R.I.P. Carolyn

Well…this is the blog entry I never wanted to write…Carolyn went to be with the Lord yesterday.

So if this entry seems disjointed…well…it’s because it probably is…and I don’t care.

Carolyn and I went to Junior High...having class together. I still see her sitting there making everybody laugh around her…quick witted coupled with a quick tongue…and that is a great recipe for humor to ensue…we went on to High School…and really kept up with her through my brother…evidently there was a battle royale going on for first chair Saxophone in the Levelland High School Band...My brother would comment that Carolyn made him have to practice. Like many people that we come in contact with…after we crossed that graduation stage of High School…life moves on and the memories begin to fade. Well, fade a bit till Facebook became a staple in our lives and culture.

I still remember the day a couple of years ago when she posted that the fight was on…the fight against Breast Cancer. I don’t know why it struck me so hard when I heard that …you see my wife and I can literally name 10 people close to us that are fighting that same battle. But with Carolyn…it was different…she was my age…married with three kids. When you are 18 you are bullet proof…that stays constant till about age 35…then you may have only kryptonite that can slow you down. I don’t know if it was me coming to grips with my own mortality through someone I knew…fairly well….but that Facebook Post slapped me up side the head.

And so…I began to focus my endurance endeavors…of her inspiring me…and me honoring her…I ran the Bataan Marathon in the White Sands Desert carrying a 44 lbs pack…her name inscribed on the back of my hand. When I took up the bike, I dedicated my riding to her…I rode…I trained…I sweated…in honor of Carolyn…my first Century ride at the Hotter N Hell 2010, she and her awesome family graciously waited for me at the finish line…and so…the connection was always there…

So I write this today….with the heaviest of hearts….

Carolyn...to a friend who inspired me be to be a better athlete, husband, dad....and person. Who's feistiness knew no bounds...who took the role of wife, mother and friend to its fullest...who's sarcastic sense of humor would crack me up...who's faith in Jesus Christ was your bedrock...I will miss you standing with your family at the finish line....you are now in a glorious place with our Father...where there are no finish lines...

R.I.P Carolyn...and so I press On!