Here I was standing as the anchor runner of a parents relay team.
I am about to race a group of school teachers.
My heart is pounding.
The crowd cheers are sending my senses into over drive.
I sense a moment of destiny approaching.
A moment of sweet victory where I can savour a win and feel for a moment what winning at the Olympics might feel like.

It was all looking good until I found out my competitors had cheated and brought in someone’s nephew...and he is really fast.
Then one of our team collapses trying to round the first mark. By the time it is my turn to run, the race was already lost.
The electrical atmosphere was gone.
Dreams of victory seemed like a long distant romance.
Dreams lost in the fog of time.

Note to reader...I have eaten too much chocolate today and my creative juices are now a torrent. Please excuse all craziness in this simple thought.

As I take off on my little run I think it the right thing to do to run the best I can.
My son is watching me.
My wife is watching me.
My mum is even watching me.
And I didn’t want to rob the crowd of seeing me speed down the track.
The only problem was I rounded a marker a little too aggressively and I felt something go wrong with my leg.

Now I am left with a torn calf muscle.
No victory.
And my run has been whittled down to a limp.

There is a verse in the bible that describes our bodies being totally linked together. It explains that every part of the body needs the other. That if one part hurts, the whole body hurts.
I have hurt my leg, and the rest of my body knows it.
It simply can’t ignore the plight of one of its members.

These holidays, my dream for you is to have a great time.
But if for any reason it is not the holiday season you have dreamed of, know that we care. If you hurt, we will hurt with you.
You are part of us and we want to be there for you.
Let’s stay close, hang out and enjoy this time together.
Let’s make every effort to love one another.
And make this a Christmas worthy of its name.

Something to think about...