I ran in a 5K three weeks ago down in the city that celebrated (?) the anniversary of Elvis' (alleged) death. It's quite a party--held at 6 p.m. on a Saturday with plenty of runners dressed as Elvis, music, food, drinks, etc. It's a nice route, too, that skirts around the Lincoln Park Zoo and goes along Lake Shore Drive for awhile.
Many bigger races these days have professional photographers snapping shots of runners with the hopes that each runner will purchase a memento of their looking hot, sweaty, and a little pained. Who wouldn't line up to buy one of those? I almost always pass on the purchase, but there was one shot of me that I simply couldn't resist.
Iowans are trained now to answer the question, "Is this heaven?" with "No, it's Iowa!" That's a line, of course, from "Field of Dreams." But I wonder if this photo also captures a sense of what heaven might be like. There's a crowd along the side cheering me (and others) on. I'm crossing the finish line (with the big "FINISH" sign above me). Someone's there to greet me. More specifically, someone's there to give me a high five. It isn't just anyone, though. It's the king. The king is there awaiting my finish to say, Well done, good and faithful runner. In this case, the "king" is a professional Elvis impersonator, but I kind of like the idea of a different King greeting me when my time comes to cross the final finish line.
I'll try to get around to scanning the shot and putting it up soon.
1 comment:
Great story! I can't wait to see the picture. The entrance into Heaven has always been something i've tried to picture and i've come across many beautiful images of what it might be like. But like the greatest of things... I suppose it will have to be experienced to be understood! Praise God!
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