When Grandpa Ran With Me

Grandpa, a horse, and me

I love this picture. Do you see how I am holding onto Grandpa? That little hand says a lot. She knows she can hold on to Grandpa and he will steady her. 

My Grandpa died several years ago. We all miss him. Luckily though I believe in a higher plan. Part of that plan is I lived in Heaven before coming to this Earth. I was born into a family that loves and protects me and I am able to have my own family and do the same. I also believe that life does not end when we die. I believe that we die but our spirits go on. There is more to that plan and if you want to know, just ask. 

I also believe in angels. I have to be careful when I type that. Sometimes I type angle. 

I don't mean that, I mean angel. Just so we're clear. Spell check won't catch that one. 

My Grandpa was a horseman. I grew up going with him to feed the horses in Lehi, Arizona. That is where we are in the picture. I wrote about running the Ragnar Relay in my last blog post. This is an experience I had while running. 

It was my last leg of the race only 5.5 miles to go. I was happy about that and ready to get the show on the road. We had left 36 hours before around 1AM Friday morning. It was now noon on Saturday. The weather was beautiful and the temperature began to climb getting warmer and warmer. I hadn't had a real meal since noon the day before and sleep?? Sporadic. The scenery was beautiful. 

I headed out feeling good about this run until I realized it was the last run through the McDowell mountains up into Fountain Hills. My race climbed several large hills. Each hill I kept telling myself it's ok..there is always a down hill after an uphill and then you can cruise. That was not so on this leg of the race.  Up and up and up I ran and hotter and hotter and hotter it became. There was no down hill a short straight away before being lobbed into another hill.  I began to doubt my ability to run this race, to finish this race. After all, I didn't train on any hills. Not only that, the most I actually ran was a base run of three miles, two or three times a week. I kept telling myself it would get better, easier. I could do this. Until I came upon the mother of all hills. It was 2 miles of an uphill climb that made me want to sink into the asphalt and pretend I never signed up for this dumb race. This hill had no end in sight it just kept turning and going up and up. I thought to myself why does this last leg feel so much like my life. Really. It's all UPHILL.........

 That is ok! The cheering section of my brain would say..you have run a marathon! What is this? 2 miles??? Big deal, you got this girl. Just turn up the music! Step after step my hamstrings were SCREAMING! A fourth of the way into the hill my energy just gave out.  Holy cow! I had already run two giant hills and now was on the MOTHER of all hills. 

I had done it all on my own and I knew at this point I needed more than my own strength to go any further. I began to plead with Heavenly Father for strength. I told him there was NO WAY that I could do this. I was all alone in the desert and I was hot...and tired. I was spent. I needed him to strengthen me, please, I begged. 

It was here that I felt like Grandpa was running beside me. I could feel him there. I knew he was there. I even said in my head, "Grandpa, you aren't a runner!" I heard in return, "I am a farmer, this is nothing!" I started to doubt for a second AND it was here at this exact second that I began to doubt my Grandpa running with me that a HUGE trailer of Thoroughbred horses passed right next to me on the road. It was in that exact moment that not only could I FEEL Grandpa but as the doubt passed through my brain I could SMELL Grandpa. Just so I would know for sure, for SURE that he was there because I don't believe in coincidences like that. I breathed in the alfalfa horsey smell and trudged up that hill with Grandpa running beside me. 

And. I was so thankful. Thankful that there is a Father in Heaven who hears my plea during some DUMB race that I submitted myself to willingly and in my moment of weakness he shows up. Every time. Every Single Time. In ways that are personal to me so that I KNOW he is there. 

I love my Grandpa. Boy do I miss him. I know he watches out for me, and all of his children and grandchildren because that is who he is. He is a Grandpa that will run with you, that you can hold on to, who will steady you, so you can feel safe and finish the race. 

Right after my last leg. Everything burns. 

XOXO- Heavenly Father is real, He knows you, He LOVES you, and so do Grandpa's. -The Sunny D