A Movement of Hope

Tonight as I think about all that has been going on in the world that I know, the one thing that comes to mind is Hope.

Its not just something that I can pick up in the dollar section every time I go to Target, but lately it feels like there is enough for all of us who are willing to spend the last dollar in our wallet. Its not easy to live on the edge all the time holding onto hope, but when there are enough of us with the tools we need to keep climbing this never ending mountain, we find the strength we need in the hearts of others surrounding us. There is hope.

The songs that I listen to when I go for a long run all seem to express the human struggle that we all face everyday, but with just enough hope to remind us to keep pushing through until one day the wind will be at our backs again filling our hearts again with joy. There is Hope.

When I think about the dark clouds that fill the skies and I can see the rain start to fall in the distance, I know that its a matter of time until I either have to run for cover or just take it as it comes because I don't have a choice and I have a job to do, but when the clouds finally break and rainbows suddenly fill the sky, its hard to be disappointed. There is HOPE.

When its late at night or even early in the morning and the news channels are lacking in delivering any sort of substance, I find more assurance in the lives of people who have to say goodbye to the ones they love the most. In the lives of those most devastated, THERE IS HOPE.

But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Its probably harder to wait for the things we desperately need and hope for when there just isn't any time left, so where do we Find Hope?

In the stories of those who's last hope has failed is usually where we find Hope...

Against all hope, you must Believe in hope, not wavering through unbelief, but being strengthened in your faith, being fully persuaded that God has power to do what He had promised. We have this hope in Him. My Hope is in You..........

Its time to Start a Movement of Hope, join us as we Run for the HOPE of one day finding a cure for Our Kids @ https://www.facebook.com/events/129786293855902/

Welcome to My Blog

Welcome to Brian's Phirst Blog, if you are new to my blog take some time to read the latest blog entries and explore my links to learn as much as you can about how we can fight for Our Kids against childhood cancers. Currently we are running as a nation and around the world to bring attention to our US government that pediatric cancers are NOT Rare! Join us in a virtual effort https://www.facebook.com/events/129786293855902/ to bring real Awareness to these kids who are still losing to cancer at the rate of 7 per day 365 days of a year.

My own son Lincoln was diagnosed with leukemia after we noticed something when he was out in the sun one summer day in 2011. He is doing very well against the most common form of leukemia, but he has been fortunate as many children suffer in hospitals and their playground are the hallways where nurses monitor them day and night. You can follow his journey and support him on his links on the right side of my blog.

I am one of the social media manager of the Truth 365 film and social media campaign. If you have not seen the film released late last year, take 51 minutes of your life and watch with a purpose in your heart that you CAN make a difference. Click the picture to the right.

I have some friends running across the country and giving their miles to fight sarcoma cancers, especially for young people. Check out their journey and join them with a big LIKE on their facebook page @ Miles2Give.

I want to support anyone who wants to Be a Voice to the little ones who deserve to be heard in a world that is to busy for kids. If you would like to share something with me, share it with me on my blog page (link on the right again) Check out my friend Tony Stoddard's page @ https://www.facebook.com/yellowandgoldforcole

September is National childhood cancer awareness month and 2013 is going to not only bring awareness for Our Kids but a celebration of their lives as they continue to journey the Unknown Trail of pediatric cancer. Please stand with me and those who want to Eliminate the Threat of Childhood Cancers once and for all. Take a look at my blog over the last 2 years to find out how to fight for Our Kids!

I had some shirts made for our Run to the White House and have sent over 100 so far! You can preorder one with your sized, color (light or dark blues) men's women's or children's and your mailing address. Once I confirm this I will let you know how to get one by making a donation to support our event in 2013. Email me @ ricksson33@yahoo.com
 https://www.facebook.com/events/129786293855902/


Don't forget to Tweet Brian's Phirst Blog in 2013 and follow me @FollowMeIn2013. Thanks!
https://twitter.com/FollowMeIn2013

A Great Day!

What an amazing day it has been already! Let me just go right into it today.
After running this week and setting a few new personal records I decided today would be my long run. We went to church in West Salem after taking some time away since my father in law Pastor Bob past away. It was wonderful with the new pastor Nathan and his great message about the power of God's Word. I planned on running right out of church, but I never really planned how far I would go. I ran down the hill and across the old railroad bridge that is now a pedestrian bridge and started heading north through Salem toward Keizer. My wife left church but didn't see me because I was running on the other one way street. She finally caught me in Keizer and said she was going to lunch, so at that point I had to run all the way home. I ran half way through Keizer and turned east on Chemawa to head toward Keizer Station. On the way I saw a few runners and people on bikes, but then I saw this one runner and handed him my Run for the White House business card. I could hear him thanking me as I ran away, I wonder if he will join our virtual event @ https://www.facebook.com/events/129786293855902/

I ran through KS where the Iris Festival was going on, but I didn't see anymore runners from the races this morning. I continued on the back road where the race was held and reached the point where I ran two days ago in the Iris fields. It was a beautiful sight with hundreds of different colors these flowers produce in these very large fields.

 

I was on the home stretch with some great running music in my iPod and when I got to my neighborhood I started to wonder how far I had run. Previously my longest distance was 9.75 miles and as I walked a lap to cool down I saw that someone had just arrived at my house. It was our friends from 4Him2Day who have sponsored Lincoln in their fundraising efforts to help families who have children with cancer.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/4Him2Day-Childrens-Cancer-Resource-Foundation/110755938957530

 

They had received more donations from their last event and wanted to share with us. I started talking to Craig about the fundraiser coming up where people will run to help our kids. I was wearing my "Follow Me" shirt from the run I just finished and I thought about forming a team with all of my friends in Salem for their event in June.

