An Unexpected Act of Love

Today I was running on the trails and a man on a bike stopped to let me know that there was a mama bear and three cubs on the trail in the direction I was heading. I thanked him and continued on.

Further ahead I asked a biker, coming from the direction of the bears, if she has seen them so I could gauge how far away I was.

She hadn’t seen them and we both continued on in our separate directions.

The next thing I knew, the woman on the bike was next to me heading in the same direction as me. She came back to be sure I passed by the bears safely.

I was so touched by the is simple yet profound act of love.

She knew nothing about me except that I may be unsafe and chose to reroute from her path to be sure I was safe.

This is what loving your neighbor looks like and sounds like.

I don’t know her name yet this thoughtful moment will stay with me and inspire me to seek where I can be love in action.

I share this with you today to invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we be inspired by this woman and seek to live our neighbors today, even if it redirects us from our path. This is how God calls us to live, so may we be a reflection of that love to others, like this woman was to me today on the trials.

With gratitude and hope,
Shawn


Love your neighbor as yourself
- Mark 12:31

First day of School for Matt + Prayer

Happy first day of 8th grade to Matt, and to all your kids who went back to school today!

I pray our kids are themselves and make strong connections. May they seek the good in each day and use their words to build others up (including themselves). Also, may they never allow a struggle to define them but instead allow it to refine them. And above all, may they know their true worth is already determined💕🙏💕

With love and hope,
Shawn

Beneath the Surface Moments

Kate took this picture with my mom and in that moment I realized how different drop off could have been for Kate.

Many of you know my mom was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer two years before I was diagnosed with ACC. In this moment, I thought about how grateful I was we got to be there with her to do this all together, and how the day would have been so different for Kate had my mom and I not been here.

I am sharing this to shine a light on a beneath the surface reality for many cancer survivors. Moments that you get to be doing things, like college drop-off, are moments you prayed to be present for. And there is an overwhelming sense of gratitude to God for the gift of healing and more time beside our loved ones.

In the same breath, I know this isn’t everyone’s story. And my heart is with those parents who no longer have a child to drop off, and with the students whose parent is no longer with us.

I share this today to invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we open our eyes to these two beneath the surface realities. Let’s give thanks for those who are present and able to share these change of season moments with their loved ones. And may we also be mindful of, and pray for, those who are changing seasons without loved ones.

By looking beneath the surface, may we gain a deeper perspective of who and what really matter in these moments, like Kate did in this moment with my Mom.

With love and hope,
Shawn

Happy 75th Birthday, Mom!

🎉🥳Happy 75th Birthday to my loving Mom who spreads joy and kindness wherever she goes🎉🥳

I love these pictures because they capture who she is, someone who shows up for her people, not just cheering us on from the sidelines, but everyday in life. I am forever grateful for her loving heart, joyful presence, and kind soul💝

A Prayer for Our Ears

💕A prayer for our ears💕

Incline our ears to wisdom and our hearts to understanding - Proverbs 2:2

From my own thoughts to things I watch or listen to, what goes in my ears - and your ears - matters. Often, what we hear is information which can be valuable, but it doesn’t necessarily lead us to make the wisest decisions.

Wisdom, on the other hand, will lead us well.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we incline our ears to wisdom by inviting God in to help us filter information coming our way. May we gain insight and understanding, so that we have the wisdom to make choices that are aligned with God’s love and be an extension of his love to others through our words and actions.

With love and hope,
Shawn

WATCH VIDEO HERE

The Quiet Beauty Beside Us

This morning on my walk, I saw two red-tailed hawks on a tree. They are so beautiful. They flew along the trail in the direction I was heading, and I saw them perch themselves on top of a few trees. It was lovely to watch them.

I ended up seeing someone else on the trail and showed the hawks to her— not that she was interested. (Those who know me well know I don’t always have a filter.)

Thankfully, she appreciated me pointing them out, and she said something that struck me. I don’t remember her exact words, but they were something to the effect of, “It’s amazing what you can see when your eyes are open to it.”

I share this with you today to invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May our eyes be open to seeing the beauty around us. And sometimes it’s the noise that grabs our attention, but today, instead of focusing on the loudness, let’s seek the quiet beauty that’s right beside us, like those two red-tailed hawks.

With love and hope,
Shawn

I got to be on Great Day Connecticut to promote the marathon!

WATCH SEGMENT HERE

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to go on @greatdayconnecticut with @karasundlun and @nicolenalepatv! I was able to share my cancer story and our @bravelikegabe Berlin marathon team’s mission to raise awareness and funds for rare cancer research. We are #runningonhope to carry on Gabe’s legacy…

“I would love to live in a world where rare cancer patients have more treatment options and ultimately, cures. And if I can’t live in that world, I want to help it become a possibility for future patients.“

To watch the full segment, visit the link in my bio.

I would greatly appreciate your support to help us fund rare cancer research and find effective treatments and cures for people like my teammate Jen, and our ACC family.

To donate, visit the link in my bio. Every dollar makes a difference and we appreciate whatever you can do.

With gratitude and hope,
Shawn

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