To improve sleep hygiene during the pandemic, Tom and I switch off our phones and laptops (we don't have a TV) and read before meditation and sleep. The other night, Tom put my book, "Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic" down as we were getting ready for our bedtime ritual. Jamie let us know she gave my book four paws up and reminded us that there's something so special about curling up with a good book - especially when there's a poem about you in it!
From "Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic":
During
the stay at home order, I experienced lots of trauma dreams, many of which I
awakened from with heart pounding. One night our cat Jamie leapt on the bed as
if on cue to move me beyond the trauma of the past and into a new state of
Being. I felt this poem through the vibration of her nesting in the blankets.
The Mighty Tigress
In darkness
she pounces
toward her prey
nesting in old comforter
paws inviting me to pause
a symphony of comfort
Her striped fur expands and
contracts
perfect pitch as she purrs
in prayer
My breathing slows joining
her rhythm
inhale expand exhale
Being as One
Descendants and ancestors
blessing our precious lives
Powerful dyad vibrating well-being
to all
my mighty tigress lights the
way
To transformation.
I've noticed that the trauma dreams have diminished in frequency and intensity in recent weeks. There is a sense of hope and optimism as cases of COVID decline, vaccination rates increase and restrictions are being relaxed. I was never afraid of contracting the virus for I knew that by staying in our bubble and following the public health guidelines, we would be fine. The uncertainty, the stress and strain of Tom working from home and his department being understaffed (and please believe me I know how fortunate we are that he continued to be able to work through the pandemic), the climate of fear that ran rampant until President Biden and his team arrived to begin to put out the fires raging from the previous presidency, the restrictions and the need to wear masks would stir the emotions from my traumatic childhood and emerge as trauma dreams.
I was and am so blessed to have the companionship of Jamie during daytime meditations and at night to remind me to keep a steady breath and to feel the love of the Divine flow through her. She is a mighty tigress who brought so much joy and comfort during some of the most challenging days and nights of our lives.
From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary
For
more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to
the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website.
"Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic" along with all of my books to inspire and uplift you is available onAmazon.
Shortly after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I realized I was at a crossroads in my life. I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, adapt our Cape house or move to a Ranch and quit my award winning career as a VA social worker if there were any hope of stabilizing the debilitating symptoms as they were at that time.
As I had done whenever faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance. Spirit spoke to me through what I now call my divining rod for healing, my pen in the form of poetry.
After writing "Running the Race", a poem which foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon run, I wrote the poem:
The Gift of Polio - from "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life":
The Gift of Polio
Thank you God for the
gift of polio that brought me so close to you
while paralyzed I saw
your face no matter what I’d do
Many wonderful healers
you sent them to me at age 5
perseverance and
triumph life’s lessons learned
but my Spirit could
not yet thrive.
At age 53 the gift was
sent to me a second time
having time to sit and
feel to heal I started to rhyme.
The second time felt worse
than the first
yet your love and
wisdom I found
out of pain and
weakness and fatigue a remarkable spirit rebound.
Reliving all the
trauma of special shoes and such
I discovered
remarkable healers who brought a loving touch.
I had no clue I had
such strength and the ability to grow
no matter what the
outcome deep gratitude I show.
This gift so precious
I live a new life gratitude flows from me
my heart and soul are
filled with grace each day’s a gift from thee.
I went on to write "The Dancer" imagining in my mind's eye a resurrection from the 5 year old ballet dancer who was stricken with paralytic polio:
The Dancer
Crumpled cringing
alone in darkness portrait of paralyzed child
heap of limbs loss of
control panic fear run rampant and wild.
Enter stage right he
gathers her gentle tears honor old embrace new
beautiful ballerina
transformed music swells the pas de deux.
Dancing with Spirit
she celebrates lost in moment of time and space
winged feet now poetry
in motion joyful light ease and grace.
Daring she enters
spotlight center stage a vision to behold
Gratitude became a vital lynch pin in my healing journey. I gave thanks for all of the challenges I endured for they taught me so many soul lessons and helped to mold me into the beautiful woman I am today. I gave thanks in advance for my life being healed.
I started the practice of a gratitude journal that ignited my heart and soul with joy and shifted me out of a victim role into the role of victor and thriver.
