One Last Look (I Promise!)

There were some really hard stretches. There were moments I thought I wouldn't make it. Sometimes it seemed uphill all the way. Sometimes I thought, "What's the point of all this, anyhow?"

But then someone would run along side me, and we'd encourage each other or suddenly there would be a little breeze or a water stop.

And every bit of it; the laughing and the celebrating and the sweating and the aching, every bit of it was what I loved. I wouldn't short it a single step if I could.

And then, the finish line.

Thousands and thousands of people cheering, "You made it!" Thousands and thousands of people, just like me, crying, "I made it." Something to drink. A warm blanket. Food. Hugs from people I love.

I wrote once about heaven, here; what I thought it would be like.

But I've changed my mind. Now I think life is a lot like a marathon, and heaven will be a lot like this: