Handwritten

The envelope was beautiful and it was addressed to me.  I glance at the return address and it does not register with me.  Leaving the mailbox, I walk back towards the house while balancing my bag, purse and the day's mail.  To complicate things I grab the two bags of groceries out of my car and then precariously open the back door.

I set everything down on the counters and gladly take the hugs my sons give me.  The focus now is turned to the putting away of groceries, the making of dinner and homework.  The beautiful envelope lay on the corner of the counter, seemingly forgotten amongst all the whirling activity around it.

Not until after the dinner dishes are cleaned and tomorrow's lunches are packed, do I get a quiet moment to open the envelope.  I break the seal and find a card just as beautiful as the envelope it came in.  This is stationery.  What is this about?

I open the card to find every square inch covered in handwritten words.  It is a card written to me; thanking me.  Tracy is a wife and a mother of two active boys.  As the boys grow, motherly duties happily took over and her personal time was put on hold.   

Until the day she became inspired.

Tracy is now taking back her fitness and working hard toward the goals she has set for herself this year, which include participating in a very tough obstacle course race as well as run her first marathon.  Her handwritten note thanked me for writing my blog and giving her the inspiration to try.  This is where the tears clouded my vision and it becomes difficult to continue reading.

The last few weeks I have read Tracy's note several times as I am still in wonder over such incredibly kind words.  When I laced up my $10 sneakers in 2003 and ran around the block for the first time since high school, I never dreamed that I would be an inspiration to anybody.  My vision of myself has always been simply a wife and mom who runs just to feel good about herself.  And then one day you get a handwritten note telling you that is enough to inspire someone else.

My wish for all of you to take away from this post is this - be who you are and live with passion in your life.  Others are watching and maybe one day someone will tell you your actions have inspired them.  And through teary eyes, you thank God as you realize it is they, who have in turn, inspired you.