it has me dreaming of new things!

Live training for work: I have recorded podcast episodes for work before, but this year, I got to give a live training! Preparation required a lot of work, and I needed a lot of feedback and support along the way. In the end, it went well, for which I give God the thanks and glory. Will I train more? We will see.

Meeting Jess McClain: Pat's Run 2024 was awesome, but technically, I could do that again. Meeting a top US runner, who's also a hometown girl? That might never happen again. Definitely a special memory!

Who knows what the next year will hold, but I want to rejoice and be glad in it, and in the gifts God gives (Psalm 118:24). To Him be the glory, forever and amen!