Embracing My New World

Embrace: To clasp or hold close with the arms, usually as an expression of affection

Yesterday after I finished my work out with my pilates ball I sent it gently down the cellar stairs. It landed squarely on a framed picture which we were going to hang in my husband's new 'man cave' (new since we are empty nesters). Crash! The glass broke. Last night as I was taking out a strainer to drain our pasta it somehow caught on one of our glass bowls. Crash! The glass broke. Okay once in a day is an accident; twice in a day is a sign. As I was rolling out on my foam roller I somehow managed to hit my head on the leg of the dining room table. What is God telling me?

As I reflected on some of my recent choices, I realized that I was holding on to my 'cherished role' as a social worker. After all, it's a safe and known world for me. I helped a friend to extricate himself from a toxic relationship. After helping this friend to extricate himself from a toxic situation, I realized my old thought patterns and feelings began to surface. I was drawn into the drama and trauma but to my credit, unlike the 'old days', I was able to take a day of solitude yesterday, detoxify and reclaim my peace and connection to God. After all, it's not about growing out of old patterns, it's about growing from them.

As I reflected on the sound and feeling of the breaking glass, I experienced a break through. I no longer need to be do-ing social work. I get to fully embrace my new world. I can let go of the trapeze with both arms now (using Sandi Daly's wonderful imagery) and fly free. Yes, I can be of service but I can be of service in ways that I enjoy; in ways that are fun and I can allow myself to be.

August 1st was the anniversary of my dad's suicide. 39 years ago. I think it's about time that I stop serving penance and release the guilt. It's time that I stop trying to save lives. In truth, people have to make their own choices. God grant me the serenity.... There are other people to do the work now and I put into place the resources to help out my friend. Dare I say it? I get to have fun. The time to rescue is gone. It's time to embrace my new world.

Today I reconnected with someone who was my room mate in college. We had not seen each other in over 30 years. She found me from an alumni note that was in Bostonia, the BU alumni magazine. We had corresponded via email and spoke on the phone last year and then got busy and lost contact. She email'ed me to tell me she was coming to Boston and could we meet for lunch. My schedule is pretty full these next few weeks but today was perfect timing. It was so wonderful to reminisce, and laugh, and talk about music and Red Sox and eat wonderful food at the Alongquin Club and take a walk on the mall at Commonwealth Avenue; wonder what happened to certain people we both knew and talked about how we met. I gave her my books of inspirational poetry as a gift. She treated to lunch. Yesterday's crashing of glass releasing me from the old and breaking through to the new freed me to thoroughly enjoy this time with her being in the present moment.

In today's Daily Prayer for Healing, Kate talked about having James Douglass return to Moon, Moo and You:The Collective Wisdom. The conversation about the Kennedy Assassination will continue. I had an aha moment while reading her blog:

"And our challenge is to create the peace within ourselves and among ourselves....these past few weeks I was helping a friend who was extricating himself from a toxic relationship. It was so easy to fall into an us/them mentality and get into negative thinking. I took a retreat day yesterday to get centered, to detoxify and clear my energy and to bless and love everyone. Gathering in this space reminds me of how important it is to stay connected to the Source of Love especially when we see the darkness in the world."

I cannot change the circumstances that happened to my friend; I cannot change him and have him move out of the victim role. I can only express light and love and keep my energy channel tuned to the station with God's Love. I can only Choose Happiness for me. In Ricky Powell's newsletter this week he links to a clip of Victor Frankl, author of "Man's Search for Meaning." He quotes Goethe “When we treat man as he is, we make him worse than he is; when we treat him as if he already were what he potentially could be, we make him what he should be.” And so I hold my friend and his ex-girlfriend in the light and lens of God's love but I do so now at a distance. I immerse myself in joy and peace and fully embrace my new world-arms open wide, heart open wide filled with wonder and gratitude for all that is and all that is yet to be.

To see what exciting News and Events are in store, visit www.newworldgreetings.com/news Browse the samples of original poetry I create just for you to commemorate and celebrate every occasion. I know sometimes it's hard to find the right words to say, especially after the loss of a loved one. Using my 25 years of social work experience with my gift of poetry, we can craft a poem that says exactly what you want to say.

Be sure to visit my new website www.marymcmanus.com which chronicles my inspirational journey. You'll enjoy poetic reflections on the Road to the Boston Marathon which are accompanied by photos from Marathon Monday 2009.

