BoMF

I woke this morning to an amazing day because for once it wasn't raining and it didn't look like it was threatening to rain. The weather the last 2 days has been less than cooperative with my training schedule but I decided to just go with it. However, I was dying to get back out there early this morning so I could enjoy the last few hours with my family who had come for graduation before they all began to travel home. (Thanks Mom, Dad, Robb and Sam!)

I hit the trails and really was noticing how beautiful they were and was again remembering why we chose to buy our house here. We have always loved this area and backing up to the trails was a huge selling point when we bought our house. I crossed the first bridge and was headed under the second when I saw something I had never seen before. There was a man sleeping on the bench next to the bridge. His shoes were laying on the ground next to him and he was curled up in a fetal position on the bench. I wasn't necessarily frightened but just a little startled. It was 7:30 on a Saturday morning and there was an apparent homeless man living practically in my back yard. That definitely gave me something to think about as I continued along. It made me realize how fortunate my family is and made me wonder what caused this young man to end up on a wet, damp park bench in suburban Lenexa. Then I remembered the charity benefitting the race I am running. They are called, Back on My Feet (BoMF). It is a non-profit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of homeless populations by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. BoMF does not provide food or shelter, but instead provides a community that embraces equality, respect, discipline, teamwork and leadership. All members join together to move their own lives forward as well as the lives of their teammates. My sister, Jaime, first heard of this organization several years ago and has since began to go on weekly runs with these men. They are adding just as much value to her life as she is adding to theirs. This is a project she is passionate about and she recently raised over $1000 for their cause. She was fortunate enough to meet the founder of this nonprofit organization and shares in her passion to make the world a better place.

I continued running along and saw several other people out enjoying the morning as well. I ran through Mill Creek Park and remembered all the soccer games my children played there when they were younger. I truly feel blessed to be a part of this community, it has a very small town feel in the middle of a large city. As I got deeper into the trails I saw something that caught my eye deep in the trees. There were 2 make-shift tents in the middle of the woods and it appeared that people were sleeping in them. WHAT?!?!? First a man sleeping on a bench and now people sleeping in the woods. I really had to think about that one because I never expected to see that in my neighborhood. This did not appear to be a campsite as there was no campfire or campgrounds. It was just 2 lone tarps strung between the trees with what appeared to be a hammock hanging underneath both tarps. Now I was really thinking. I remembered how a man named Larry had walked away from his life about a year ago and that my son was one of the last known people to have seen him since he sold him gas and a drink at a convenience store just prior to his disappearance in a local park. Weeks later, he walked out of that same park and into the arms of his family who thought they would never see him again. That park and all of the surrounding areas had been searched multiple times and I have no idea how he escaped being detected. What I saw today made me think of the many different reasons why a man would be sleeping on a park bench or 2 others would be sleeping deep in the woods. I prayed that these people would find shelter and peace within themselves. To the young man on the bench, if you are running away, please go home. Your family and friends love you and are worried about you. I believe there is hope, faith and love in this world. I want everyone to find their place. If you need help, please ask for it. And to the apparent campers, I hope last night was just an adventure. If it wasn't, I hope you find shelter in a warm, dry place. I hope you find acceptance and support from your community. I hope you are able to find a way to get Back on Your Feet!!!