Grateful - Day 22

Tonight I went on a run with Mackenzie. It's about Glory Run time again and Mackenzie is convinced she wants to do the 5K this year.

We went on a run last week and it was torture. She complained the whole time, couldn't run more than a minute at a time, and lagged slowly behind. Tonight she was convinced she was going to do better.

"What do you want to talk about Mama? Let's talk so it will make the running go faster. Why don't you tell me everything about your day?" And so it went for the next 25 minutes. We talked and talked and talked. In fact, we talked so much that she ran for the first 12 minutes without stopping and didn't complain once.

It dawned on me that we were having a real conversation. I learned about what she was studying in Health, what she plays during recess, and that she wants to do this race, "so I can be just like you Mama". In short, we had a wonderful time.

I had brief visions of doing this same thing years from now with topics like prom dresses, term papers and boys (YIKES). I also realized that by that time she may not be so free with every single detail of her life. She may not care to be near me let alone like me. She may not. However, if we keep having nights like we did tonight, there's a good possibility that it will continue in the future.

That will be worth much more than the entry fee for the race. It makes me grateful for today and hopeful for the future.