God bless, be well and enjoy every moment!
With love,
Mary

In the beginning there was a blank page

In the beginning there was a blank page, only I did not know about blank pages growing up in a chaotic household. I only knew about reacting to crises and trying to survive. When the Universe hit me with the proverbial 2 x 4 in the guise of post polio syndrome, a progressive neurological disease, I discovered the joy of the blank page. Immersing myself in 'New Age' teachers, I learned that I had the power to create my life. My future was not based on the past and I had the opportunity to create a new world for myself.

A blank page for some is daunting. Where do I begin to write, to express myself? Who am I? Where is my voice and do I have something meaningful to say? My blank page was filled before I realized I had a blank page on which to write. As I sat in the dark winter of February 2007, contemplating my future, the poem "Running the Race" flowed out of me. The poems which followed came from a place of stillness. Still waters do run deep. I had to keep blank pages with me at all times and they were quickly filled. Wherever I was, God spoke to me and my pen wrote. I did not know that I was writing a book. I only knew that on the wings of poetry, my spirit soared. I imagined myself feeling free, dancing free, being free despite using a wheelchair at times for mobility, using a leg brace and a cane and needing a wrist splint. Do you know the song, "Dancing Through Life" from Wicked? That became my theme song and I'd listen to it before physical therapy sessions. "Defying Gravity" from Wicked was another theme song I adopted. I was giving birth to myself and learning how to love myself for the first time in my life.

These books of inspirational poetry are God's gift to me. I love sharing this gift with others. I am overjoyed with the feedback I receive from my readers. Recently I have been very busy getting ready to launch "Set Sail for a New World:Healing a Life Through the Gift of Poetry" and forgot about my first baby, "New World Greetings:Inspirational Poetry and Musings for a New World." God spoke through three of my readers to remind me to be attentive to both of my babies.

"Your life story is incredible, and just to let you know, I have started reading the copy of New World Greetings, that you gave to my mum, your poetry is beautiful". This was written by a teen ager who chose to interview me for her Young Journalist Award submission.

"Gently set aside in life what's not for my highest good
Eliminate regrets and doubts~eliminate the should" excerpting from "Recipe for a Relationship"
Mary McManus You are an amazing gift, a talented poet and a beautiful woman of much wisdom. Thanks for giving me words to live by. I love the book!" Thank you to Susan for taking the time to post this on my Facebook wall!

I received an email from the photographer who did my author photo. I sent him a complimentary copy of my book as a thank you for creating a wonderful portrait. He gave me permission to use it on my website and for other promotional purposes. He told me that his wife chose to read one of the poems from "New World Greetings" at the memorial service of her father.

Receiving feedback from my readers of how my poetry has touched their hearts and lives is the icing on the cake. Writing the poetry has been a powerful healing force in my life. I am so grateful to God for this gift entrusted to me. I have many wonderful upcoming Events at which I will be sharing my journey and my gift of poetry. I hope you will be able to join me. You can purchase my books of inspirational poetry through my website. Be sure to browse the samples of original poetry I create just for you at New World Greeting Cards where It's More than a Card, It's a Gift From The Heart!

I look forward to sharing my gifts with you.

What will you write on the blank page of your life today?

God bless and be well
With love,
Mary

Where's Our Car - Final Team McManus Run

During our marathon training runs, Team McManus has had many, many funny moments -- my bra strap coming undone in the middle of a meltdown during a Charles River Run, my husband losing me while we were running around (around being the operative word) Jamaica Pond so today as Team McManus did their final training run until December (our beloved daughter leaves next Sunday for Nashville) it is only fitting that we had another adventure.

We started out today's training run (Tom and I training for the Harvard Pilgrim 10K and Ruth Anne training for the Country Music Half Marathon) planning to run around Castle Island. My husband missed the exit off of the expressway so since the next exit was Wollaston Beach, we decided to go there 'for old times' sake'. First we had to measure the mileage as we couldn't remember the distance end to end. Our goal was for 5.4 miles and somehow after the fact we realized Tom measured 5.6 miles -- we walked the last mile back to our car .... or did we?

