Dreams on Wings 5K

Dreams on Wing runners take off.

The writer’s life is not always about writing. On Saturday the family participated in the Dreams on Wings 5K in Weatherford, Texas, which raises money for The Hemispherectomy Foundation. The foundation supports children who have had  radical brain surgery to treat forms of epilepsy, stroke, and other brain ailments.

The runners before the big moment.

The children who have had the surgery — and their families — have been through so much and are so strong. We spoke to one young woman who had the surgery ten years ago and she’s just like any teenager you can imagine, although removing the affected hemisphere of the brain results in some paralysis. Everyone that we met at the race and after were hopeful and optimistic because now the children can be treated.

Aidan on the go.

Anyway, so we decided to form a team and run (in my case I use the term “run” loosely) for our friends’ daughter, Jessie. Kim came in fourth in her division, just out of the ribbons, Aidan came in sixth, and I jogged in tenth in my age group. It was a brisk, cold, bright and sunny day, and as we jogged down the first hill (that we had to slog back up at the end of the race — that was a killer course), a herd of horses in the pasture along the road decided to run with us, led by a beautiful black horse. They must have been excited by the commotion. If I had the camera while I running I would have stopped for a picture. As it was, I was concentrating more on breathing.

So it was a fun way to start the weekend. We got to see our friends and support them in their journey to ensure their daughter’s health and future. Writing has to take a backseat to life, that’s all there is to it.

And Kim gave me a gorgeous teapot and some delicious tea from Teavana for Mother’s Day, and I can’t wait to use it.