Happy Mother's Day

I started writing a new post yesterday, but saved it in my "edit posts" page. I wanted to write about a difficult week that resulted in a new commitment to my running program, but today all I could think about was being a mother.
I have three wonderful children and they are the highlights of my life.
My son Stephen is a very funny, creative guy who has a very bright future.
I have a beautiful daughter who has already achieved more than most people in her short life. She continues to focus on her dreams, taking steps to achieve them.
Tommy was my first born; creative and brilliant, he left this life much too soon. Some years ago he showed up at my house on Mother's Day in Wilson, PA with a large box from Sears. Inside the box was a gas grill, something I always wanted. He worked feverishly to set up the grill and I cooked dinner on it. It was awesome! Tommy was always a giver, never expected anything in return. He once gave me a very precious angel statue on Mother's Day too. The angel graces the garden in Wilson. Just after Tommy died, one of my friends who had lost her young son, gave me a present. When I opened the present it was an angel statue. I gasped because I heard Tommy's voice in my head saying "remember mom, I give you angels", since then I have received numerous angel figures from many people.
Being a mother is probably the most important job you can have in life. It is definitely the most rewarding. To lose a child is excruciating, the depth of pain is something that cannot be described. All you want is to have God give them back, to please give them back now!
I have written about how I want to run again because of the memories I have of Tommy riding his bike alongside me and that is the main motivation, but it is also because I want to run because it is something I really love. I am not going to break "110 year old records", nor do I want to. I just want to be the best I can be, and I am grateful that I am alive and continue to have the ability to run. I am truly blessed.