Warning: This is actually rather serious
Warning 2: This also asks for money
I have been thinking a lot about death lately. Makes you want to invite me to your next cocktail party, huh? On September 5 my grandma, Winnie Kerr, 93, passed away. Today, September 10, is the 3-year anniversary of my dad’s death. September 11 is obviously remembered, and it seems hard to believe that six years have passed. September 12 is the anniversary of the death of my good friend’s sister. That’s a lot of death in a one week span.
Even when death is almost a blessing, as with my grandma who was older and from whom life had begun to slip away, it is still hard to deal with. (I know, grammar police, that’s a preposition at the end of my sentence but ‘it is hard with which to deal’ just seemed a bit cumbersome.) Even when death becomes, in a sense, expected, as with my dad, it can still be a shock that feels as though it tears away your very foundation. I realize this is a bit heavy for a Monday morning, what happens to be a beautiful sunny Monday morning in Newport Beach. I don’t want to dwell on death and wallow in it. But I do want to take a moment to honor those who have passed away, to be thankful for their lives, and to appreciate my own life as well.
Now the money part.
On November 4 I will be running the New York City Marathon to raise money for lung cancer research (lung cancer is what my dad died of). I am running with a charity called the Labrecque Foundation, named after Thomas Labrecque, CEO of the Chase Manhattan Corporation, who was diagnosed with lung cancer and died 8 weeks later.
I have agreed to raise $2500 which gives me the opportunity to drag myself 26.2 miles around New York City. All of the money raised goes to the charity—I even have to pay my own marathon entrance fee to run. If I don’t raise the $2500, not only do I get the privilege of running that far, but I also get to pay a pretty penny to do so!
I would love it if you would like to donate. Don’t feel obligated. Honestly. There is no pressure here. But, if you do want to donate, you can do it in one of two ways. (I have to raise all funds by mid-October).
**If you feel comfortable using your credit card online (secure transaction) you can go directly to:
http://www.active.com/donate/tglingnycmarathon07/edunny
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