Marathon Miracles

Matt ran in the 2013 Boston Marathon with a non profit group called Griffin's Friends.  We were so excited to be a part of this amazing race and so proud of him for his hard work.  Weeks before the race, he asked me if I would run the last 7 miles with him.  I made plans for a friend to watch my kids at the race, but the plans fell through.  We decided that it may not be such a good idea for me to jump in and run.  We (me and my kids) planned to meet some friends at mile 19 to cheer him on.  We discussed that the absolute earliest he would be there would be 1:00 but more likely closer to 2:00 because he didn't know what time he would actually get to start.  I had the wrong address, traffic was crazy, all the streets were closed, and my car was overheating so I didn't make it to the point we had agreed upon to meet.  I parked the car as soon as I could find a parking spot and we started walking.  As soon as we reached the race, there was a gap in the line of spectators so we popped our heads out to watch the race.  I looked up at the sea of runners and there was MATT!!!  Out of 30,000 runners he was right in front of me the second we got to the race.  I got very emotional as I realized this was NOT a coincidence.  He stopped gave us all hugs and we took a picture.

I told him we would be at the finish line or that we would meet him at the Griffin's Friends bus in Boston. He kept running, only 7 more miles to go.  I can't tell you how proud of him we felt.

I told the kids that we would have to hurry to get to the finish.  They dawdled back to the car.  We passed a beautiful pond with ducks.  I had the feeling to stop and enjoy the beautiful day, so we did.  Looking back on this decision, I am so thankful that I followed that prompting.

When we finally made it to the car I had to get directions.  A kind lady told me to follow her.  I have never driven in a big city and I was terrified.  We followed her into the city, traffic was CRAZY, she did an illegal turn so I stopped following her.  I realized that I had no clue where I was or where to ask Siri to take me.  As we sat in traffic we discussed the fun restaurants and shops we saw.  I called Matt at 2:39 to tell him we would be there as soon as we could.  We were inching along in traffic, so I finally told my kids we might not even get to see Daddy.  We decided to head home.  At that moment I looked up and saw the sign that said Mass Pike West, that was the only road I needed to get home, SCORE!!  I got through traffic and hopped on the Pike.  I was so relieved to be out of the crazy traffic on our way home.  I realized how blessed I was to be at the right place at the right time. 

We passed Fenway Stadium and my phone rang at 2:56.  Luckily I heard it, Matt often wonders why I have a phone because I never answer it.  It was a New Hampshire number that I didn't recognize.  On the other end Matt was frantically pleading, "Please tell me you are not at the finish line!!" over and over.  I told him where I was and was very concerned that he was so upset.  He told me that there had been 2 explosions and to get out of the city as soon as possible.  He told me he was safe and that he would call back when he could.  I was picturing car fires at this point.  I am so thankful his call came through because I couldn't get a hold of him for hours.  As soon as we hung up I asked Ruby to look on CNN to see what was going on.  My phone went crazy from all the calls and texts we started getting from worried family and friends.  We watched a flood of police cars head the opposite direction into the city.

When we got home I checked the news and realized that the explosions were not an accident.  I had it together until this point.  I was horrified.  Why would someone do that???  I was finally able to get a hold of Matt.  He was just about to turn his last corner onto Boylston Street when he felt and heard the explosions.  The crowd was cheering wildly, BOOM, silence, wild cheering, BOOM, silence.  He turned the corner and was 2 blocks from the 2nd explosion. He was exhausted, freezing, and just wanted to run the 1/4 of a mile he had to get to the finish line.  The race was stopped and the police got all the runners off the course.  Matt described the mess and confusion he saw. People were frantic.   As he told me where he was at the time, it hit me that the 2 minutes he stopped to talk to us at mile 19 was not a coincidence.  I can not begin to tell you how blessed I felt.  It was almost like we were pawns in a game being set in the right places at the right times.  I know that God lives and that he listened to our family prayer for safety that morning.  He loves us and is aware of our individual needs.  All of these little tender mercies of the Lord that occurred that day leave me feeling very blessed. I know that He was watching out for us that day and continues to do so.

Matt is a finisher.  I am so proud of him.  I am so thankful he was safe.  I felt honored to rub his sore feet when he got home that night.

The next day, I decided to Google some of the places we had passed just to figure out where we were.  I had no clue if we were minutes away from the race or miles away.  I was sickened when I saw where we were. If you look at the map (click on it to see a larger image) the orange dots are the 2 explosions, Matt is the runner.  The purple path is where we were driving.  The bottom right is where we were at 2:39 and the end of the of the path on the left is where we were at 2:56 when he called.  The first bomb went off at 2:50, the second about 10 seconds later.  The path shows 17 minutes of us driving.  I am guessing we were underground getting on the freeway when everything happened. 

I wanted to thank the kind person who let Matt borrow their phone.  It hit me I could!!  This was my text.

Recording memories

 My cute friend Ellie asked me to be a guest blogger today on Creative Geekery!
Check out it!

My mom is the greatest mom in the world. My selective memory of her skews happy. Some of my fondest memories include:

·      As a child: Reading Madeline books together (“…and to the tiger in the zoo, Madeline just said, ‘POO POO!’”)

·      As a tween: Battling during indoor water fights (I could not match her energetic expertise handling a double-barrel Super Soaker 2000!)