It was a hot sunny day but there was a lovely sea breeze. The sun reflected off of the vast ocean and while we ran we talked about various happenings in the lives of Team McManus. I felt overwhelming gratitude for feeling as well as I do -- I remembered that first walk I took on Wollaston Beach in March of 2008 as we were just beginning to run. I could only walk 20 minutes! Our plan was to stop at the car on our second lap and get the ice water. As we ran we couldn't find our car. My heart rate was beginning to climb and I knew that I needed water. We stopped at one water fountain but expecting that our car was just a little way down the road, did not bother to really hydrate. We made it to the end of our run and -- no car....

We stopped at the Dunkin Donuts and they were so kind to give us a large cup of ice water. You thought we were on Survivor as we rationed this one cup of ice water among the three of us. We walked and walked and we got to one spot where my husband swore he parked the car. He was convinced someone had stolen it! Of course we only had one key with us and we have a keyless ignition. He said his wallet was in the glove compartment. I kept knowing that it was impossible for someone to have stolen our car. (I will add a spiritual side bar here. We were sharing our driveway with a family and decided that we really needed to reclaim our own space and enjoy our empty nest without worrying about being responsible for another family's car. For a moment, a flash from the past emerged -- was I being punished for setting a limit? I heard God's tender Voice of Love saying to me, 'is that how you believe the Universe works? Don't you know by now how important it is that you take care of yourself? Don't you know I love you? Can you please release your thoughts about punishment?') Meanwhile, my husband went up to a State Police Car who just happened to be patrolling the beach. He told him that he thought our car had been stolen. The trooper was so kind and said, just keep walking -- it's not stolen. This happens to people all the time. My daughter walked ahead and yelled out, 'here it is!' It was funny how all 3 of us thought the car was in a space different than where we had parked it -- but all we needed to do was have faith, patience and trust.

I've been blessed with the gift of inspirational poetry which has helped me to heal mind, body and spirit -- I'd love to share my gift with you. You can order "New World Greetings:Inspirational Poetry and Musings for a New World" and "Set Sail for a New World:Healing a Life Through the Gift of Poetry" through my website New World Greetings. Remember that 20% of book proceeds are donated to two causes near and dear to my heart!

After you order your autographed, signed copy of my books, browse the samples of original poetry I create through New World Greeting Cards and celebrate and commemorate with a one of a kind poem.

The Boston Marathon 2010

When Channel 7 said they wanted to do a story on my 2009 Boston Marathon run, as so often happens in my life, I could not have possibly imagined what would unfold. Last Monday, Rhett Lewis, sports reporter and anchor & Gregg (the videographer) from Channel 7 interviewed me about my run. The Sports segment of the news lasts for about 3 minutes which meant my story would run for about 1 minute 20 seconds at most. Talk fast, keep it to the point and share the light of God's flame which burns in my soul. I gave them footage from the documentary, "Keeping the Pace" and the CD of Marathon Photos from Johannes Hirn. Having the documentary and photos to share is in and of itself another example of how God prepares the way before me. We were able to upload the Channel 7 news segment to my You Tube channel - www.youtube.com/marysunshine100 -- bring some tissues -- people who are watching it tell me that it is moving them to tears!

The segment was going to air on Monday evening but because of the celebration of Boston College's NCAA Hockey win, the story was bumped. As I have learned along this journey, when something gets bumped or doesn't come to fruition there is always a higher purpose involved. They told me the story would air Friday or Saturday. Whenever a newspaper or TV news writes one's story, there is a great amount of trust that goes into the process. We were taught in public relations class that there is no such thing as 'bad' publicity and this is true. But in the early days of having my story covered,while I am so grateful that it was being shared, there were misquotes and tones with which I was not in agreement. I came to realize that in fact these were often reflections of how I was portraying myself on a subconscious level. But I digress -- as time has gone on I become increasingly aware of the messages I want to convey about my journey.I have learned the importance of going within and asking God for guidance. Channel 7 captured the spirit of Team McManus' Boston Marathon run to perfection.

I was told it would air Friday during the 6 o'clock hour. We patiently waited for the Sports segment to come on. There was breaking news which I thought might result in getting my story bumped (yes there is still that little polio kid within who forgets to remember that she is a child of God and to release the un-beliefs about what others were saying no longer serve me) The sports reporter was reporting live from Fenway Park -- there was a story about the Red Sox, a story about the Celtics and then..."Marathon Monday is just three days away and there is lots of inspiration out there..." cut to the story about Team McManus. The story epitomizes the miracle of transformation and healing that I have experienced; the possibility and hope that inspires others as they face life's challenges.

