Five people moved in tandem down a trail, connected by a wheelchair unlike any other.
This hiking trail, popular with Bend, Ore., families, is a testing ground for inventor Geoff Babb. One miscalculation about how to navigate a tight squeeze of boulders, and he could topple over the edge toward an ice-cold river below. But that’s not what worried Babb, who hasn’t walked since a stroke 14 years ago. From WFDD
Shelby Winder, a teacher at Grand Oaks High School near Houston, Texas, knew the best way to teach life skills to her special needs students was with hands-on experience. From It’s a Southern Thing
Stranger gives 88-year-old woman his first class seat on flight to London… From Today Show
This 69-year-old physics professor’s extra demonstrations for his class. The video comes from GMA
By David Freeze
I can’t begin to remember the first time I met Kevin and Ester Marsh.
It seems like they have always been close friends. They were also very
special to a generation of running kids in Rowan County.
With an exceptionally talented running son, Kevin and Ester helped with
another program when Andrew got involved. They decided in 2011 to start
the YMCA Warriors, offering cross country and track competition. Kevin
said, “Ester and I knew that we could partner with the Y to have a
terrific running program.” The long story is that the couple invested a
huge amount of time to help these kids, up to 900 hours annually.
Rowan County doesn’t have middle school cross country and track but
most of the surrounding counties do. Kevin and Ester worked with over 50
kids, many as young as 9 and 10. Most continued to participate in the
program until high school and often remained afterwards.
While Kevin handled most of the running, Ester was the catalyst for
starting the Warriors and she handled all the team entries and
memberships, plus the YMCA requirements for their programs. Ester also
coached the high jump, long jump, hurdles and sprints. Kevin said,
“Ester was truly a force for our team!”
Kevin continued, “The Warriors always had many kids
qualify for the Junior Olympics, an accomplishment in itself, and we
also had at least one All-American (top eight in age group) in every
Junior Olympics we competed in for nine years.”
Both Kevin and Ester had to balance all the time invested in coaching
with hectic jobs. Kevin works for the Carolina Restaurant Group as
service manager and Ester is fitness director at the Hurley YMCA. Summer
track season is the longest with meets lasting all day on Saturday and
even Sundays at the State and Regionals levels. Kevin said, “So probably
about 30 hours a week and 20 hours a week for cross country. That’s 900
hours annually included planning workouts and other training.”
Still the rewards were great. Kevin said, “My most special memories are of Andrew winning the 2000m Steeplechase and being National Champion and our 10 and under boys cross country team winning the Footlocker Regional at McAlpine Park.” Members of that boys’ team included Eli Julian, Matthew Burroughs, Connor Price, Bret Lewis and Nate Shaffer. We also had a 9-10 year old team in 2015 AAU Junior Olympic Cross Country Championship in Alabama that finished second in the country, only seven points out of first place. Julian and Price were joined by Triston Rabon, Jake Swicegood and Grayson Steedley. I am very proud of both these teams because the total team finish embodies what makes cross country such a great sport.”
Current Rowan County High School Champions, Adalie Harrison and Noah Julian, are former Warriors.
All good things come to an end. Kevin said, “Mainly we decided to step
away after the 2019 season due to our jobs. I am traveling more than
ever for several days a week. With the Rowan/Cabarrus YMCA merger, Ester
has a much bigger time commitment with the fitness department. The
other consideration was our core group of boys that started as 8-9 year
olds will move into high school next school year. My commitment was to
keep coaching until they reached that level.”
With their well-deserved free time, Ester
and Kevin plan to do trail riding in some new places and travel more
since they won’t have to use vacation time for the Junior Olympics and
Cross- Country Nationals. They plan to stay close to the running scene
in Rowan County. Kevin has seven marathons and Ester has completed a
half marathon and multiple triathlons.
