The Letter that Wrote Itself

When I signed up for Team in Training, I was excited about the team part and the training part, but skeptical about the fundraising part. I am very uncomfortable asking people for money. Even for something I know is important. And when they give us all of their creative fundraising ideas, I think "That's nice, but I'm not doing that!"

But after one meeting where they made us cry with a film about a girl who died of leukemia whose dad completed an Ironman in her honor, I felt the depth of what we were doing. I remembered how heart wrenching it was to slowly lose one of our favorite moms at school to cancer last year. And I began to hear a voice that could risk enough to speak up out. Even though I have only been peripheraly affected by cancer (so far, knock-on-wood), I've struggled down a few dark roads that revealed some of how precious life is and the potential for my own strength. Once I connected my own experience to the cause, I started typing the dreaded fundraising letter and was astounded to see how quickly it revealed itself on my screen.

It felt like a big risk sending my heart out in a letter asking for something in return. But worth it - for myself and for what it might accomplish. And when I got my first donations with beautiful words of encouragement, I got tears in my eyes! Thank you.