A Prayer of Joy and Thanksgiving

This part of "Catalogue of Unabashed Gratitude" that I listened to in those early miles in the marathon below pretty much sums up the heart of the experience.... Thank You.....

Favorite Part of Catalogue of Unabashed Gratitude

God of mercy and strength, thank You for getting me through.
You know how many times I called out for help—
in the hills, in the cramps, in the moments when I wasn’t sure if my body would hold on.
You heard every plea,
every breath that became a prayer,
every step that needed more than I had.

Thank You for meeting me mile after mile,
for strangers whose cheers for “Joy” filled my cup,
for music that put a spring in my step, 
for surrounding me with the love of the people who carried me.
Thank You for the grace that rose up in me just when I needed it most,
and for the kindness of two runners who stopped to check on me close to the finish,
helped me steady myself,
and got me moving again.

You have been good to me—so good.

Good in the strength You gave,

good in the mercy You offered,

good in the joy that surprised me,

good in the cheers that surrounded me,

good in the love that held me upright when I could not hold myself.

And God, thank You for the ridiculous, overflowing joy of it all—

for somehow winning “Best Dressed” in Boston

with a blue wig and a heart full of gratitude,

for being featured in an NPR story I never could have dreamed up,

for the golden‑hour drive home with music pouring through the car

and the whole day sparkling with pixie dust,

for the laughter, the delight, the holy absurdity of it all.

Thank You for the joy of sending those letters,

for the gift of getting to tell people how they carried me,

for the way gratitude multiplied every time I named it.

And God, thank You for what this whole journey taught me—

That every mile is a thank you

That joy multiplies when named

That joy deserves a body

That joy is playful and sometimes wonderfully absurd

That joy is an inheritance,

passed through stories and faces and the people who loved me into being

That joy is a spiritual practice of attention—

of noticing the grace along the way.

That joy happens when you see someone deeply and they see you back. 

That joy is resilience, a way of rising again and again. 

Thank you for the chance to

practice joy,

embody joy,

breathe in joy, 

and run on joy.

Help me remember this joy of what You and I got to do together. 

Help me rest in the truth

that presence matters more than pace,

that gratitude is the real finish line,

and that joy is still here,

waiting to be chosen.

Receive my gratitude,

my awe,

my tired and overflowing heart.

Let this finish line become a place

where I remember

Your faithfulness,

Your nearness,

Your goodness

that met me step by step

and meets me still.

Thank You, God,

that Your joy

is my strength. 

 Amen.

Festivities

 

an early birthday celebration with Janie on Monday night

and a welcome home display with Boston colors from Jason on Wednesday 

💙💛💙💛💙

From the Milford Daily News - who knew my claim to fame would be posted under Chelsea Clinton's marathon photo?! See below! 

https://www.milforddailynews.com/picture-gallery/sports/2026/04/20/boston-marathon-2026-best-signs-costumes/89706486007/

SPORTS

Best signs and costumes from Boston Marathon 2026

Updated April 20, 2026, 9:06 p.m. ET

A Blessing for Joy

Licensable picture: Boston Marathon | Reuters Connect

Words from Kate Bowler's podcast: 

This is the pearl of wisdom I gleaned after thinking about and researching joy for so long in my new book, Joyful Anyway. Theologian Karl Barth once said it like this, joy is both a gift and a task. It’s something that mysteriously pops up out of nowhere. When we least expect it, like grace. And it’s something we have to put ourselves in the way of because we can’t always be happy, but we can be joyful anyway. 

So my dears, here is a blessing for you.

May you have permission to be odd in a world that prefers the shiny and put together. 

May you find one friend who understands your particular blend of weirdness. 

And when the news feels unbearable, 

may silliness and delight fill you like oxygen to your lungs. 

And when you get confused, 

may you remember, 

play is not frivolous, 

it is how some of us survive.

Best Dressed in Boston Marathon!! - - Article from WBUR (Boston's NPR)

 Boston's Morning Newsletter

Our 2026 Boston Marathon superlatives, from best costumes to biggest winner

You'll need to keep the remote closeby for tonight's simultaneous Celtics and Bruins playoff games. But first, let's hit rewind on yesterday's Boston Marathon with a look at the official (and unofficial) winners:

Biggest winner: John Korir made it look easy ("it" being running 26.2 miles at a 4:39 mile pace). The 29-year-old Kenyan breezed across the finish line with a time of 2:01:52, defending his 2025 win here in Boston and breaking the course record by a staggering 70 seconds. No one else had run Boston under 2 hours and 3 minutes before — not to mention 2 hours and 2 minutes. Korir gets an extra $50,000 for setting a course record, in addition to his $150,000 first-place prize money.

• How it happened: Korir took the lead in Newton, and it wasn't long before you could barely see his competitors in the background. "I had no problems, from the start to the finish," Korir said after the race. (Apparently, it helps when you don't fall at the starting line.)
• Korir wasn't the only familiar name to cross the finish line first. Click here to read more about all the top finishers.

