Curve balls

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a curve ball - literally or figuratively?

You think things are going to happen one way and they end up turning out differently?

It seems to happen around here all the time. It happened this week. Mark and I lost a good friend the other day. This is one of the worst kinds of curve balls. He wasn't a friend we saw every day or even every week. He is someone we met a while back through one of our race events. It was our 2nd race event that we had ever directed. We were still quite new at the whole thing. I remember it clearly:

The race was going well. We were directing a 5k walk/run and half marathon. We were very excited. Outside of a few hitches, it was turning out to look like a successful event. The 5k was wrapping up, the winner of the 1/2 had come across the line and here came #2 and #3, running fast and strong. It was a beautiful day - hot, but beautiful. 2 and 3 come across the line and I instantly know something is wrong. They are frowning and fussing. Something went wrong out on the course. We didn't know what exactly went wrong and who was to blame. At the same time, there was a problem with the 5k race results and people were getting antsy to find out how they placed. We were at a loss and did not know what to do. We were on the brink of having to deal with a lot of frustrated people and no one really knew what was going on with either situation.

In steps Richard. Come to find out, Richard, who had volunteered to help out at the start and finish, knew exactly what to do. Unbeknownst to us, he had the very race experience that we needed at that moment. He got to work and helped us figure out just what was going on with the race results and was able to deal with the aftermath of a 5k (it can be quite hectic!). He worked tirelessly that day to guide us and help us through a very frustrating experience. From that moment on, Richard became part of our race team as well as our friend.

We worked together to put on 2 more successful races. We were just about to start the final stretch for our next event in October and received the sad news that Richard had passed away. Richard was always ready with a smile, a laugh, a word of encouragement and always the truth. I will miss him.

There are some people in this world you may not see often, but are always blessed when you do. Richard was one of those people. I will be forever grateful for his willingness to step in and help. I will forever cherish his encouragement and belief in what Mark and I are trying to do with Marathon Makeover. Thank you, Richard. Your life blessed mine and I am a better person for knowing you. Thank you, God, for Richard.

Time passes and we don't do or say the things that really matter. Then we get one of those curve balls and it reminds us what is truly important in life. People don't know if you don't tell them. I told Richard "thanks" many times. I just wish I could tell him one more time.