When I went into work on Thursday, I had no idea what was in store for me. Before I even was able to clock in, I was told to hurry up and get the ambulance ready and head to Chattanooga for mutual aid as a result of the storms of Wednesday. For those of you that don't completely understand that, mutual aid is when one department or county's emergency services is overwhelmed, other services are called in for back up. After arriving in Chattanooga at our station there, we were briefed and told to head to Ringgold, GA (just south of the state line) and meet up with incident command for further instruction. Here are some pictures of what we saw upon our arrival:
Those images alone would be enough to jerk you out of the comfort of your safe place. That wasn't all. Upon arrival at the actual incident command was the more devastating images that, just out of plain human decency, I did not photograph. I saw families, entire families, walking around with ABSOLUTELY no idea what they were going to do. No home, no car, no food, no clothes. Nothing but each other. Each as broken as the next. They didn't just lose they're homes. Ringgold is a very small community and families often lived close to their relatives. Several of these people lost they're homes and several members of their family at the same time. We were there for about 12 hours and were only needed for one call. That was more than enough time to make me keenly aware of how blessed I am to have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, a wife that inexplicably and unconditionally loves me, I don't have to wonder where my next meal will come from... I'm blessed.
Now, Saturday. At my heaviest, I weighed 280 pounds. At my lightest, I ALWAYS hated running, walking, exercise... etc... I certainly never had any intention of participating in a 5k, 10k, walk around the block, running out of gas and walking to a gas station. I don't like buffets because, if I'm paying for food out at a restaurant, it needs to be brought to me. Sorry, rant... All that being said I participated, and completed, The Country Music 1/2 Marathon. Again, a few images:
When I was told that Janna and John wanted to run the 1/2 in memory of Thomas,their son they lost to a congential heart defect, I thought that if that beautiful little boy could fight as hard as he fought, then why can't I walk/ jog 13.1 miles? With the way that Thomas Harris McGregor affected my life forever forward... why can't I give a day and 13.1 miles in his memory? I decided to do it. I trained a little and lost 30 lbs. I bought new shoes and shorts and funny socks. Then April 30th arrived. So, donning that shirt and a cover for my balding head, and making a stellar playlist on my iPhone... I started, with "Team Thomas" at around 8:04 in the morning. 3 hours and 38 minutes later, I had completed something I never once thought I'd even attempt. That shirt says, "He taught us how to pray." That is, in my case, grossly understated. Not only did he teach me how to pray. He taught me, through his parents, what faith truly means. What strength really is. My sore and tired body was a no brainer trade for how my life was improved by that little boy. I was glad to do it and will be glad to always join "Team Thomas" for any future endeavors to keep his spirit ever present in the front of our minds. My perspective, was again, put in place by a beautiful little boy that accomplished more for God's Kingdom in 15 short weeks than I have in 32 long years. My relationship as grown so much in the last 6 months. Nowhere near wear it needs to be. Surrounding myself with people like the McGregor's and the Hardy's will keep me headed in the right direction. Yep, new reference. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Robert and Chrissy Hardy and their precious baby girl, Clara Mae. She also has had a tremendous affect on my relationship with Christ. She's a fighter too. Born with a diaphragmatic hernia, she's been a fighter for around 40 days at this point. Still a long road to go, she made strides of improvement in the last few weeks... here's the family and beautiful Clara with only a feeding tube!
Long blog, I know, but it's been a very "wake up" kind of week. I pray for the families in Ringgold and all other places affected by the storms. I pray for the Mcgregor's everyday. I pray for the Hardy's everyday. I thank God everyday for all I have and how blessed I am. I am blessed in countless ways. My job, the McGregors, and the Hardy's are three of those blessings I will forever be thankful for.
**For further and better explanation, and to learn what to pray for, with regards to the McGregor's and Hardy's please visit their blogs at:
www.mcgregorsrus.blogspot.com and
www.thehardylife.blogspot.com
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