A friend of mine gave a talk in church today that was so so good. I wish I could put the whole thing on this blog but in the meantime have found a snippet she shared from a conference talk that I really loved.
"Several
years ago, I had the opportunity to run the Boston Marathon. I had
trained hard and felt I was prepared, but at mile 20 there are hills.
The locals call the steepest and longest hill Heartbreak Hill. When I
reached that point, I was physically spent. The hill was long, and
because I was a novice, I allowed myself to do something no seasoned
runner ever does—I started to think negatively. This slowed my pace, so I
tried to think positively and visualize the finish line. But as I did
this, I suddenly realized that I was in a big city, there were thousands
of people lining the route, and I had not made any arrangements to
locate my husband at the end of the marathon. I felt lost and alone, and
I started to cry. I was wearing a big red T-shirt with the word
Utah
printed on the front in big block letters. As the spectators saw that I
was crying, they would yell, “Keep going, Utah.” “Don’t cry, Utah.”
“You’re almost finished, Utah.” But I knew I wasn’t, and I was lost. I
also knew that even if I stopped running and dropped out of the race, I
would still be lost.
Do
any of you ever feel like you’re running up Heartbreak Hill and that
even though there are people lining the route, you are alone? That’s how
I felt. So I did what every one of you would do—I began to pray right
there on that marathon route. I told Heavenly Father that I was alone
and that I was on a hill. I told Him that I was discouraged and afraid
and that I felt lost. I asked for help and strength to be steadfast and
to finish the race. As I continued to run, these words came into my
mind:
That
sweet answer to my prayer gave me the strength to continue on until I
crossed the finish line. And despite my fears, my husband was right
there and all was well.
That
day I experienced more than a marathon. I learned some important
lessons. First of all, never wear a big red shirt with the word Utah
printed on it. Second, I learned that no matter how well prepared you
think you are, there are hills on the course. I learned that people
cheering for you along the way are absolutely essential. I learned again
that day that we are never alone."
-Elaine Dalton, Conference Talk, April 2008
This made me think about the people in my life that I could be a better cheerleader for. So for anyone reading this blog and thinking about giving up or quitting something that is important I'm sayin' to you: Keep going Utah! (or wherever you're from) Don't cry Utah! You're almost finished, Utah! Maybe I'm sayin' that to me too.
