Sadness

I have an outline for most of my posts this month.  I was just about to sit and write my post for Wednesday when I got the awful news Tuesday evening that my friend Michelle lost her battle with cancer. Michelle was 43 and was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in late January.  I have known her for 14 years.  When we first moved to NY we worked together at the College.  She quit working after she had her first baby and we lost touch until last year when she joined the running group that I'm in.  We would run together Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  She was a fast runner and a fierce competitor.  We would do hill repeats once a week and I would bust my butt to try to beat her up the hill and she would do the same trying to beat me. We ran a 5k together on New Year's Eve.  The race was in the middle of the day and it was cold and I was miserable.  Michelle stayed with me and we ran the entire race together.   She said that she didn't want to leave a friend behind.  We crossed the finish line at the same time  and I'm so thankful she stayed with me.  I don't think I would have finished that race without her.  We ran a few times in January and and then she got diagnosed and had to stop running. 

My friend Michelle 

These past few months have been SO hard on her and her family.  She was a fighter and she battled her cancer until the end with grace and dignity.   We had lunch a few weeks ago with some friends and I'm thankful I got to see her and visit with her.  Of course none of us knew that it would be our last time together with her.  Life is a gift and we never know how much time we have left.  Michelle lived her life to the fullest and to honor her legacy I will do the same.  

This is a picture of our running group (and kids!) from a race that exactly one year ago.  Michelle is in the right hand corner in the black under armour hat.  I'm #81.