·      As a teenager: Giggling together while telling her about my first kiss (mincemeat breath!)

My dear mother fought, but eventually lost, many health battles, passing away in January 1999. Fourteen years later, my memories are blissfully limited. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about how amazing she was.

Am I missing memories of my mom? How did she really feel? Did she ever get frustrated? Did she even enjoy being my mom? Did she feel the same way I do during the ups and downs of parenting? I will never know; my memories are her remains.

In contrast, my Mother in Law kept a journal of her experiences as a mother. When one of her eight kids had a birthday, she pulled out her journal and read little snippets about the birthday child. I loved hearing the stories of my husband dropping batteries down the toilet and his other antics. I loved to hear that she had good days and some really crappy ones. It helped me realize that I was normal.

I want my kids to know I love them. I want them to know specifically what I love about them, how naughty they were/are, how they melt my heart, and how they sometimes break it. I want them to know me. I want them to know I adore being their mom. Recording feelings and experiences helps me express my love to my children.

There are numerous ways to record memories: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, email, letters, photo books, blogs, journals, calendars, voice memos, etc.  I learned that keeping track of memories is a lot of fun.  To my pleasant surprise, my kids like to get involved as well.  Here are a few ways we do it in the Rich family:

·      Letters to kids:  I started a letter to each of my kids when I found out I was pregnant.  I told how I felt, possible names, about showers and current events.  When they were born I wrote about their birth stories.  As they grow I write about milestones, funny things they say, naughty things they do, activities they are involved in, who their friends are, struggles we have, triumphs they experience.  I keep it positive, but real. My kids love when I read their letters to them.  The letters are currently a Word document, that I email to myself each time I update them (as a backup).  I keep a list on my phone of the things that I want to write about, and update the letters a couple times a year. I plan on turning the letters into a book with photos and giving it to my kids when they turn 18.  I hope it helps them as they grow and becomes a tool when they have their own kids. 

·      Timeline: My husband created a time line of places he has lived, big events in his life, education, and work experiences. It helps us plan for the future and motivates us in the present.  He made one for our daughter and uses it to help her set goals for her future. 

·      Kid’s choice photo books: Every few months, Shutterfly sends a coupon for a free photobook. My 3 kids take turns making their own books. It is fun to see how they put them together and which memories are important to them. 

·      Themed photo books: When my turn rolls around for a free book, I pick a theme and create a book. One book revolves around messy pictures of my kids (dirt, boogers, spaghetti). Another book contains pictures that make me smile for those crappy days I have as a mom. (When the finished “crappy days” book arrived in the mail, I was mortified to discover that I misspelled the word “the” on the cover!!!  How goofy that I spelled “the” as “teh!” I couldn’t help but laugh at my embarrassing typo. It is now a cherished memory.) I plan on doing a Christmas book, a Halloween book, and different books containing photos of my kids’ art works.  

·      Memory jar: I have a pint jar on my desk that we write memories on strips of paper.  On New Years Eve we dump the jar out and read our favorite memories of the year. I type the list up and put it on my blog.

·      Mom book: It is simply a blank notebook.  When my kids or husband ask me what I want for Christmas, my birthday, Mothers Day I ask them to write me a note or draw a picture in my Mom book.  We only started this book last year, but I am hoping it turns into a family treasure.  It will be fun to watch the messages morph as my children grow (assuming they still like me, if they don’t I will have that documentation as well).

·      Blog book: Every couple years I create a blog book through Blurb. Blurb places all my blog posts into a program that I can edit and bind in a beautiful hard-bound book.   It is fun to see my blog on the computer but in book form it turns into a cherished treasure.

·      Ping-pong journal: I bought my big kids a small journal that  travels back and forth between our pillows.  I ask them a question, they answer. They return it by asking me a question then placing it on my pillow.  I love to see their handwriting and writing skills evolve.  I enjoy reading their answers and love the questions they ask me.

·      Gratitude journal: We have a notebook that I randomly pull out and ask my family members what they are thankful for. We love to look back on previous entries.  Some of our favorites: I am thankful for….NOTHING, toilet paper, that I am not an orphan, etc.

·      Birthday Interview:  I have a list of questions that we all fill out on our birthdays.  I copy and paste the interview into my letters to my kids. 

·      Personal Journal: I also write in my personal journal from time to time.  This is a place where I can vent and I don’t have to worry about my audience.  I tell it like it really is. 

·      Alphabet Book: I created a photo album of all our family members in alphabetical order.  Aa is for Aunt Amy, Jj is for Joseph, etc.  We live away from our extended family so this is a great way to help my kids remember who everyone is.

These are just a few easy fun methods of recording memories. Many of the methods are part of my everyday life. Recording memories helps me through the many ups and downs of parenting. The process of recording (and later reviewing) the memories has strengthened my relationships with my kids. Next time one of my kids inexplicably squeezes toothpaste all over the floor, I plan to take a picture of the insanity, clean up the mess together, and then make it a laughable memory by posting a pic on Instagram.

Happy Easter!

 Daddy took his job of hiding the baskets very seriously.  He learned from his dad.  Ruby's basket was on the roof and Cooper's was up in the tree.

My favorite part of Easter is the phone call we get from Grandma Rich.  "He is Risen!"  She calls all of her family members to remind them the good news.