Whew! What a busy, busy weekend it was! On Thursday night, I performed with a couple of good friends at a Starbucks in a fundrasing event for Canadian Free the Children. On Friday, we performed again at a Canadian Red Cross youth event, trying to encourage the youth to make a difference with their lives.
Then, to top it all off, Sunday morning my sister and I went downtown bright and early (and I do mean EARLY) to run the Scotiabank Toronto Half Marathon! It was her first road race in 7 years, and it was my first marathon-distance race in a long, long time. We had a great time running together and despite being runners and racing for many years, for the first time brother and sister crossed the finish line in a race together (in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 18 seconds!), basking in the upbeat music and loud cheers from supporters who came out to encourage the 20,000+ runners who took part in the event.
After the race, Anna cooked me a fantastic dinner in the evening to refuel my exhausted body. After everyone had gone to bed, I sat back with a beer, put up my feet and quietly reflected on the crazy weekend. I was thankful for the opportunites to perform for a good cause and I enjoyed every step of the marathon experience. But what I treasured most from the weekend was the fact that I was surrounded by friends and family…
Running a long distance race always put me in a reflective mood. As I was sitting there, being thankful for those who had remained faithful as friends, I couldn’t help but think of that wonderful saying in Chinese: 路遙知馬力﹐日久見人心 (Distance will reveal the endurance of a horse, time will show the heart of a man) It seemed especially fitting after I just finished a half-marathon.
What can I say? I am a blessed man.
Click here for a video from the Starbucks event
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