If the story would have aired on Monday, that would have been that but since it aired on Friday before Marathon Monday, it was aired all weekend long! I received phone calls and emails from friends that they had seen me on the news and they were so inspired again. People were crying tears of joy and their hearts swelled as they experienced God's love and light through me. I heard from people I had not heard from in months. It even boosted pre-sale orders of my 2nd book. It was a feel good story that this weary and cynical world needs.

Since neither Tom nor I were running Boston this year, we opted to cheer on all of our friends who we knew were running. I was inspired to watch from Mile 20 at the corner of Comm. Ave and Center Street. Our team trainer, Domenick D'Amico moved out of state but came back to watch the Marathon. He knew where we would be and lo and behold, comes to our camp out spot complete with canvas chairs and a picnic lunch. He told me that he had to park near someone's driveway who came out of their house to ask him to move his car since she was having guests to watch the Marathon. She said that she could never run - let alone a Marathon. At which point he shared my story with her and he proudly stated that he was my trainer. She said, "oh my goodness I saw that on the news yesterday". So perhaps this woman who does not believe that she can be active or athletic will have second thoughts after seeing a polio and post polio survivor on the news in the Sports segment of the program - a woman who never pursued athletics or believed she could be physically active and she crossed the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon.

For more information about my journey, watch my You Tube channel

To order and pre order copies of my books of inspirational poetry, visit New World Greeting Cards And while you are there, be sure to contact me about creating an original poem for Mothers Day (May 9), graduations and all of those wonderful celebrations that are happening this Spring and Summer.

Are You Star Struck - With Yourself?

Yes - you read that right - with all the talk of the Oscars and the stars coming out, I was wondering, are we each in touch with our own star power? I will admit that growing up (and that includes up until just recently) I was awe struck and star struck when I saw a 'famous person'. There was a sense of I'm not among them. Our culture perpetuates this myth - the notion - I am not good enough to be interacting with them. (I noted how I had grown in the past year to feel comfortable sitting with Olympic Gold Medalist Frank Shorter and Boston Marathon champion Bill Rodgers at the Hyannis Race Expo). Growing up as a polio survivor, I held the mistaken belief that I was not good enough; I was deformed, different, an outcast. No one wanted me on their team. So I burned myself out trying to prove myself.

Now I celebrate myself! Last year we held a benefit concert for Team McManus. The incredible a cappela group Ball In The House performed. Before they sang "Shining Star", Aaron Loveland, the lead singer said they were dedicating the song to me. I never had anyone sing a song to me before and he tweaked the lyrics to celebrate me. I give myself the Oscar for living the best life I know how to live. I am open to opportunity and possibility and believe in myself as a child of God. In the morning, I look in the mirror and look straight into my eyes and say, "you are a child of God and you are beautiful." I ask God how and who I may serve this day. Some days I know I get it right; some days I fall short; some days I indulge in gossip and judgment; most days I reach for light and love and work to keep my thinking in alignment with God.

I am so blessed and grateful for the opportunities that are opening before me. Every day is a day overflowing with possibility and promise which allows me to live my highest purpose - to inspire others with my journey, to share the spiritual wisdom I am learning along my journey and to do my part to join with others as part of the collective consciousness. When I hear that my words have touched another's heart or that my journey has given someone hope, I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to share my talents and gifts to bless others. And I am blessed by the presence of so many who give from their hearts and reach out in joy and love, to celebrate life and to be in the marvellous flow of giving and receiving.

What song are you going to dedicate to yourself? In what categories do you deserve to win the Oscar? Be star struck with who you are - a radiant child of God.

You can read all about the exciting News and Events I would love to share with you. Join us on Blog Talk Radio shows for inspiration and enlightenment, read about my journey with polio and post polio syndrome and listen to past interviews.

Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth. Enjoy the inspiration of "New World Greetings: Inspirational Poetry and Musings for a New World." and refresh your mind and your spirit. Experience the joyful spirit of giving; I donate 20% of my book proceeds to Spaulding Rehab's International Rehab Center for Polio.

Why choose a card that comes close to what you want to say - why not send a card that says exactly what you want to say. At New World Greeting Cards we add in the missing ingredient - YOU! So reach in and reach out to someone you love with an original poem from New World Greeting Cards.

