A Breath Of Hope 2010.

I could focus on feeling like a failure when I once committed to running today's 5K and ended up walking, finishing holding the hands of two of my favorite four year olds.

Or that I had told myself I'd get 100 people together today but barely had 50 because of many things. Out of town weddings, and last minute funerals, sick kids and tight budgets. Work commitments and the MN Blog Conference, among other things.

But it's hard to focus on that when I look around me at what we did have today.

A beautiful, sunny day.

Laughter and friends.

I mean, how blessed are we, that friends and friends of friends, some that have never met my mother, would join us and take time out of their Saturday morning to do this 5K?

My friend J, who's daughter attended ECFE with H a long, long time ago. Who met me when my mom was sick and knew me when she passed.

Our babysitter, R, who's been babysitting for us since right before my mom got sick and saw me on some ugly days three years ago. She came and she ran and then she loved on our kids and really, she deserves her very own blog post.

Co-workers of my dad who have gone through their own grief and losses of loved ones.

Friends I've known for years and years and years who even with busy schedules and kids and all that jazz still make it.

Friends I know who now have their own experiences with lung cancer as loved ones of theirs now battle it.

My friend H, who I met in a class at the U of M, 8 or 9 years ago and even though her life is PR and advertising and my life is mothering, we still stay in touch.

My friend S, who is literally NINE months pregnant. I mean seriously having a baby in 10 days.

My cousins, who drive from Green Bay, WI, every September to join us and continue bettering their running time. (26 minutes this year, those two!)

My sister and her daughter who drove the two hours in early on a Saturday morning to join us.

J's nephew and his fiance' who've got busy, busy college lives and a wedding to plan, yet they join us.

And then there are the kids in our crew. Our own kids, who walked {or ran in the case of T} the entire 3.2 miles {H included}. Our friends kids who walked or rode in strollers or on top of shoulders. And we pass them around between arms or between strollers or simply hold their hands and keep walking.

We don't do the 5K to have the biggest team, the most money donated or to run/walk the fastest. We do it simply because we love and miss my mom.

Yes it's great to have a big team. It's great to bring donations in and it's great to finish with a great time, but it's really great to know that when we remember my mom, we are not alone, there are many who stand {and walk and run} through this life with us.

Our group photo minus about 20 of our teammates. It gets harder and harder to get a group photo every year!

And for that we are very thankful.