By Kay Heitsch
At Todd's funeral, calling hours in Ohio, I was surprised that several teenagers told me Todd had said I was easy to talk to. So if they ever wanted to talk to someone, they could come over and talk to me.
It wasn't long before teenagers started coming over to talk. I don't remember much of what we discussed, but it was good for me, and I hope it was for them as well.
One day, some members of the Cross Country Team came over and told me they wanted to dedicate their season to Todd. I thought that was so kind. Todd had joined the team after he broke his leg playing football.
Dr. Peale had released a condensed edition of his book The Power of Positive Thinking. I thought this would be a nice gift for each team member. In each, if I remember correctly, I wrote: "Believe In Memory of Todd." What I found interesting was that the team started training without a coach.
Todd liked to run. He'd been running in town-type races since he was in grade school. I would go along with him and make comments that I could walk faster than some of those women ran.
Todd challenged me to put my money where my mouth is and run with him in the next race. Todd's cross-country friends reminded me of this challenge. I was not a runner, but I felt the pressure and decided to do it.
I didn't do any training, but I bought running clothes, so I looked prepared.
The day of the race came, and a guy started to run with me. His mouth never stopped whining and saying how tired he was, etc. I'm not sure what the issue is. Later, I found out his wife won the race. I must have looked like competition, and he was trying to slow me down.
Let's say I finished the race, but I didn't win.
This guy had no idea why I was running that day. But his negative attitude lit a fire in me. Now, like the cross-country team, I have started training without a coach. For the next race, I will be ready.
I praise God, Todd had told these teenagers to come over to the house. I also praise God for giving me the motivation to start running. Exercise is a wonderful way to relieve stress, and I needed that.
"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18
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