You can follow me on twitter @gracefullady and be sure to check out the amazing people I follow - among them @kateloving @inspirationwire @pr4god @loveandwater @trappersherwood @moonvine @reallynotarunnr @mr2020 @kruser1025 @inezbracy @slimmy38 @earthfire @amanda4gavi @rotary @endpolionow @poliotoday -- just to name a few!

Happy Spring everyone
Thanks for reading,
Mary

You are Here-Celebrating the Moment and Giving Thanks for What Is

This past Saturday I was blessed to do a book signing at Wonderland Books in Putnam, CT. It is an old fashioned independent bookstore where the regulars gather on a Saturday to drink their coffee and get caught up on what is happening in each other's lives. The owner, Patty knows everyone by name. She orders books which she may not have in stock and greets the customer's by name when they come in to pick up their order. She helps the local teenagers find the perfect gift for their friends. In addition to books, she has Putnam, CT souvenirs, hand made soaps, a variety of stuffed animals, gift bags, jewelry and games. The shop is overflowing with items to please everyone's taste. And right next to the table where I did my book signing was a round circle akin to a dart board-with a bright red arrow and in red letters YOU ARE HERE. I kept bumping into the sign and was wondering what God was trying to tell me and this morning, I had my AHA moment.

I am here - right now in this moment celebrating this moment and celebrating all the moments that have gotten me here. I celebrate all the pain, and the grueling physical, emotional and spiritual challenge I experienced during the past 15 months of training, and all that went before - the 'good, the bad and the ugly.' In truth, it all unfolded the way it was supposed to. Yesterday, the DVD arrived from WBZ TV news which shows Team McManus lining up for the early start of the 113th Boston Marathon and as Lisa Hughes announces, 'there are so many stories of inspiration and courage' on the voice over, there is a shot of Team McManus. And we can be seen taking our first steps along the Marathon route. I continue to take in what this experience has meant for me, for my family and for so many people and to feel the overwhelming joy and gratitude for what I was able to achieve. I am also celebrating all the moments that led up to the starting line - and am so grateful that God gave me the strength, faith, courage and determination to overcome all the challenges of the past and move forward in joy. The finish line is in fact, a starting line.

So what's next for this 55 year old polio/post polio survivor poet? God is sending me signs - when my daughter and I walked around Jamaica Pond the other day and the Chestnut Hill Reservoir today (we walked for over 3.5 miles) I am seeing turtles - everywhere - families of turtles, turtles in the water and turtles on the land. We all know the story of the turtle and the hare and who wins? The humble, modest turtle who plods along at his own pace not thinking I better speed up and beat out that hare. And now, it's my time to relax and just be in the flow celebrating my accomplishments and being so grateful for every step I can now take with ease. I am so grateful for the joy that I have created in the world both through my physical accomplishment and my gifts of the spirit and heart. I am so grateful for the opportunities to share these gifts through social media,speaking opportunities and through the media. The documentary, "Keeping the Pace" is going to reach so many more people and bring hope that with God anything is possible. I am so grateful that I am healthy and whole in mind, body and spirit and can continue to grow in love both for myself and for others. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to bless lives through my gift of poetry - through my book and through the customized poetry I create. I am so grateful I can give back and donate 20% of the proceeds of the sale of my book to Spaulding Rehab's Polio Fund.

My health and fitness goals? Well, first and foremost I am continuing to recover from the Marathon. I have exercises recommended by my energy healer and this weekend will do a gentle run. I made a decision today after seeing so many turtles that I am going to run 5 and 10K's but don't need to push myself on distances beyond that. I want to feel comfortable running a good pace and I want to just feel the utter joy in challenging myself but not pushing myself beyond limits. I will continue to work with my beloved trainer, Janine Hightower and we are going to work on strength training. I also am going to practice yoga and I am going to take some dance lessons. And when my E G O (edging God out) tries to take hold, I return to embracing the moment and knowing and feeling in the depths of my soul that All is Well and in Divine Order and appearances can be very deceiving.

I am here and life is good - life is phenomenal! I can appreciate each moment with its joys and with its challenges because I am so grateful just to be alive!

To order a copy of my book of customized poetry, "New World Greetings:Inspirational Poetry and Musings for a New World" go to www.newworldgreetings.com

For all of your special occasions, give more than a card - give a gift from the heart www.newworldgreetings.com

You can still donate to Team McManus at www.firstgiving.com/teammcmanus

No Mercy!