Kevin continued, “When Ester and I decided to start the Warriors, our
main goal was to instill a love of running in our kids that hopefully
would carry on into adulthood. That is why we mainly focused on personal
bests at each meet instead of finishing place. We are most proud of how
many of our athletes went on to become accomplished runners in high
school and we try to get to as many of their meets as possible. We
always say ‘Once a Warrior always a Warrior’. I’m sure many people at
cross country meets wonder why we’re cheering for kids from so many
different schools, but we will always support our former athletes. It
has been truly a labor of love!”
Look for upcoming running events including the New Sarum Brewing 37th Annual Winter Flight 8K/5K and Fun Run on January 26th at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org
The firestorm in Australia has burned an area as large as West Virginia, and the smoke from those fires is making its way around the globe. NPR’s Nathan Rott looks at what all of those emissions mean for the broader climate. From All Things Considered.
This is a heart-warming video of a Golden Retriever meeting the new baby in the family. From USA Today.
Next to an armchair in Patrick Stewart’s living room in Brooklyn sits a small table, and on it a black three-ring binder. The 79-year-old actor leans in and clasps his hands when recounting his upbringing in the North of England. This story is from Variety.
Please pray for the people of Puerto Rico… A magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook Puerto Rico on Saturday morning, causing a landslide in the southern municipality of Peñuelas. Story from USA Today.
By Doug Creamer
It’s not a very exciting day at my house today. I am busy doing the ordinary things of life. I am washing clothes, changing the sheets on the bed, getting them washed, and doing some other cleaning tasks. It has to get done sometime.
The sun is shining and it feels nice. I think a walk will be in order today. I have been going for walks lately, even if it is a little chilly. Something about walking clears my head. I can think about things, or if my wife comes along, we can talk about things.
As I look around, there are a few other things that are calling for my attention. My old car inspection is due and I have to get a new battery for that car. I have pushed that off as long as possible.
I just looked out the window and noticed that I probably need to run the lawn mower one last time to get up the last of the stray leaves. With the Christmas decorations out of the way, I ought to get out there and take care of that and maybe the gutters, too.
There are always things that we have to do. There are always things that are vying for our attention. We have a choice. We can allow those things to distract us, to keep us away from the Lord. The other choice is to invite God to join us in our everyday activities.
Here is what I mean. When I cut the grass, I have a pair of ear protectors to help block out the sound of the lawn mower. They will help me to block out the roar of the motor so I can hear the voice of my Father.
I have to admit it is pretty mundane to make the bed. But that can change if I invite God to join me in that task. It is a perfect opportunity to pray for God to give us peaceful sleep. I can also pray for the love of my life. I admit it is easy to miss the opportunity, and I have on far too many occasions. It is easy to focus on completing the task and allowing our minds to wander.
I am convinced that God wants to spend more time with us. I keep looking for chances and have discovered that I get distracted from golden opportunities. He is waiting and ready, but I am thinking about something else. But if I stop and think about Him, He is right there even when I am doing the dishes.
I know all of us are concerned with what is going on in the world. We watch our military men and women being sent overseas and we naturally want to worry. We also falsely believe that God needs to focus His attention on what is happening in other places. There are people all over the world who are facing desperate situations, how could I ask God to spend time with me while I am changing the sheets?
We need to come to a better understanding about God. He is capable of being omnipresent. This means that He can be with me while I am putting the clean sheets on the bed and He can also be with our men and women in the armed forces. He is with the people in Australia who are suffering in the fires. He is also with the homeless families in our communities, the widow who feels all alone, and you and whatever situation you are facing today.
God wants to be with us. It is up to us to open the door for Him. He cares about and knows about everything in our lives…AND most important, He loves us. He is keeping a close eye on us and all those who are in desperate need. Stop worrying about everyone else and invite Him into your heart. He has the answers you need. It doesn’t matter how bad you think you screwed everything up, He wants you, loves you, and accepts you.
I want to encourage you to open your heart to the omnipresent God. He knows all and still keeps on loving you. Stop making excuses; come Home to Him today. He’s waiting for you. You don’t have to clean yourself up. He is an expert at doing that. He has a plan for your life and I promise it will be a good trip. It requires you to activate your faith and for you to open the door for Him. Don’t worry, He’ll do the rest.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com