The Climb

How has my life been reduced to a Miley Cyrus song?  I'm embarrassed to admit, the lyrics of this Disney prodigy's song actually have had an emotional affect on me (and more than once...sigh).  I take comfort in the hope that she didn't actually write it.  Moving on now...

The past couple of weeks have offered a few "climbs" but not without reward.  I'll just say this: I'm grateful for the undying support of family, friends and the inimitable love of my boys.  My youngest had his first slumber party at a friends house last night so I took my oldest (11) on a "date".  What strikes me, and never ceases to amaze me, is the love and admiration children innately have for their parents.  What a treasure.  They don't care how much money you have, what kind of clothes you wear or what your job is (or if you even have one! LOL).  They don't need you to be perfect in any way, except in your love for them (and sadly, even that's negotiable).  I am grateful that the one thing I have an endless amount of, just happens to be all they truly need from me...in addition to the essentials, of course.

I've been plugging along in the training department and have made some gains in the pool (hallelujah!).  I'm looking forward to the snow and the opportunity to get back out on the skate skis.  This is an activity I have yet to master, but it is (by far) one of my favorite Winter activities.

My parents came out for a visit, and my dad took the below photo of me running (yes, I'm running!) through Manito park.   Check out his website if you have the time.  While you're at it, you should look at my mom's blog as well.  I'm very proud of my parents.  They are talented, smart and fun to be around but more than  anything, just really exceptional human beings.  I don't think I've ever appreciated them more than I do now.

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall". Confucious