Before the appointment time with my trainer, Janine, I picked up Joe, to whom I am so grateful for filming my journey and making it into a documentary. We began shooting and when Janine arrived, decided where we were going to run. The ice and snow are melting and it's still soupy and mushy; Janine announced that Jamaica Pond looked great. So off we went, Joe, Janine and myself to do a training run. On the way over, Joe recorded our banter which included me sharing the 'aha' moment I had with Janice about the physical effects of my mom not being able to touch me during polio and how traumatic memories can get stored in the body's cells. In today's journaling, I saw Elliott from ET opening the cells of my body where traumatic memories were trapped to free them as he did the frogs in science class. And then, as kids blow away the dandelion seeds, these traumatic memories are carried away by the wind and transformed by God's love. So I was ready for the training run.

This, however, was no ordinary training run - Janine explained to me that there is no mercy now as we are in the final stages of preparation for the Marathon. While she and I both know that I am ready for it, she wants me to be in top physical and psychological shape for the event of my life. She told me that I got to set the pace after a 5 minute warm up for our first time around Jamaica Pond - not - she actually was setting the pace and I kept up with her; after our first lap we did a 12 minute mile. Now it was time for her to set the pace - we went even faster but as she said, I may have to reign her in. She was feeling fantastic and as my heart rate climbed to about 168, I asked her how I could lower it. She said that we could slow down but she also suggested that I visualize my heart rate coming down to 166. It fluctuated and at one point, I was able to maintain it at 170. She pointed out that with pushing myself on the tempo run, I would feel uncomfortable and it's okay because it is all about exceeding perceived limits. She was amazed that I would not give up or give in and put myself in her hands as we got ready for the 3rd and final lap. The 2nd lap was an 11 minute mile. Once we did 2 full times around (starting from the point where we ran, not where we started our warm up) it was time to walk and then do 5, 30 second sprints. She told me that I had to run as fast as I possibly could. Now you have to appreciate this scene - a. It is still winter and there is slush and mud on the ground and the pond is covered in ice. But it is a beautiful scene with sea gulls dancing on the glazed ice. A scene that I never witnessed because I was afraid to go out in the middle of the winter except to go to work and come home.I also suffered from cold intolerance as a residual effect of polio. b. One year ago on 2/13, I declared that I would run the Boston Marathon but because I was afraid to go outside to train in the middle of winter, we began by intensifying the strength training and cardiovascular training indoors. When we began my running, I ran for 30 seconds and walked for 4:30 - and that was just one year ago. c. I never had the opportunity to truly break out into a run as fast as I could and to do it after 11 min. and 12 min. miles was downright incredible. d. It was 4:30 in the afternoon and I used to feel this incredible energy drain by 4 pm every day but here I was outside, in winter, running my a** off. Janine would yell at me - move it, move it - go faster - I'm gonna catch up with you and it felt absolutely wonderful to have someone tell me - oh yes you can do this. As I did the sprint, I felt myself saying 'easy out Alper, huh? I don't think so' and I channeled all of the rage and all of the hurt of being teased and taunted because I had polio into running as fast as I could - run Forrest run! I did 'poop' out toward the end of one of the 30 second sprints as I felt my body get utterly fatigued so she gave me more time for my heart rate to recover and then I finished up the sprints. Once I recovered, we went back to a jog to finish up the run. We did the 3 times around in 3 minutes less than the first time we ran 3 times around Jamaica Pond. Janine told me that it seemed as though she had to push me more today than on previous runs - well yeah, I ran faster and longer than ever before. I had also been used to running in the freezing cold and today the temperatures were milder. It was difficult to know how to layer and dress because there was a strong wind but the temps were in the mid-40's. So my body had to not only adjust to the increased pace but the change in weather. We are hopeful that the weather will stabilize soon!

I pushed myself beyond all perceived limits. My legs felt fine during the run - it was the cardiovascular response that I needed to work on. Janine assured me that our lungs have unlimited capacity and the body is a phenomenal organism that can respond when pushed and tested. She also makes sure that I am safe and knows how to properly balance stressing my system and then giving me time to recover. The key in all of this is - be not afraid. When I look back to one year ago, when I claimed I would run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab, I had no idea of the journey which lay before me. I have learned so much about life, about myself, about my body and about my spirit. It was phenomenal to just allow my body to open up and run-to push and to test and to feel the discomfort and to feel safe and protected and most importantly of all - to keep on running.