I went on to write an entire poem about gratitude:
Gratitude Tingles
Heart opens in quiet eyes
are closed gratitudes trickle then flow
the basics a home,
good food and love awareness begins to grow.
Each beat of my heart
reminds me I’m a miracle of life
grace showers
constantly upon me relieving alleviating strife.
Goosebumps with each
reflection every breath a moment to pause
gratitude tingles feel
the warmth relaxing unclenching jaws.
Grateful to now be
fully alive so blessed to be kissed awake
appreciation flows in
every vein for granted nothing I take.
What joy there is in
this journey let Spirit within ever reign
trusting in goodness
and kindness erases all fear and pain.
Memory traces from the
past pale and fade when facing Source
gratitude overpowers
correcting direction on my life’s course.
In moments of
meditation happiness joy and peace
from the depths of my
soul a fountain grateful blessings increase.
Lips upturn into
beautiful smile from head’s crown to tip of toes
gratitude tingles
tickling trail of delight everywhere gratitude goes.
During the pandemic, we intensified our gratitude practice writing what we were grateful for on post-its during the month of November and placed them in a gratitude jar. We read them on Thanksgiving.
Gratitude continued to be a theme in my poetry in "Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic".
Dawn
As dawn breaks my heart opens
in gratitude
an inventory of the
blessings in my life
strife only created from
memories
gratitude the bridge over
troubled waters
path to peace and joy.
Rubbing eyes awake from a
starry night
pixie dust sprinkled while
sleeping
cells sparkling with
possibilities
twinkling eyes view the
world.
It dawns on me
I am beloved
Love heals and bathes
uplifted to greet the dawn
of a new day
sunbeams meet heart beams.
Writing headlines
a virus vanished
soul lessons learned
heaven on earth is here.
The Switch
Flip the switch from darkness
from unwell to well-being
dwell with Source.
Generate positive thoughts
current of gratitude
dispels doom and gloom.
Electrify imagination
in mind’s eye
ignite possibilities!
Shock waves from past
flashbacks
back to the future!
Dampen fears
shift gears
be light-hearted.
What ifs
glitter and sparkle
light up hope!
Rewire recharge
turn on tune in
vibrant optimism.
Flip the switch
switch perspective
let the magic begin!
I am grateful for all the challenges I have endured and overcome. I am grateful for this amazing journey of transformation that began 14 years ago on May 25, 2007 when I took a leap of faith leaving behind my award winning career as a VA social worker to heal my life from the effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma. I am grateful for the gift of poetry that enabled me to heal my past and create a future very different than the one the doctors predicted for me and to navigate this past year staying focused on healing, hope, possibilities, light, love and of course, gratitude.
From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary
For
more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to
the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website.
"Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic" along with all of my books to inspire and uplift you is available onAmazon.
Yesterday, one of my Facebook friends posted this:
It reminded me of one of my poems from "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life":
Royal Flush
One could say I was dealt a hand of crummy cards to play
at first blush I would have to agree
bluffing became my way of life
playing my cards close to my chest
ever vigilant
shifting eyes
wondering
do I continue to play or fold?
The stakes were high
I could no longer up the ante
living on the edge
waiting to find freedom only in death
every day a living death
something had to give
new rules
unconditional love
trust
strength
courage
steadiness
releasing fear by experiencing fear
losing self consciousness
opening my heart.
I bet everything I had
riding on hope, faith and a prayer
“I’m all in”
putting my cards on the table
there it was
a royal flush!
When we are in the midst of challenges, it can be difficult to hold onto hope and have faith that better days are ahead. Having endured paralytic polio followed by almost a decade of abuse at the hands of family members drove me to the very edge of life. Ironically, I came back from the edge after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome. I awakened to love, forgiveness, gratitude and healing. I realized that I could take the cards I was dealt and transform them into a royal flush becoming a winner in my own life instead of being a victim.
These past 14 months have been a challenge unlike we have ever known in recent history in our country. While I experienced trauma triggers, I was also able to draw from the reservoir of resilience I had built from my past.
How are you playing the cards from the pandemic? Can you be all in and play the hand well? I'm betting you can!
From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary
For
more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to
the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website.
"Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic" along with all of my books to inspire and uplift you is available onAmazon.
On March 13, 2020 my daughter and I went into Star Market and were aghast at what we saw. From "Hope is a Garden: Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic":
There was no way we could have ever been prepared for
what we experienced at Star Market. We first went to Trader Joe's where we like
to buy certain items. The shelves were bare but Ruth Anne noted, "There's the
eggplant!" (Referencing the story I told her about the Blizzard of 1978, when the only thing we could buy to cook was eggplant.) We aborted the mission and headed to Star Market.
There were no carriages and when we asked one of the
managers where we could get a cart, she said, "They are all in use. Just
wait until you see what's happening in here!"
They made an announcement for all staff to attend to
carriage control and we were assertive without being aggressive to secure our
cart. There was plenty of produce except for white potatoes. People were
wearing masks and gloves. The fish counter and meat shelves were well stocked
but there was not a box of pasta or jar of sauce to be found. People were
pushing and shoving and the panic was palpable. Ruth Anne and I stayed focused getting
our essentials on what ordinarily would have been a regular grocery shopping
outing. Part of Ruth Anne's healing and recovery from an autoimmune condition
that caused brain inflammation is to be able to grocery shop. She has gone on a
few independent shopping trips but I knew this was not going to be the day to
work on those skills.
I was in awe of how we remained calm despite the
empty shelves and the energy of the shoppers. We were able to maintain focus
and when an item wasn't available we made substitutes or decided to keep it on
the list for next week. While I went to get milk and orange juice, Ruth Anne
secured our place in the long and winding check out lines.
It wasn't until Friday evening that the trauma of
that trip hit us. Fortunately Tom gave us a loving ear about what we witnessed.
Last Friday, my eyes welled with tears and my heart overflowed with gratitude as we realized that the one way aisle markers at Star Market had been taken down. We were free to go up and down the aisles to get what we needed!
The CDC has said that wearing masks outdoors is optional especially if you are fully vaccinated.
My news feed on Facebook is filled with postponed holiday gatherings with clever names like "Thankschreaster" for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter now that family members are fully vaccinated.
Two big signs of hope are on my calendar in the next two weeks. For the first time since February of 2020, I have a hair appointment! I wanted to wait until infection rates were on the decline and vaccination rates were on the rise. It seems surreal that I am going to go to a hair salon again. We had been going into Boston to get our hair done but the salon was in a crowded section of downtown and was not as rigorous with precautions as we would have liked. Fortunately, one of my friend's has been going to a salon in our town for years and has a stylist that she raves about. It will be a new experience in many ways and one that I embrace with eager anticipation.
From "Hope is a Garden":
On
March 12th, I walked into my pregnant chiropractor’s office.
The
airwaves and social media news feeds were beginning to fill with fear and
panic. I had a sense in my gut that something was terribly wrong with the
messages and the methods that surrounded COVID-19.
“I
don’t think they have any plan for this,” I told Dr. Lizzie.
“I’m
not worried about getting the virus,” Dr. Lizzie said. “I’m worried about
what’s going to happen to my business.”
Always
the commensurate professional, Dr. Lizzie gave me an outstanding treatment of
chiropractic care. We hugged at the end of the treatment.
“As
long as things are open, I will be here,” she said.
The
first email she sent outlined the precautions she would take while keeping her
practice open. Two days later she said that she would have to follow the State
and City guidelines and temporarily close her practice. As numbers of cases
spiked, she made the decision to close her practice until January 2021 giving
herself an extended maternity leave.
One week from Thursday, the day after I receive my 2nd Pfizer vaccine, I will be reunited with my chiropractor. Fourteen months after we said "I'll see you next week," I will finally get back on her table for regular adjustments. I've harnessed my meditation practice and exquisite self-care of rolling, stretching and strength training to keep everything moving as best I could during this hiatus in chiropractic care. I am proud of what I have been able to do without care, but eagerly anticipate the relief of experiencing Dr. Lizzie's skill and healing touch.
The book title, "Hope is a Garden: Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic" was inspired when we planted our first flower garden last October. This was a patch of barren ground that held hope for what would bloom in Spring, 2021.
