Name Dropper

Yesterday morning was just plain freezing!   My mind was racing with things to do before I walked out the door;   There were breakfast casseroles to put in the oven, event signs to put in the trunk, balloons and helium tanks added to the mix, and of course I had to fit my morning coffee in there.

Brad was runnin’ around reacting to my “nicely shouted instructions".  Before long, Britt and Stephi were in motion while my mom and dad came down freshly showered and ready for what the day would bring.

815:  Brad, Stephi and I were behind schedule, but we were on our way.  We pulled into a parking lot full of familiar faces buzzing around setting up for the day’s event.  The 2^nd Annual Joshua Newman 5K Run/Walk for Epilepsy and SUDEP Awareness was moments away.

I was in business mode….the car barely stopped before I jumped out giving directions to all the teenagers buzzing about.    Oh how, I LOVED seeing Joshua’s friends there!!  The first year of Joshua’s death it was so very hard to see them, but not this year.  Here they were…high school freshmen, peach fuzz and razor stubble, broad shoulders and deepening voices.  Yes it did bring a moment of deep longing to hear my own freshman’s voice.

I handed things to them, hugged them and let them know how beautiful they were. I immediately realized I just called teenage boys beautiful so I added “in a handsome kind of way”.  They all laughed and let me know it was ok if I thought they were beautiful.

Co-Chairs Jenna and Natalie, Joshua’s classmates who started this whole thing 2 ½ years ago were buzzing around getting things in place. It’s amazing what all these young kids have done.

The Auxiliary Police Event Safety Team aka tshirt patrol (police officers who only accept a free event tshirt for their services) arrived right on cue so I made sure I met each of them and introduced myself.  “Hi, I’m Sherri, I’m Joshua’s Mom”. 
  


Joshua's "Uncle Jerrold" and his swing dancer troupe show their support.

The start/finish line banner went up in the air, tshirt boxes were placed by size behind a registration table.  Photos of Joshua appeared, and then music started up.  I swear I looked up one second later and there was a crowd of 200, familiar faces as well as faces that did not know either us or Joshua.  I made sure I introduced myself, “Hi, I’m Joshua’s Mom”.

 

When it was time to say a few words of thanks, I honestly can’t remember much of what I said.  How do you put pain, loss, joy, deep appreciation and love into words?  I tried to come up with a few words the night before but nothing came to me, so as I looked out at the crowd I shared with them what was on my heart.  How hard it is without Joshua three years later, and how we were so glad they were here.  I shared how much it helps heal my family’s heart to participate in this event which has an immediate impact on helping others with epilepsy, then I explained the faces they saw on a poster 25 feet to our left were faces of kids who received monitors from last year’s race proceeds.

That’s all I remember.  I’m usually more gathered, more in control, but today it’s not there.



Team Jeff led by Allison Austin

Tom Stanton, Exec Director of our event partner Danny Did Org. made the trip from Chicago to Virginia  to show support.  Tom, a Chicago native, was dressed perfectly to run on a really cold day, and shared some great words of thanks to the crowd.

"Jeff’s Wife"  aka Allison was there leading Team Jeff.  Their two boys have grown so much in the last year.   Allison lost her husband, Jeff, to SUDEP months after we lost Josh.

I admitted to the crowd earlier that I fell down one cottinpickin step and hurt my ankle last week so I was now the official hugger.  It was really fun greeting them as they crossed the finish line.  Several new faces came by so I hugged, fist bumped mitten to mitten; the familiar faces received encouragement tongue in cheek.  “Wow, do you need oxygen?"  "I didn’t know people could sweat that much!" " You young things, please show me one drop of sweat so I know you really ran 5K in 17 minutes," "Hey Big Ironman Athlete, at least 20 little kids beat you across the finish line…Congratulations!”  Yes, I threw in my whoop whoops, and you’re doing great!  


One of Joshua's friends nears the finish line!  Go John!!
 

There was a group of swing dancers who ran the event and then started dancing to the music.  The mood was uplifting.

In 90 minutes, it was over!  200 people gradually said their goodbyes, strong teenagers lifted heavy things in my car, tables were folded and the parking lot returned to a parking lot.

We invited Tom, and our planning committee over for a simple brunch immediately following so they could finally meet face to face.  The casseroles were brown and bubbly, coffee brewed, and lots of laughter was heard throughout the house.  It was a glorious day in Joshua’s name!



Joshua Newman 5K Committee 2013

Afterwards, as I unloaded the cars, I took some of the left over animal balloons to new neighborhood families and introduced myself, “Hi I’m your neighbor, Sherri, and I thought your kids might enjoy these balloons made in memory of a great ornery boy named Joshua.”

Hugs,

Sherri