"Because I knew you, I have been changed for good."-Elphaba & Glinda the Good Witch

A few years ago I ran a Marathon. (See, I really never get tired of saying that.) The day of the race it was cold, rainy and icy. (I also enjoy recalling that little tidbit as well. And YES, I'm pretty sure we had to go uphill both ways...) The weather deterred lots of the normal spectators and only the die hards were there along the route cheering us on. My family being one of them. As my friend Becky and I ran along, we quickly realized that we had no idea how much it would mean to have people there for you, cheering you on, supporting you, loving you...It ended up being as essential to us as our water and Goo packs.

It just happened to be that around mile 13 or so, we noticed a couple of spectators that we now recognized from earlier in the route. Each time they saw us they'd cheer and clap and tell us to keep going. I remember making a comment how nice those people were and how funny it was that we kept seeing them. We ended up seeing them probably five times throughout the course, and every time they cheered and encouraged us like old friends. Becky and I had stopped speaking around mile 23, trying to conserve energy, but incredibly, there they were again at mile 24. We let out a huge, "THANK YOU! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!" It surprised even me how emotional their support felt. They were strangers to us at the start of the race, but we were connected now. They were invested in us and us in them. Truly we all felt it.

That experience broadened my understanding of the people we meet in this life and why. I look back at my life's "course" and see the Lord's hand in the people he has placed on my route. A time, a year, a season, where certain people have touched my life and changed it forever. From high school friends, to college roommates, to extended family, to the kind hearted stranger who helped me to my car when she saw I was struggling with groceries and babies. Heaven does that. Gently loops and connects us to individuals throughout our life in ways that are sometimes fun and helpful, and in other ways truly profound. Sometimes these people are an answer to prayer, other times the Lord just sees fit to give us people that bless us in ways so big, we could never have even known to wish for it.
When I married into the Taylor family I was instantly aware of two things. First, I had gone from the beginning of the alphabet (Anderson) to the end, and second I had immediately acquired four new sisters. They were people I had never known in my previous twenty years, but since then, have come to touch my life in ways I could never have imagined. Probably none more than Rhett's sister Trisha who passed away last Sunday. She came into this world with physical and mental limitations, but her spirit was healthier and stronger than most. She was kind, and loving, funny and genuine. My mom has always said, "You love those, who love your children." Although she couldn't have kids of her own, Trisha loved ours with a mother's heart. She came to this earth so that we could learn from her, and I hope we learned well. Take heed of your life's cheerleaders and supporters. Love, acknowledge and treasure them everyday.

My heart is full that Trisha was placed on my "course" for the time that she was and I am changed for the good in knowing her.