Reflecting

I recently had the sad experience of attending the funeral of a longtime family friend. Funerals are always hard, and in my experience even more so when it is an unexpected loss of a young life. But, they are also a time to reflect on life. My brother gave an...

The Best Gifts: Reckless Love

At a recent church service we sang a song about reckless love. At the time I knew that I wanted to share the “love and support of others” as my fourth, and final, gift in this series. But, the idea of reckless love felt more like me. It better describes the risks we...

The Best Gifts: Letting Go of a Victim Mindset

(Disclaimer for today: I am speaking to a “victim mindset,” not a true victim, as defined as “a person who has suffered from physical or emotional harm, property damage, or economic loss as a result of a crime.”) My first half ironman was not my greatest moment in...

The Best Gifts: Life with Less Shame

When I decided I wanted to do Ironman Wisconsin over 15 years ago, I had not swam a lap or ran more than two miles consecutively in my life.  I had some experience biking… I owned a heavy hybrid bike and a trailer that I used to pull my kids in to various toddler...