Monday, July 7, 2008

A Memorable Glimpse (that I almost missed!)

Hope you and yours had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! In our part of the country, it was cloudy and rainy for most of Friday and Saturday. Yesterday, however it was positively gorgeous!

I almost missed a sweet blessing the morning of 4th of July. I had stayed up (very) late the night before knowing that I could "sleep in" because of the holiday. My hubby had gone to bed several hours before, and I knew he would be up early (because he always is). = )

We live on the main road that runs through our community. Every year on the morning of July 4th, there is a 5K run that passes right in front of our house. Several hundred people, from babies in strollers to grandparents take part. Some years, we’ve had friends who have run and we’ve cheered them on as they ran by. This year, we didn’t know of anyone running, and I remember thinking as I drifted off to sleep, "I might have to miss seeing the marathon runners this year..."

The next thing I knew (just a few hours later), my sweet hubby was standing at the foot of the bed smiling, asking if I wanted to watch the runners. I can’t express to you just how much I wanted to return to the blissful sleep I was enjoying, but I could tell he really wanted me to come out with him. I could also tell he was anxious, as some of the first runners had already passed by. And so…I stumbled out of bed (completely in a fog), changed out of my pajamas into some clothes, ran a brush through my hair and splashed my face with cool water. (Ugh…still in a fog.) I put my “sweet” face on, but inside there was a whole lot of grumbling going on.

As I opened the door, I saw that my hubby had lined our mulch beds with small American flags...it looked great! Then I heard loud patriotic music playing and discovered it was coming from our speakers. I quickly realized my hubby was playing this music especially for the runners. (heart smile) He was standing in our garage, grinning from ear-to-ear as it played. There was a light rain falling and I felt bad for those trying to run...but as I looked at them, they didn’t seem to mind. They were too busy enjoying the music. From God Bless America, Battle Hymn or America the Beautiful, you could see them start to smile as soon as they heard it...many were even singing along! I got a kick out of one man acting as though he was conducting an orchestra as he ran.


Our house sits at about the 4 mile mark of the run. After living here and watching this for several years now, we had grown accustomed to seeing people who are tired, hot, focused, and generally not looking especially "happy." In fact, they rarely make eye contact. (I'm not a runner, but I can certainly understand that.) This time, nearly everyone was smiling. Over and over, they yelled out “Thanks!” as they waved or gave a thumbs up. It was especially heartwarming to see the older people as they sang and smiled. Yes, the patriotic spirit of America was alive and well for those moments and it was quite a sight to behold. In no time at all, tears filled my sleepy eyes and a lump filled my throat. This went on for quite some time and we savored every moment of it.

Afterwards, I thanked my hubby for waking me. What I would have missed, had I kept on sleeping! I then whispered a prayer of thanks to God for what I had just seen, the great nation we all share, and the freedom we are privileged to celebrate, not just on the 4th of July but every day.

11 comments:

Sarah@Life in the Parsonage said...

How sweet it that!?!

Happy Monday, my friend :)

PS - that cup of wonderfulness at the top of your blog makes my mouth water :)

Paula V said...

How wonderful of your husband to set the stage and want to so lovingly share that with you. God blessed you in a mighty way that day.

You changed your header. I always notice when someone changes their header but then canno never remember what it looked like before.

I was thinking you had a customized layout. Did that go bad on you? I'm afraid to update mine because it might not capture all my "stuff".

Becky said...

What a thoughtful thing to do! And a grea new tradition.

Love the new look of your blog!

Tricia said...

What a wonderful thing your husband did! And I am so glad that you did get up to experience it...

I love your new header, it looks great!

Blessings!

Lelia Chealey said...

Oh my goodness! I've got tears! Now you know your husband has got to do this every year now because the runners who participate in this run each year will look forward to this time of refreshing mile marker!!
That is so cool. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for your prayers for our girl. God is somethin' else, isn't He? :)

Melanie said...

What a great hubby you have to of doing something so special for all those running the race!

Have a great week!

Sheryl said...

wow, so glad you didn't miss that. it made me tear up and i wasn't even there. very sweet thing of your husband to do.

also, thanks for your comments about my son. you're right, i am blessed!!

-sheryl

UL Cards Fan said...

HI. I found your blog through Sheryl on The Perch. I met her through Siestas for him. Do you live in Lexingto? My husband was one of those early morning BLUEGRASS 10,000 runners. LINDA

LynnSC said...

How precious is that??? And... what a blessing you would have missed if you had not sensed his excitement and his desire for you to get up. God is great huh???

Thanks so much for sharing that sweet story with us.

Also... love the new look of your blog.
Lynn

godlover said...

Glad you had such a great day. Bless your little hubby's heart anyway! I'm sure the runners really appreciated his efforts.

Marj
http://gdlvr.blogspot.com

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

A freedom run in the rain. Now that will preach! I was right there with you as you described the event. Wish I could have participated. Maybe next year.

peace~elaine