Happy Easter!

As our collective longing for Spring and new life becomes more of a reality (especially in light of what we celebrate today), we can't help but be in awe of the beauty around us and revel in its goodness. Spring is upon us, and with it of course comes warmer weather - perfect for training. We continue to plow ahead despite our aching bodies. Thankfully the full-blown injuries from the Winter have started to give way to nagging hindrances, but unfortunately we are behind where we would like to be going into race week.

But this is a fitting analogy for our purpose in running this race. If you've been keeping up with Andy's story on his Caring Bridge page, you'll know that he is indeed making tremendous progress. He is such an amazing person! But he would also tell you that he has a long way to go. He is participating in his own race, and it is no doubt a struggle. Thus it somehow wouldn't be fitting for us to be dominating our training sessions, poised to set lifetime records come race day.

In some (infinitesimally) small way, we share in the struggle alongside of Andy on his road to recovery. We don't feel "ready" for what's ahead of us, but we're plowing ahead with hope to see the finish line - however we cross it.

We have all been overwhelmed and encouraged by the generosity of our friends to support Andy. If you feel led to give to Andy's fund - you can do so by clicking the "ChipIn!" button to the right, or if you don't have a Paypal account you can contact us and we'll help you give to Andy directly.


Gratefully,

Jon and Lauren

It's Never Too Late...

We are always so touched by the donations we get for Andy. Sometimes they are from a close friend, or someone who we knew a long time ago but have lost touch with, or sometimes a stranger. Each gift though is special because it has taken some kind of sacrifice, and has been a part of each person. A particularly special gift came from our friend Nance last week. She and her husband Greg have been dear friends to Jon and me in Charlottesville over the past several years. Nance lost her mom a few years ago, and if she was anything like Nance, she was a great woman. In order to give Andy a financial gift, Nance sold a piece of her mom's jewelry (gold brings a high dollar these days!) and donated the profit from it to our race fund. She said it was a charm that read, "It's Never too Late". She said her mom would have been so happy to have given to Andy. We love you Nance and are grateful for your generosity and for your mom!

Nance will probably laugh when she sees this picture- its from a local paper a couple of years ago who spotted her fashion sense. Isn't she cute??

P.S. Nance is also an amazing artist and author. Here is her website.

P.P.S. Only 3 more weeks until our race!!!