By Craig: The other day a good friend of mine passed away. It was a shock because he was in such good shape physically for a man who was nearing 70 years old. We were in the same running club, and he was the type of person who would give you the shirt off his back. When I was attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon a few years ago, he gave me some good advice that helped me to succeed in my endeavor. We ran an Ultra-Marathon together in South Carolina back in December. It was a 24 hour race that turned into a mud fest on slippery rain soaked trails. The course was along a narrow path that crossed creeks, and it seemed that every lap around the trail I would encounter a new root that seemed to have sprung up like some target in an arcade game. It was a mess! My goal had initially been to finish 100k, but after assessing the conditions I quickly adjusted that. About mid-afternoon I was seriously beginning to think about quitting. Because I was 20 years younger, and faster than Danny I turned a bend in the trail and saw him in front of me. I had lapped him, but he was plugging along with his head down, and I came up beside him. He had a big grin on his face, and was thoroughly enjoying himself! We had a lengthy discussion and after giving me encouragement my attitude quickly changed. I no longer felt like quitting, and ended up finishing 40 miles that day! That was the type of person he was.
I found a photograph that Danny had taken a few months back, and because I really like it I saved it on my phone. It is the sunset over a lake. A simple image. There it is... a leafless tree with its outstretched arms that seems to beckon the sun as it disappears on the horizon in the western sky. The serenity of the lake is captivating and surreal. The image is poignant because it captures the truth that we will all one day face. A sunset...A simple sunset... This sunset belonged to my friend.
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