Beauty running.

In the spring and summer of 2015, there was a lot happening in our family. Trey was finishing up his eighth grade year at Paideia Academy in Knoxville. He was on his way to beginning high school at Bearden where his older brothers attended.Taylor and Trent were finishing up their years at Covenant College. Lea was finishing her third year of teaching fourth grade at Paideia and responded to God's call to stop teaching there and transition into being her mom's full time care giver. Her mom had been diagnosed years earlier with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus with a presenting symptom of dementia. She has lived with us in our home for the last 11 years. I had been fired from my job at our church in the summer of '14 and in God's care had also been serving in Lea's classroom at Paideia as a special education assistant. In the process of living that amazing year of transition and faith, God used our friends Camryn and Jamie to introduce us to the Korean Church of Knoxville and in the summer of '15, I began serving as English Ministry Pastor at the Korean Church of Knoxville. Right in the middle of this really thick, fruitful adventure is where our old friend Rachel and new friend Karen had an intersecting point in our lives.

Rachel lives in San Antonio with her family. We met Rachel and her husband Greg when we lived in Dallas in the late nineties and strong friendship between Lea and Rachel continues to present day. Among many stirring life passions, Rachel is a dynamic photographer storyteller. Through photography, Rachel was aware of another dynamic photographer named Karen Russell who lives in Oregon. Karen was embarking on this wild idea. A year long, online boot camp focussing on all areas of life with a major thrust of learning about photography for women around the world. Rachel got word that Karen would gift several women who had yet to sign up for this experience, covering the year long fee and throwing in a new camera of their choice. At the end of May 2015 as Lea's time at Paideia was closing and literally as Lea was sitting in the parking lot of the school, Rachel called to tell Lea that she had nominated and written about Lea being one of those to be gifted with this experience. She was chosen! I can still remember sitting in the parking lot of Paideia in amazement about what Rachel was describing to Lea. This year long experience would also include a 4 day gathering in the summer of 2016 in Oregon with many of the women from all over the world who would be participating. Wow. Wow. I was so excited for this really unique and special opportunity that God had reserved for Lea through Rachel and Karen.

The name of this boot camp experience was "A Year in the Making". What a year it would be. As we were living life in all it's newness....

Trey at a new school, us all at the Korean Church of Knoxville, Lea taking care of her mom full time.... A Year in the Making came to a focus of body stewardship in one particular month. Body stewardship. It's hard. Really hard. Lea began reading and sharing about Karen's focus for the month and all of the things that she was exhorting the "AYITM" women to step in to. Run. Hmmm. Run. In the midst of all the body stewardship resource that Karen was passing on, Lea was aware "running is something that I really haven't ever done". "I'm not a runner." I'm nearing 50 and it has never been part of my life. Lea has been a dancer for much of her life so there has certainly been the presence of an active life, but running has not been a thing for her. Boy has that changed!

Karen invited the women to exercise, including running. So Lea and I started running. Karen offered a process by which to begin to integrate running into weekly living. And so began a really precious part of life with Lea to this current day. Lea and I began to research places that we would run around Knoxville. We started building it into the fabric of our weekly life. And as that building has happened, it has been a really intimate place of growth and learning together with her. It has affected my body and my spirit. As the "AYITM" year neared the end and the gathering in Oregon was soon coming, Karen floated the idea of having an AYITM 5k at some point during their weekend. Lea locked it in. "I'm going to run my first 5k on the west coast." And we kept running and kept preparing and then she went to Oregon and ran the friendly 5k......and crossed the finish first. It was quiet, but it was very specific for Lea. I want to keep taking care of my heart. I want to keep taking care of my body. She is intent.

And she's still running.We continue to run each week. We have run a number of 5k races over the last several years including some with our family which has been so tender. This past weekend we had the sweet joy of running the Run Nash 5k in our son's current hometown. Man, it was cold. Lea was awesome. She lost her ear warmer in the first 3 minutes of the race. She stayed locked in. She ran hard. The course was hilly and challenging. She kept her breathing. She stayed in it. She is a tenacious runner. She is beautiful. Beauty running. After the race, we got a print out at the unofficial time tent as you're leaving the area. It said that Lea finished 2nd in her 4 year age bracket. Way to go Lea! But several days later Lea discovered that wasn't accurate. Lea was enjoying remembering our race time together and was looking at the results email that the race team sent out several days post race. As she was skimming down the email she came to the section titled, "Female Grand Master ages 50-98". The number 1 finisher? Smile. Lea Kelly of Signal Mountain, TN.

Am I bragging? Of course! Why am I writing? To say this. Lea, your life is radiant. You impact me daily. Your beauty is tenacious and intoxicating. I learn from you. I see your drive to love Jesus passionately and love others informed by your first Love. And I see you running. I admire you. I'm proud of you. Keep running Remembering One.

"Grand Master." Hmmmm. Grand------Master.

Keep running my girl.

There's more.