Biggest loser: It was a bad day to be a record. The cool temps and helpful tailwind from the west made for fast running weather. Not only did Korir break Geoffrey Mutai's 15-year-old Boston record of 2:03:02, but so did the second- and third-place finishers, Alphonce Felix Simbu and Benson Kipruto, respectively. Sorry, Geoffrey!

• Meanwhile, Zouhair Talbi and Jess McClain — both of whom finished fifth in their respective divisions — set new Boston records for American men and women. If Boston counted for official world records, Talbi's 02:03:45 time would stand as the fastest marathon time run by an American man on any course.

Cutest pick-me-up: On the women's side, Sharon Lokedi also repeated as champion. After staying with the lead group for the majority of the race, Lokedi turned it on in Newton and left the rest of the pack in the dust with several sub-5-minute miles. After the race, a smiling Lokedi credited one particular fan for giving her a boost. "There was a little girl somewhere who said 'You got this, ladies!' And it was so cute," Lokedi said. "And I was like that was what I needed. It gave me so much to look forward to."

Biggest surprise celebrity appearance: We knew Chelsea Clinton was running. What we didn't know was that her parents — yes, Bill and Hillary — would be at the finish line to greet her. (Fun fact: Chelsea Clinton ran under the pseudonym Margaret Smith, a seeming reference to the trailblazing congresswoman and senator from Maine.)

Best dressed: Seattle resident Emily Huff, who dressed as Joy from the movie "Inside Out." Huff told WBUR's Martha Bebinger that she sent a letter of gratitude to someone every week for 26 weeks leading up to the marathon.

• Runners up: Yoel Levy, who told Martha he has run marathons in his Batman costume in eight different countries; an inspiring suit; and the five (!) Alexi Lalas lookalikes.

Most likely to make the most of a bad break: Natalie Goolik, a 10-time Boston Marathon runner from Philadelphia, tore her ACL about 20 weeks ago. Knowing she wouldn't run her best time, she told Martha she decided to wear a tutu this year to at least run in style.

Longest stride (literally, and maybe figuratively): Zdeno Chara. The 6-foot-9 former Bruin knocked 12 minutes off his previous Boston Marathon best.

Best mid-race snack: These pickles in Brookline.

Most questionable footwear decision: The man who ran barefoot.

• Runner up: These Red Sox fans.

Check out our team's full Marathon Monday recap and photos.

Our 2026 Boston Marathon superlatives, from best costumes to biggest winner | WBUR News

Boston Marathon recap: Here's how the 130th race unfolded- Article from WBUR (Boston's NPR)

Boston Marathon recap: Here's how the 130th race unfolded

• Amy Gorel

Updated April 20, 2026

More than 30,000 athletes made the historic trek from Hopkinton to Boston on a chilly Marathon Monday.

Familiar names took all of the top awards: Wheelchair racer Marcel Hug won his ninth Boston title and wheelchair racer Eden Rainbow-Cooper, runner John Korir and runner Sharon Lodeki all claimed their second Boston victory. Korir also set a course record.

Spectators were out in full force along the 26.2 miles of the course, cheering on friends, family members and strangers.

Here's a look at how the day unfolded:

4:30 p.m.

The finish line

The vast majority of the runners have passed the finish line on Boylston Street in Boston. The race course officially closes at 5:30 p.m.

There were "no major incidents," according to the Massachusetts Department of Health. There were 18 EMS transports so far, fewer than this time last year.

Race co-medical director Dr. Kristin Whitney said that with chilly temperatures today, there's been some incidents of hypothermia the medical teams have treated. But there's also been a few people who needed ice baths to cool down from dangerously high body temperatures.

"When we are running and it's colder conditions, our muscles can cramp up, so mild cramping has been a trend," Whitney said. Otherwise, it's "really mixed bag, a typical mix of what we'd expect here on race day."

Miki Jameson and her mother Charmaine Jameson in tutus at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (Martha Bebinger/WBUR)

Once the elite runners had all passed, more participants made it to the finish line in colorful costumes.

Miki Jameson, from Chicago, and her mother Charmaine Jameson, from Virginia, have run 54 marathons together. This is their second one in a costume.

They ran in New York as cows. They weren’t trying for a personal best so they’ve decided to just have fun.

Emily Huff, from Seattle, set an intention for her run in Boston this year to be about joy.

She wrote a letter of gratitude to someone in her life who brings her joy every week for 26 weeks — people like her mother, neighbors and former teachers. And for race day, she dressed up like the character Joy from "Inside Out."

"Life's too short to not be a little silly and whimsical, and also to have some depth to it and let people know how wonderful they are," she said.

This is her third time running the Boston Marathon. Her first was in 2013; she crossed the finish line about 20 minutes before the bombs went off.

After finishing the race today, she said she was grateful to get to this point. She said it's important to "recognize that joy is a gift that people gave along the course, but it's also a practice and such a gift that we get to embody joy and gratitude on a day like today."

Emily Huff, from Seattle, dressed as the character Joy from "Inside Out" after crossing the Boston Marathon finish line. (Martha Bebinger/WBUR)— With reporting by WBUR's Martha Bebinger

Boston Marathon recap: Here's how the 130th race unfolded | WBUR News