 

After talking with him for awhile I came inside to rest and have some water. I opened up facebook and I could hardly believe my eyes as my new friends from Miles2Give (Landon Cooper) https://www.facebook.com/www.miles2give.org

 who are running against cancer across the USA, were standing there wearing the same shirt I was. I sent them these shirts when they were in Colorado and now they have reached Nebraska and will continue to raise awareness for this horrible disease. Please click on their link and LIKE their page for me.

 

I almost forgot, I check my route on Daily Mile.com and I had run 11.86 miles http://www.dailymile.com/people/brian_jones_bri/entries/22820573

 

Now its time to eat, have a great day! Keep fighting for our kids!

Smiles 4 Miles 2013

In early January I was thinking about how great the weather had been outside this winter and I decided to talk a quick 1 mile walk about the block. After about an hour of letting my mind wander outside of the stress of everyday life, I was determined to run across the country to raise awareness for children with cancer who desperately need a cure. It didn't take long for me to realize that I was older than I am at heart, and no where near being able to run 3 miles without walking. I asked a couple of people that I knew who were avid runners, if they would help me in taking a virtual trip across the country by sharing their daily miles with me, hoping we could add up 2800 miles by September. I guess the word got out about our virtual journey and now over 1000 people have run over 10,000 miles in all directions raising awareness and sharing hope with kids fighting cancer.

Since January I have continued to be inspired by all of the people running in our virtual event, and by those who are currently running for cancer awareness like my friend Landon Cooper and his team @ Miles2Give https://www.facebook.com/www.miles2give.org who are running for my son Lincoln TODAY! I never thought this event would grow to this size so I am adding a new element to celebrate more kids as they continue to hope for a cure.

Starting today, any of our kids diagnosed with childhood cancer, who send us a picture with a big Smile on their face, will be rewarded with a commitment to run 100 miles from those who have joined our event.

We will have a facebook page that we will post all of our smiles on where anyone can come to celebrate with our kids and comment on their pictures with a message of hope. With 1000 people its not too hard to run 100 miles, so every child will also receive Bonus miles for their pictures. I have also asked for pictures of kids smiling with celebrities that will be worth up to 3000 miles, and the ultimate prize will be given to one child who can get a smiling picture taken with our President (10,000 miles)

We want to ask everyone to spread the word about Smiles 4 Miles 2013 as we keep running through to September and hope that our kids will challenge us with hundreds of miles with their precious smiles. Please read the "about" section of our facebook page for instructions on how to Smile for Miles during our virtual run to the White House @ https://www.facebook.com/events/129786293855902/

Check out the Smiles that have already inspired many miles on our page Smile4Miles2013

 

 

Click here to LIKE and SHARE "Smiles 4 Miles 2013"

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smiles-4-Miles-2013/

 

An Army of One

Back in the early 90's when I was a youth, who's eyes were just being opened to the world around me, I started to wonder if I should join the armed forces and fight as an American Soldier. It didn't take long to change my mind, as the pleasures of life as a teenager continued to grow and serving anyone but myself was usually the last thing on my mind.

As I entered my college years I joined a youth leader in the small coastal town of Ilwaco, WA and the universe that I thought was centered on me was interrupted as I took my first trip out of our country to serve others in Mexico, Brazil and Jamaica. Each time I was faced with opportunities to either step out in faith and open my heart to a life changing experience, or shrivel up and indulge in my personal safety zone. At this point in my life I still find things I "like" to do, but even those simple pleasures are beginning to fade in the light of my new life, as a parent with a child diagnosed with cancer.

These days I talk a lot about "the battle" that we are in and how my son Lincoln soldiers on through his chemotherapy as a 4 year old. Only a few days after beginning this journey I took a new step of faith and enlisted in the army of childhood cancer warriors, mostly made up of children and their parents. As we took on grueling missions through uncharted waters like hospital visits, scans and steroids, the one thing I put my hope into was that these soldiers never, ever gave up. Sometimes when the journey through these foreign battlegrounds feels like the enemy is watching every step and trying to abduct our children, we begin to feel afraid and alone. Starting a foundation or a fundraiser or even a facebook page can feel intimidating when no one feels the same way we do about it, but we keep going because we are on a mission for our kids. When we complete our objectives like signing a petition to turn the White House GOLD in September or running 10,000 miles in honor and support of kids who are stuck in a hospital bed, we celebrate for a moment, before we look for the next opportunity to raise our Golden flags and stake our claim in enemy territory. Thankfully, we will never be truly alone, as those who have traveled down these roads before us, experiencing loss and pain, have not left the fight for those who have been recently drafted into this army.

In the world that I once knew, where wars in other countries cost billions of dollars and American soldiers have given the ultimate sacrifice, I was hiding under a rock hoping to make a few bucks to buy some fast food. Now that I have been drafted into a war that has been going on for decades, my only hope is that our army is strong enough, big enough and loud enough to make One critical mission a complete success in 2013 (and 2014). We need to come together and let our many voices resound as an Army with One Voice because we will Never give up, never give in, NEVER! (please listen to the message in this song for the 2013 Childhood Cancer Community)

 

Please join us as One Voice in 2013 @ http://www.thetruth365.org/

Join us in Running to raise Awareness @ https://www.facebook.com/events/129786293855902/