Today was my first official 5K. My first unofficial one was last November. Eddie won a first place medal for his age group that day and we joked about signing up for races with a lot of young runners. When I found the Race for Recovery (benefitting the market Street Mission) taking place on July 4th I checked out the age spread from last year's event. It looked like we would be senior participants. We both finished, met nice people, enjoyed the music and heard inspiring stories of struggles and recovery. I finished with a time of 46:39, proudly in the lower 16 percent. I enjoyed watching the finish line, looking for the two woman I started with a the beginning. I was afraid of getting lost on the cross country trail and wanted the company. Once I saw that the course was well marked I was able to set my own pace. I politely passed a few people and sprinted across the finish line. It felt so good! When I got home I read a quote by Fr. Alexander Schmemann, "Tell me what you celebrate and I will tell you who you are". The people today were celebrating America's Independence Day, their physical ability to move, the power of the Twelve Steps and the importance of the human community. It was good to be in their company.