Celebration!

I was awakened at 6 am to the sound of thunder claps and streaks of lightning. Our dear cat Alex who had been asleep on the bed began to meow - and I began to think, 'oh no - today is the day that my beloved trainer, Janine and dear friend, Laura are running in Boston's Run To Remember - what is going to happen?' And then a sense of calm came over me - I prayed and I told God that we needed to have this storm pass quickly. Janine and Laura had trained so hard for this day. Laura had never run more than four miles in her life and with that it was a struggle; Janine had trained by my side as we trained for the marathon preparing for this day. For one moment, a part of me thought, well if the storm doesn't subside then I'll get to sleep in but that quickly passed as I wanted my friends to feel that incredible sense of victory that I experienced after having crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

By 6:30 there were only distant thunder claps and as my alarm went off I said a prayer of thanksgiving to God. The sky had cleared and there was a patch of sun on the street in front of our house. I got up, prepared the bags to take with us, rallied the other members of Team McManus, had our sign in tow and Tom had a cup of coffee to go and off we went. We were going to take the T but we trusted that we would find a parking spot and be able to get around on foot. Sure enough, even though the exit was closed which would have brought us closest to where we were planning to watch the race, we drove on and sure enough, found a parking space.

We walked over to the Longfellow Bridge and our plan had been to watch from the Bridge because we would see them coming and going but we couldn't get to the Bridge. We stood and waited just ahead of the two mile mark and held up our sign. Tom spotted Janine and by her side was Laura. We cheered and screamed. Then we were guided to walk to the finish line at the Seaport Hotel. It was an incredibly festive atmosphere as streets were closed to traffic, the late spring/early summer sun was high in the sky and there were runners for both the 5 mile and the half marathon running through the streets of Boston.

Janine came down the stretch and we screamed and held up our sign. After she had gone through the finish line she came back to see us. She told us that we were in the perfect spot after the 2 mile mark because she and Laura had planned that after they got onto the bridge, Janine would do her pace. Janine set a personal record and proudly wore her medal. I helped her to stretch as she had done for me after the Marathon by allowing her to lean on me. We waited for Laura and saw her finishing strong. We screamed and jumped up and down and then we all celebrated our accomplishments. Tom took pictures and we all felt such joy!

I had such certainty that the thunderstorm would pass and I realized something very important about me. When it comes to giving to others and doing things for others, I am a masterful manifester - I manifested a marathon run, $10,535 in donations for Spaulding Rehab, weather for Janine and Laura, finding parking spaces and creating a perfect day. When it comes to receiving for me, I still find that there are pockets of fear - will everyone show up for my book signing and to celebrate the marathon run? (I donate 20% of the proceeds of the sale of my book to Spaulding's Polio Fund so I am still giving) And how about my financial situation - do I truly deserve to experience abundance and joy and to know and trust that every need is provided for - to release all fear and trust with the trust of a child...and that God is directing me at every turn to fund this special mission of my journey with inspired action and wonderful surprises? The answer is a resounding YES! It is a joy to give and I have an open and giving heart and now it is time to celebrate and to open my heart to receive as well as to give - to express my heart's desire to God and to know that always, in every way, I shall be directed to my best and highest good. And to always, everywhere be grateful for the blessings which overflow in my life. God's love, like the rain which poured out of the skies today douses the pockets of fear and allows me to celebrate and to shine and to be a part of this wonderful human race. God's love also douses competition for when one shines and celebrates - we all shine and give glory to God and share in the power of the Spirit that drives us to be the best we can be.

To purchase a copy of my book of inspirational poetry, "New World Greetings:Inspirational Poetry and Musings for a New World" which helped to inspire my body, mind and spirit to heal and go on to cross the finish line of the 113th Boston Marathon, go to www.newworldgreetings.com

For Father's Day, weddings, graduations and more, order a poem from New World Greetings a gift you can't buy in a store! www.newworldgreetings.com

If you're in the Boston area, please join us on 6/24 at 7 pm at Marathon Sports, Mile 23 on the Boston Marathon route 1638 Beacon Street for an evening of inspiration and cheer & a book signing. We'll have refreshments from Trader Joe's, a free raffle for Mizuno apparel and gear and a slide show of Team McManus' Boston Marathon run.

Be sure to check out my You Tube channel: www.youtube.com/user/marysunshine100