Hope Is A Garden
Dirt stained knees
spade turning over soil
feelings flutter
tenderly tilling the earth
lovingly placing bulbs
embodiment of expectations
and hope.
Hope is a garden
holding seeds in hand
awe-some
everything they need to know
ready to burst forth.
Patience and perseverance
faith abides
kneeling
knowing no prayers needed
all unfurls in Divine
Timing.
In darkness hope stirs
light pierces through
as new life breaks ground
yet invisible to the eye
seeds of infinite
possibilities
hope the harvest of
imagination.
“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” ~Lady Bird Johnson
Birds singing, tulips in full bloom on the Boston Public Gardens, people hugging, events being scheduled and joy and hope fill the air. Signs of hope are everywhere as we begin to move beyond the pain of the pandemic.
From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary
For
more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to
the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website.
"Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic" along with all of my books to inspire and uplift you is available onAmazon.
Shortly after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I realized I was at a crossroads in my life. I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and expect an accelerated decline as I aged as a result of the polio virus I contracted at the age of 5.
I got still and asked for Divine Guidance as I had always done when facing life's challenges. I had an out of body experience during the acute phase of paralytic polio and felt touched by grace. It was a cold dark day in February of 2007 as I sat quietly at my dining room table experiencing the dark night of mind, body and soul. I wore a toe up leg brace and had my cane propped on the back of my chair. I had papers spread out all over the table; print outs from mind/body luminaries and "New Age" teachers. Gratitude was the theme that every writer touched upon. One phrase seemed to leap off of the page: "I am so happy and grateful now that I can create..."
"Create?" I thought to myself. I have two grown children and my award winning career as a VA social worker is coming to an end because of my ill health.
And then this poem flowed out of me:
Running the Race
Early summer 1959 my kindergarten year
everyone around me filled with nervous fear.
Despite the Salk vaccine hope polio would disappear
the polio virus crept right up and knocked me in the rear.
Dancing all around the gym feeling free just like a bird
I dropped to the ground just like a stone and no one said a word.
The pain it was so searing-the diagnosis even worse
"It's polio" the doctor said...he was abrupt and terse.
Called one of the 'lucky ones' I had a 'mild case'
but with the other athletes I could never keep their pace.
Miss Holly physical therapist, curly hair and a warm, broad smile
it tempered the pain of being apart - to walk I'd take awhile.
I always wore those 'special' shoes the kids they poked and teased
with no support and much abuse with childhood I wasn’t pleased.
But put nose to the grindstone and learned all that I could
I couldn't kick a ball but my grades were always good.
Years went by and no more thought to polio did I give
I accepted the limp, everything else and decided my life I would live.
But symptoms of weakness and muscle pain did grow
I kept a stoic face hoping no one else would know.
Life no longer was my own I struggled through each day
suffered in silence, alone and afraid tried to keep depression at bay.
And with the grace of glorious God my world it opened wide
I discovered there was a Post Polio team and they were on my side.
Sought out paths for healing and my spirit flew free
for the first time in life, I could truly be me.
The chains are gone and possibilities abound
I'm a tree with my roots planted firmly in ground.
Using wheelchair to travel, set limits on what I could do
resulted in joy to realize I could live life anew.
Celebrated my body-creaks, groans and need for a brace
while in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race.
I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
so much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.
It was as though a spigot turned on in my soul. Everywhere I went I had to have pad and pen nearby as poems flowed out of me in which I helped the past of paralytic polio and severe child abuse through forgiveness and gratitude, and created a future for myself very different than the ones the doctors predicted for me.
On May 25, 2007, I took a leap of faith leaving behind my award winning career just 3 years shy of when I was eligible for retirement to "heal my life," and follow my bliss as a poet and my passion as a writer. My undergraduate degree is in Public Relations. One of my professors was a Boston Globe reporter who ignited the passion for writing in my soul.
A note about those first poems I wrote that were in the cadence of Dr. Seuss. Before every painful physical therapy session, my beloved therapist, Miss Holly, lovingly lifted me up into the red leather chair in the waiting room and had me choose a Dr. Seuss book to read with her. She took my hand in hers as we walked into the treatment room. As she coaxed my muscles and nerves back to health, she had me recite Dr. Seuss back to her in tandem to distract me from the excruciating pain of the treatments. It was no wonder that when faced with the challenge of a diagnosis of a progressive neuromuscular disease, the healing cadence of Dr. Seuss emerged from my heart and soul.
