Folks in
Eastern Jackson County, Missouri are blessed (thanks to Independence City Parks
and Recreation and Jackson County Parks and Recreation) with over 28 miles of
asphalt and grit trails and walkways. I love running the Little Blue Trace
Trail, a fourteen mile grit/gravel trail along the Little Blue River. In
addition, Little Blue Parkway, from I-70 to 24 Highway, has an asphalt walkway
that is a runner’s dream!
When I get
in my groove on these trails, I sometimes lose myself in the tunes, reliving
days of my youth, remembering past loves, recalling precious moments of joy and
laughter, enjoying memories of friends and family that have filled my life with
love and hope! When I know I am alone and a particular jig comes on—yes, I am
still conscious and aware that I would not want to unduly embarrass anyone—I
will take off my shirt and dance the old geezer hillbilly boob n’ belly jiggle.
Not a pretty sight. Sigh. (I would never do this around my children!) In such
moments, I experience a freedom and joy that I cannot express in words. My mind
is flooded with the assurance that every moment of every day is worth living!
My body tingles with energy! My soul shouts to the heavens with joy for all of
creation! My heart sings the melody of God’s grace and love, creation’s wonder
and majesty, humanity’s potential and promise (sometimes to the tune of “I
Thank You”, with ZZ Top—I know, its’ weird!)
I also
often find my thoughts flowing around the issues of poverty. My mind is flooded
with the images of desolate and desperate children, hard-working mothers and
fathers, abandoned and decimated women that have crossed my path in far-flung
places in my life’s journey. Just last week, I was in such a spot on the trail.
Sarah McLachlan was singing “In My Shoes” and I was remembering a trip years
ago with Charles Xue to his home village in rural China. A little girl (about
the age of my grand-daughter) filthy, hungry, quiet, alone, crossed a dirt road
and hugged me. When she finished, she crossed back across the road and
continued on her way –to where, I do not know. On the trail that day, still
running, I became aware that I was crying… uncontrollably. I cannot tell you
why. 
The mystery
of life is that in the midst of the most dire of circumstances; filth, disease,
hunger, violence, despair and abuse… you will find laughter, joy, smiles,
expressions of care and love. I believe this is because, no matter how cruel
human beings can be toward one another, all of us have welded into our DNA the
presence of God’s grace. We cannot escape it. No matter how desperate times can
be, there is always hope. Always joy. Always love. Nothing humanity does to
itself or to this world can defeat the potential for good that resides within
each of us. And in the midst of a long
run on the trail, I know that you and I can make our world a better place. I
dance and cry, often at the same time, for the children of the world. 
