Every one of us has dead parts. It took me 10 years and 13.1 miles to rise above mine. What will your “Rising Above” look like?

It began in the cabin of that ship, with the man smoothing his fingers along the grain of the wooden frame, gazing at his family. It began when I was a child, my stocking feet planted firmly on the wooden grain flooring we installed as a family the week we bought our home.

Into my hand was placed a mason jar full of pennies. A heavy mason jar full of pennies. A mason jar heavy with the weight of exactly 936 shiny copper pennies. My arms dropped a bit as I took the full weight of the jar between my hands.

$9.36 to forever change how I will parent my children.

Last night I went on a trail run. I guess I should preface this with a confession–I don’t trail run.

I have been riddled with guilt.

I was unaware of its presence, or the tarnish of shame, regret, and remorse it was etching into my spirit. I knew something was not right, but, like in most cases, the eyes of my heart were clouded; I could not see what was going on until one moment of pristine and crude clarity.

“And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
And that is it.
In a handful of simple words a shattered life is made whole.