God Willing

I decided I'd better blog again before I'm retiring this pair of running shorts. That, and the fact that my niece, Vanessa, will be returning to school and she'll give me a really hard time for not blogging for so long.

I'm thinking about our friend, Jim Roman. Jim is somewhat of an icon in North Ogden. He's 90+ years old and walks five miles a day. I first met Jim about four or five years ago, during a run. He was in his late 80's then....I think. His age, according to him, changes depending on the day and time of year you talk to him. However, near as I can tell, he's in his early 90's.

Chip and I see Jim almost weekly on our runs. In the summer months, I see him pretty much daily. We always stop to visit, and our visit always starts off with a handshake. I wonder if he's a little hard of hearing because he watches your mouth when you speak, however, he always seems to understand what you're saying and he has an incredible memory.

He walks with a cane, which he insists is to ward off stray dogs, and is finally wearing a reflector vest, courtesy of his granddaughter. He's been walking five miles a day for over 25 years, after experiencing a heart attack. He claims to have never missed a day....I'm not too sure how accurate that statement is. However, in some ways I wouldn't be surprised. Now matter the weather or the temperature, he's out there. In the winter months, he wears a snowmobile suit.

Jim goes out ice fishing with his son pretty much every weekend in the winter. He claims they always catch their limit and then stop for breakfast on the way home. Jim plants a garden every summer and still mows his lawn.

Chip told him he's like a rooster, because he wakes up as soon as it starts getting daylight. He's never forgotten this, and always refers to himself as "the rooster" when we visit with him. He loves to give Chip a hard time when I'm running alone, and asks me if I wasn't able to drag his "lazy butt out of bed." (The reality is that Chip has most likely run before me, or he's WAY ahead of me....)

Last Sunday, while doing a long run, I saw Jim. As usual, we chatted about the weather, commenting on how much longer the days were getting, and how nice it is to have the sun rise a little earlier. We said our usual, "See you in the morning" and he looked at me and said, "God willing."

I thought about this comment as I finished my run. Isn't it the truth? We never know what the next moment is going to bring, not to mention the next morning. I wondered how it would be to think in those terms about everything. Not in a gloom and doom way, but in a grace filled and grateful way. It made me remember, once again, how every moment truly is a gift that's given freely and when it's gone....it's gone. I also thought about how that comment probably has different meaning for Jim than is does for me.

Every summer I think I should take my camera with me on a run, and ask Jim if I can take his picture and post it on my blog to inspire others. Maybe I'll ask him this summer....God willing.