Race for the Cure 2015: Best.One.Ever.

We just had Race for the Cure this past Saturday and it was INCREDIBLE. I know that I say every year is better, but it really is. Another year to celebrate. Another year to meet other survivors and ladies fighting, and of course this year, we added another little lady to the mix, my sweet angel, Genevieve. We also got to celebrate my mom’s birthday on Saturday, which she started out celebrating me and all the other fighters and survivors. That is who she is! Always about others:)

There is so much symbolism in having Genevieve there with me on Saturday, it is hard to explain. If every survivor could know what she means- my healing, God’s miracles, me being alive to be her mommy, her being ours completely, the ability to run in the race, the ability to hold her, being able to manage my lymphedema—literally I could go on and on what running and being at that race with her REALLY means.

It really has very little to do with a race at all.

My sweet mom and mother-in-law pushed Vievey in the stroller and Josh and I ran with friends and family. It was HOT and HARD, but we finished. I just kept telling myself, “You can do this. God has spared your life and given you the ability to run. Just keep going.”

That little phrase “Just keep going” or “Just get through today” are phrases that have helped me make it through these last almost 4 years. If I looked at the whole picture, the whole race, my whole cancer treatment schedule, my entire infertility journey, our journey with adoption, I would have stopped.

And I can say that confidently. It would have seemed too overwhelming. Too daunting. Too scary. Impossible, but I just kept taking it one.day.at.a.time.

Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow. And yes, I believe He says that because He hates to see us worry, but also because He knows it does nothing but harm us. He knows that we are our best and we can be His best when we focus on today. And sometimes we can’t even focus on today.

All we can focus on is the next breath.

I remember one person telling me during my cancer journey to just focus on the next breath, and I remember that even that felt impossible. I was in a state paralyzed by fear and I found myself in my darkest moments not even wanting to breathe- Oh how God pulled me out of that dark pit and showed me that each little breath, each step to move forward, all equals into LIFE. A beautiful, alive, LIFE.

Thank the Lord I chose to live and breathe and take that next step.

So, I celebrate race for the cure and all it meant, but I always look at races as opportunities to push myself and realize that when I am scared, when I don’t know what to do, or even what to think, all I need to do is just breathe. God will handle the rest. And as I trust Him breath by breath, He turns those breaths into days, and then into years to where I can look back and realize the best of my life is lived when I trust Him for each of those breaths.

Reminding you to just take the next breath. God’s got the rest,

Aly