Letter to a Friend

Good afternoon, my Friend.

You are... without a doubt, without a SINGLE DOUBT IN MY MIND, you are a surprise, a pleasure, and a joy!  I hope this letter finds you well.

and HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Today, I am grateful for your place in my life.  I can't wait to see you. I just want to give you a big fat hug, swing you around in the air and thank you for being YOU!  I'm serious! You've been a wonderful friend to me, and a total lifesaver! Kind of like my secret "in-case-of-TRUE-emergency-I'm-here-for-you" person. You're my big guns, my honest surprise and such a delight! I'm saying a prayer of gratitude for you right now. I look forward to seeing you, laughing and sharing stories together.  You've reminded me that I belong to God... anything good that's come from me has been a result of the love and time you've invested.  We are a chain of hearts, linked by love and devotion, prayer and worship.

It seems as if there was a rough patch for the past couple weeks, as if I had lost my focus. Prayer and faith carried me through, and here I am with a new, calmer heart. "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me."  God just wants us to trust Him with whatever we have.  He wants us to know Him, love Him, and put everything on Him. All I want to do is (as Liz Gilbert so eloquently put it) "Search for God like a man whose hair is on fire will search for water".  Last Sunday's run was my longest training run, 20 miles. Out of everything that came from that run, do you know what meant the most to me? The last 2 miles. I turned off the iPod and just spent those 2 miles praying and giving thanks for the life God gave me, the air in my lungs, the strength to run and the heart to pump, eyes to see and enjoy this little corner of Creation. :) Those last 2 miles were effortless. I was carried on a wave of prayer and gratitude, and the running was a perfect vehicle for worship. This upcoming marathon will be a prayer said with every muscle, every breath, every fiber of my being. It may have taken 37 years to come back to God, but I'm back, and I'm smiling. There will be a day when we're all together, laughing and smiling and filled with joy untinctured with pain. (and yes, I think this is the FIRST time in my life I've ever had the opportunity to actually USE the word "untinctured". You bring out the Scrabble scholar in me.)

This life is truly a transformative journey, and I am daily encouraged by the progress of our souls.  And now, may I offer a bit of advice?  Continue to trust your instincts. You're strong in your faith.  Continue to quiet your inner voice, and continue to make a space for God to indwell within your heart. Focus on the people and experiences that expand your heart and heal your soul.  As the messages from the Virgin Mary say, so I repeat here: Pray, Fast, and Repent.  Make it part of your daily life.  And continue to send energy, love and light to those that need it, but use care to protect yourself from any emotional blackholes.*

*side note: have you ever noticed how some people seem to have quite a bit of bad luck, as if they've got a gray cloud over their head? I fall for this often... thinking the "storm clouds" are results of bad luck, bad relationships, checkered pasts, etc, I find myself trying to support and uplift them. More often than not it becomes clear that no matter the reason the clouds first appeared, these people maintain the "victim mentality", going so far as to have their egos identify with the pain as part of their own identity!!! yuck! These people end up sucking the energy of those souls who come in contact with them, and they allow their pain and misery to define them!!! Personally, I distance myself physcially, and pray for them privately. I pray for a space to be created within, so that the Holy Spirit rushes in and fills them with sunlight, peace, and happiness. It's all I know how to do in order to keep myself safe, yet also share God's Love.  Things in this Life can shake us to our very cores... and leave us with deep wounds. You must get right with God to heal the hurt inside. Until that happens, a soul can't move forward.

Have I told you that I see you as a living example of Christ's love?  You do indeed have a happy soul, and I suspect you were made on a special day in Heaven.

(deep sigh)

wow. I honestly wasn't intending to write today. I woke with a bit of a headache and the feeling of "tunnel vision" (aka: cue the opening bars of NERVOUS BEFORE THE BIG RUN). I thought today was just going to be a day to "get through it quietly". Ha!  My soul is awake now!  My eyes are bright and the weather outside promises a perfect opportunity for a good tapering run after work.  I'm thinking 7-10 miles.  I guess we'll just see what I've got in the tank.  It's becoming less about the run and more about the quiet time in my soul.  I can hardly wait!

Now get out there and have a GREAT weekend! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!   In between times of meditation I'm currently reading and listening to Caroline Myss, Elizabeth Gilbert, T. Colin Campbell (The China Study), Jillian Michaels, the Gospel of John, Anthony Robbins, and, of course, my daily Calvin and Hobbes!

Thanks for reading this post.  I've come to learn that these notes serve as a working diary for me, illuminating the journey and the miles traveled.  It's also become a reminder of not only WHO we are, but WHOSE we are.

Thank you for calling out the best in me!

Your Dear Friend,
Frank