"Running the Race" foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon run.
After crossing the finish line, I realized I had a story to share. I wrote "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility."
I wrote a 2nd book "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance" to continue the story of my healing journey after suffering a serious knee injury in December of 2014.
And before I knew it, I had a Trilogy of Transformation written that expanded on stories shared in the previous two books and went on to share my Adventures as Runnergirl 1953.
After releasing Adventures in April 2019, I was quite content to rest on my writer laurels with my Trilogy and "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life".
When the pandemic swept across the Globe in March 2020, I knew it was time to harness the power of my pen, what I call my divining rod for healing to help me navigate an unprecedented time in American history. I feel blessed and grateful that I was able to chronicle that year in poems and essays:
It's wonderful to celebrate World Book Day 2021 with you and to share my story of how I came to be a writer after 25 years of working as a social worker.
From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary
For
more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to
the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website.
"Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic" along with all of my books to inspire and uplift you is available onAmazon.
We are all eager to experience an end to the pandemic; to travel, to head to the beaches and pools, to go to concerts, Broadway shows, eat at restaurants and for runners to resume racing events. But it's not quite time yet.
While vaccinations have helped to flatten the curve, there is still much work to be done in ending the pandemic and while fatigue from this past year is real, this is the time to exercise extraordinary patience to ensure that we can successfully move forward building momentum in ending the public health crisis of the past 14 months.
I look to my garden to adopt the pace of nature.
Last October we bought bulbs and planted them deep in Mother Earth in our yard. I've been taking photos of the progress of our garden watching how, with the ebb and flow of temperatures, the flowers close and halt growth and then resume growth slowly preparing to open the flowers in all of their glory. Here's the latest phase of the garden's growth:
It goes at its own pace and we patiently and eagerly anticipate when it will be in full bloom.
We adopted the pace of nature when we did jigsaw puzzles during the pandemic and I composed this poem:
Pieces
of the Puzzle from "Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic":
When
pieces are scattered and nothing seems to fit
that’s
the time to pause breathe and sit.
It
all will make sense with a tincture of time
although
in the present there’s no reason or rhyme.
Little
by little let Spirit guide
Divine
is always present right by our side.
Out
of chaos uncertainty beauty comes into view
abundance
Well-Being are all here for you.
Broken
into pieces only an illusion you’ll see
wholeness
and happiness Source’s wish we will be.
Beings
belong to earth sun and sky
mystery
abounds no need to fear and ask why.
Create
not react be patient let go
all
is revealed all that you need to know.
Such
exhilaration when the final piece takes its place
all
now revealed in life’s sacred space.
Ruth Anne and I have one more vaccine shot aka our "wellness shot" and then have to be patient for two weeks after that before getting together with our friends who are fully vaccinated.
We are so close to being able to emerge from the pandemic safely resuming activities that add extra zest to life.
We just need to adopt the pace of Mother Nature. Her secret is patience.
From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary
For
more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to
the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website.
My Trilogy of Transformation and poetry books that are sure to inspire and uplift you are available on Amazon.
Twelve years ago today I stepped up to the starting line of the 2009 Boston Marathon to travel 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston.
I was a "most unlikely runner" who, in December 2006 was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease and told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. As I had always done when faced with life's challenges, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance. The poem "Running the Race" flowed out of me in February of 2007. Many poems flowed out of me igniting my imagination with a future very different from the one the doctors predicted for me and a path for healing my past of paralytic polio and severe child abuse. In May 2007, I took a leap of faith leaving my award winning career as a VA social worker to heal my life.
In February of 2008 after being discharged from outpatient rehab at Spaulding Rehab and working with a personal trainer for 6 months, I declared that I wanted to run the 2009 Boston Marathon although I had never run a day in my life.
I trained through the grueling New England winter and harnessed the power of the mind/body connection through writing poetry, meditation and visualization in my journal to prepare mind, body and soul for Marathon Monday.
From "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life":
Marathon Metamorphosis
Pounding pavement,
feeling strength the journey now begun
training for the race
of my life a 26.2 mile run.
