Rain, Rain, You Can Stay

After my knee problems on Monday, you'd think I'd hold off on running again this week, right?  No, sir or madam, I did not.  My knee made an audible "pop" sound Wednesday evening and nearly all of the pain I'd been feeling disappeared.  And since Thursday's weather looked so nice, I decided to go for another run, this time wearing the knee brace.

Just as I was starting my run, I noticed that the sky looked a little darker than I had first noticed.  I remembered that I had seen that there was a chance of showers that evening, but only 50%.  So I ran.  My knee felt fine and once again, it felt great being outside pounding pavement.  When I was a little past the halfway mark, it starting lightly sprinkling.  My fastest option home was just to finish, so I picked up the pace a little.  The rainfall increased to the point that by the time I made it home, the front of my shirt was damp all the way through, though I wasn't actually dripping.  I also wasn't in danger of hypothermia since the rain didn't really get heavy until right at the end.

I had barely stepped inside when I got a text message.  My friend, Lori, asked if I could come by to administer a priesthood blessing to her husband who was having an asthma attack.  I immediately turned around to head out the door, but first, I told Samuel to put on his shoes and come with me.  Even though Samuel hadn't been invited, I thought that bringing him would be appropriate and it would give him a chance to participate in a blessing for the first time (he only recently received the Melchizedek Priesthood).

We arrived, me in my wet running clothes, and were warmly welcomed.  After a quick explanation from Mark on what was ailing him, we administered the blessing, with Samuel anointing and me sealing.  Mark was clearly grateful and gave us each a big bear hug.  Not wanting to get in the way of his recovery, we soon left to go home, with Samuel talking excitedly about how he got to be involved.

These stories are connected in more than just their sequence.  My original plan had been to run two loops again, like last time, which would have taken me over an hour.  I did have my cell phone on me, but with my earbuds in and my legs constantly moving, the chances that I would have either heard or felt my phone (I have it set to both chime and vibrate) are low.  If the rain hadn't come, I probably would have lost the opportunity to exercise my priesthood and help a dear friend.  I was annoyed at the rain when it first started, but now I'm grateful it came.