For more on my journey and to support Team McManus, you can go to www.firstgiving.com/teammcmanus. If you live in the greater Boston area, you can attend our Evening of A Capella music by purchasing your tickets at www.firstgiving.com/ballinthehouse.

To experience my gift of poetry and to learn more about New World Greeting Cards, log onto www.newworldgreetings.com

And ---- see you at the finish line!

One Year Later - from Polio Shoes to Running Shoes

Such excitement filled room 324 of Brookline High School as Perfect Pitch and the Testostatones filed in to meet me in preparation for the March 14th An Evening of A Capella Music to Benefit Spaulding Rehab's Team McManus. They are thrilled to have the opportunity to perform before what we know will be a packed house and then to receive a workshop from one of their revered a capella groups, Ball In The House. They took tickets to sell, will put up the posters and help with publicity. One of the members of Perfect Pitch writes for the student newspaper and she is going to work on getting a feature put in the BHS newspaper. I told them I would talk with the headmaster, the infamous 'Dr Bob' as he likes to be called about getting the word out through his media contacts. With school vacation and a benefit concert on the horizon, the kids were pumped to say the least - and the energy was infectious.

As I walked the halls of Brookline High to get to a meeting with an administrator to do the paperwork for the concert, I bumped into one of my kids' teachers. She said she must come to the concert and would love to see the twins. I went into the Copy Center where my daughter worked and reconnected with the teacher in charge. I was even inspired to ask him if he will print the programs and he said a resounding yes. So ticket sales are on their way, the kids are so excited, Ball In The House is excited and it's all coming together.

After this high energy experience, it was time for my training run. It was 36 degrees and cloudy with a headwind. I do not need any additional hill training after twice around Heart Break Hill on our long run last Saturday so decided to do a tempo run up to Winchester Street and back. Note to self - always zip up the jacket pocket - my cell phone flipped out when I went to get my water under my jacket. I realized it after my iPod fell out twice - God was telling me I had lost something else but I was so in the zone with my run that it wasn't until several blocks later that I realized my cell phone was no longer there. Oh well, I decided that I would run the same route back and find it - but it was nowhere to be found. I was exhilarated with the pace I was keeping; I also learned that I should carry gel or a clementine with me if I am running at an odd time (it was early afternoon and I had a piece of toast and clementine as a snack before the run) but no worries, I made it through just fine and even sprinted for the last five minutes. When I got home, my cell phone had not been left on the table as I'd hoped so God said, 'call it'. And a lovely lady answered the phone. Fortunately, she lives only ten minutes away from where I live. She told me that she could not answer the door because it was tied into her phone line which was tied into her computer system and she was upgrading her system so did I have another cell phone to call her on and she'll come downstairs....I grabbed one in the closet and it went on just fine but when I got to her condo building, I realized that there was no service on it. So, still sweaty and smelly from my run and R E A L L Y hungry by now, I set out to find someone who had a cell phone to use. Several dog walkers walked by but they did not have their phones. The sanitation truck that blocked traffic for what seemed like forever (when you're hungry and sweaty it does seem like forever) was my salvation as one of the workers graciously lent me his cell phone. So all's well that ends well and I finally ate and stretched and showered - all in God's time - all in God's plan.

I saw on a blog post from a Just Finish friend that there are only 68 days left until the Boston Marathon. How is this possible? It was a year ago when I said to Janine, "I want to run the Race for Rehab - the Boston Marathon for Spaulding" and I bought my first pair of running shoes. The excitement is building and I am letting in the joy of each and every moment trusting that God is providing us with every thing we need - physically, mentally and spiritually - to succeed on this journey. I am so grateful that I said Yes when I felt God call me. I am so grateful that my family said Yes and are so loving and supportive. I am so grateful we have found strength and love and joy and are bringing together communities to celebrate the miracle of healing! My poetry brings so much joy to others and helps to inspire and heal. I am so blessed with my book of inspirational poetry and New World Greeting Cards www.newworldgreetings.com and I am so grateful to share these blessings with you.

For more information about our road to the Boston Marathon, check out www.firstgiving.com/teammcmanus & www.firstgiving.com/ballinthehouse.