Feeling God in every
step in every beat of my heart
I undertake this
challenge as a new chapter of my life I start.
I ran around in
circles carrying baggage by the ton,
destination was
survival hardened shell let in no one.
Fear and worry doubts
prevailed, adrenaline in my veins
a headless horseman
running wild no one to take the reins.
Stopping in my tracks
I froze no longer could I move -
clawing, fighting had
to cease there was nothing more to prove.
God's grace touched
like a magic wand, a softness and a glow
emerging from a
troubled past my blood began to flow.
Loving teachers lit
the way their love a healing balm -
focusing on who I am
now brings a sense of calm.
Stretching every
muscle feeling God in every cell
wholeness now a
blessing out of prison - no more hell.
The race is still a
year away each day my dream I see
mind, body, spirit
tuning turning toward the Voice of Thee.
Flexing what had once
been stiff to brace against the pain
old habits die and I'm
reborn to write a new refrain.
And when the starting
gun goes off poised with strength and grace
the thunder of the
running feet will help me set my pace.
But the starting
line's the finish my race already won
achieving the
impossible preparing for this run.
The healing power of self-love
and faith to spark the flame
transformed me from a
victim once filled with so much shame.
Unearth my buried
treasures my inheritance I find
connected to my Loving
God in my heart and mind.
And when I cross the
finish line the greatest cheer of all
has been this
magnificent journey of answering God's call.
Courage
The fear of ice and snow and slush embedded in my soul
a training run in winter - the path to Being whole.
A winter scene - Jamaica Pond - a feast for eyes' delight
to witness nature's splendor and behold this glorious sight.
A leaf - a tiny dancer - skating free without a sound
God's breath directs her movementsas She guides her twirling 'round.
Families of ducks decide to walk or take a dip
a comedy of errors into icy water slip.
Branches now bejeweled though bare bend with loving Grace
sparkling diamonds' anchor water's surface hold in place.
God's hand a glove of glistening snow hugs rocks along the
wall
their heads peek out reminding me I'm answering God's call.
A scene I'd never witness if I let my fear take hold
courage triumphed, steppin' out with footsteps sure and
bold
Knowing that the pain subsides and Spirit can prevail
the Marathon is beckoning - through those miles I shall
sail.
Ode to Marathon
Training
Blisters, black toes,
aches and pains, a change in my routine
Long training runs,
the hills, the sprintsrunning
clothes fresh and clean.
Carbo load and plan
each meal power gels and gatorade
no matter what the
weather no time to be afraid.
Humid - hot or
freezing cold snow against the face
wind or sun or raining
those running shoes I must lace.
What mile is this how
long we been outcheck heart rate drink H20
meltdowns joys and
triumphs only a few more weeks to go.
Heartbreak Hill won't
break my heart this year has been the best
found myself and made
new friends I feel incredibly blessed.
When I stepped up to the starting line, I had imagined the 26.2 mile journey many times in my mind's eye but the actual experience was far more intense, exhilarating, emotional, joyful and satisfying than anything I could have possibly imagined. It's an experience that I now get to share with others to inspire them about what's possible; how we are never our diagnosis and that the body's capacity to heal is far greater than anyone has initially led us to believe.
After I crossed the finish line and received my medal, I was a woman transformed experiencing what I wrote about in the poem, Marathon Monday.
Marathon Monday
It's Marathon Monday,
it's my day to shine
with husband and
daughter poised at starting line.
I know I can do this -
there's no way to fail
tethered to God
through this race I can sail.
For over a year, we've
trained from our heart
mind, body, spirit -
we're ready to start.
We know the course and
we know the terrain
we're primed for the
challenge - we know they'll be pain.
The glory's far
greater than what we may face
we're living examples
of God's shining Grace.
Shake out all the
nerves - there's nothing to fear
let in all the love
from the crowds as they cheer.
With prayers and
angels our feet feel so light
Joy overflowing the
finish in sight.
We conquered the
course fueled by love in our heart
the race had been won
blessed by God from the start.
From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary
For
more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to
the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website.
My Trilogy of Transformation and poetry books that are sure to inspire and uplift you are available on Amazon.
