Notre Dame love, faith and the promise of Joy!

marathon

 

Yesterday I wanted to share about Yann's marathon which was on Sunday

but the fire at Notre Dame consumed my every thought,

and the marathon trailed far behind in what I wanted to post on my blog.

Though today I saw a connection that seemed to bring a moment of stillness in the sadness of what has happened.

Chelsea (seven months pregnant) and I followed Yann while he ran the marathon in Paris by mapping out his course, calculating where and at what time he would be along the 42 km trail so that we could cheer him on as he ran by.

Yann was running faster than expected which meant we had to move faster between the meeting points if we wanted to see him. Our last meeting point before the finish line was in the Bois de Bologne at the 35 km point. When we arrived Chelsea noticed on the app that we were using that Yann had considerably slowed down, and we began to wonder if he was alright. 

 

marathon

 

We stood on stumps to see if we could see him. If you have never been to a marathon let me tell you it is hard to find a runner in a sea of runners but at last, we saw him his hand was on his head as he weaved back and forth mumbling, "I cannot do it, it is too much, I cannot feel my legs, I cannot do it." He looked terrible he had the face of defeat. I started to cry, and cheer him on with a mumble of words and emotions, at the same time as I was uttering my encouragement, I saw Chelsea leaped from the stump and run to her father. She joined him in the race, putting her hand on his back, "Papa you have this, breath, your legs are moving, they are taking you to the finish line, breath, let the pain go, you can do this, focus on your breathing you are going to make it."

It was so beautiful to see Chelsea act without a moment of hesitation, without a moment of reflection to herself. She knew exactly what her father needed and she knew she could help him reach his goal.

 

IMG_0620

 

I stood in awe.

And there it was in that moment, encouragement, an extension of oneself to another, love, faith and the promise of joy.

_____

 

Notre Dame love, faith and the promise of Joy!



Comments

27 responses to “Notre Dame love, faith and the promise of Joy!”

  1. Tears! How sweet to see and read of Chelsea helping Yann finish the race. What a special daughter you have.

  2. Kathie B

    Did the marathon course go near Notre Dame? If so, did you get any photos of it on Sunday?

  3. Love, faith, and the promise of joy…yes, Yann had/has the best cheerleaders. 💗

  4. Christine F

    I see two generations helping him reach his goal……I am humbled by all three of them.
    Bravo

  5. Donna Boucher

    What a beautiful perfect marathon moment you captured. I am crying in Wisconsin, it’s so lovely. Chelsea is the best!

  6. Congrats to Yann!
    (But how do you know when a runner needs encouragement or to stop running?)

  7. pc Brown

    A perfect post to lift our spirits.
    This is proof of the wonderful job you did in parenting, you have every right to be proud of your daughter’s beautiful character and love.
    Congratulations to you all.

  8. Jacklynn Lantry

    Oh my god Corey, this made me cry. What a lovely and touching story. Chelsea is going to be a great mom!

  9. yes, sometimes it takes someone else’s belief in you, to spur you on!

  10. Thanks for sharing this. It’s a beautiful thing to know what to say to another, at just the right moment.
    Just breathe … Perfect.
    Words that your loving daughter will no doubt hear as she’s bringing your precious grandchild into the world, a couple months down the road.
    Once again, congratulations to Yann!

  11. RebeccaNYC

    now I’m crying

  12. Jennifer Phillipps

    Oh dear – tears all round as we read this…..well done Yann, Chelsea and Paris for focusing on the positive and getting that beautiful Notre Dame back on her feet too….I will look forward to seeing her repaired and racing to the finish line too….Cheers

  13. What a wonderful story…the best. Thanks for sharing it! Here’s to you and your peeps!

  14. i love this story, made me shed a few tears with my breakfast…finishing a marathon is such an accomplishment. Boston Marathon was Monday, there are so many inspirational stories with all these races. ❤️ To you and Notre Dame…

  15. Kathie B

    “French Woman Sets Marathon Record Running In High Heels”:
    https://www.npr.org/2019/04/17/714213033/french-woman-sets-marathon-record-running-in-high-heels (audio already available online)
    Summary: Christelle Doyhambehere ran the race on a challenge from her partner, who dared her to run in her stylish footwear. She ran in just over six hours, beating that record by about an hour and half.

  16. What a connection those two have. This made me tear up. We’re they close to the Finnish?

  17. charland

    Such a man and such a daughter. Love for all. More power to them and to you.

  18. You’ve raised an extraordinary girl.

  19. Once again you have brought me to tears. Such A beautiful connection between Yann and Chelsea. How is he feeling?

  20. Paula Tyner

    As so often happens, your words have me in tears. Thank you for describing such a beautiful exchange between your daughter and her Father. This love speaks everything about all of you.

  21. Kathleen

    Brought tears to my eyes! Congratulations to Yank,hope he is recovered no mean feat!Well done Chelsea and baby too!👟👟👟

  22. Kathleen

    “Yann”!

  23. Chico Sue

    This short post was brief but packed with familial love between daughter and father, husband and wife, Catholic faith and history. Cheers to Yann especially, but also to the ties that bind you altogether.

  24. susan f worrall

    This is a moment in time that is full of grace and love. You will never forget it and it is a reminder to us all.

  25. BeckyFar

    That was absolutely beautiful!
    Chelsea is going to a wonderful mother.
    I think she has some phenomenal role models!

  26. So beautiful!

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