  Guest post from: Judi Zimmerman I never knew Meg. I may have met Scott when I was working in the ER at MRMC several years ago because the ER has such contact with law enforcement .....but who knows....Any way-my Advent story is one of accepting who and where I am now. I have been a runner for several years, was getting pretty competitive with my times and having lots of fun. Then injury sidelined me for most of a year. I worked my way through that and fought to get my run back. Once again, I had some decent times and was having lots of fun-so I decided to run the marathon. My run fell apart. Nothing helped. Not volume increases or cut backs, not cross training with yoga or regular massages....NADA. Training for and running the 2013 Richmond Marathon was the most miserable experience of my sporting life. When Meg died, I was barely interested in running 1-2 miles as warm up for strength training. I didn't "want" to run and really didn't care if I did it or not. But her death impacted me in a way I cannot describe. In part because of the way the running community came together to become Meg's Miles Supporters. I see in that group a love not only of running--but of each other. We celebrate each other's runs. The speedster 3 hour marathoners as well as the newbie lacing up for their first mile in 15 minutes. The genuine care and concern for each other as well as acceptance of each other no matter what is a legacy of love. I still struggle with getting my run back to my pre marathon level--but in the process of the months since Meg passed into glory I have learned to relax and just *be* in the run I have today. That to me is part of what running "Meg-strong" is all about. We can't always have these crazy PR kind of days--sometimes we just have to take the lemons and turn that sour run into something beautiful. So my Advent is learning to love and accept the person who I am now, and not look back on where I was pre injure or marathon...  Guest post from: Lia Draper Meg has changed my life and she got my attention from the start. Being a runner, a mother, and the wife of an officer myself, I couldn't help but be drawn to her family. Connections were quickly made, but little did I know that these connections weren't just for honoring Meg. These connections were for us, as a blessing from Meg and God. This family we have as Meg's Miles is precious and permanent. #Megsmiles was never a trend, it's a lifeline. You know what I'm talking about. My lifeline is made of amazing sole sisters who have been "doing life" with me for over six months. I haven't met them yet, but we have laughed, cried, and spoken truth with each other in numerous ways. They are my lifeline of love and safety and trust and hope. There are also sole brothers who have demonstrated perseverance and coaching and ripples to waves of inspiration. My Dad has always said that God gives us what we need, when we need it. He's right. But now it's time to add to it, because Meg has shown us that there is more. Her lifeline has shown us that God also gives us WHO we need, when we need them. As we go into this Advent season and into January, let's keep being a lifeline for each other during this time of love, grief, joy, and hope.  Has your life been impacted by the death of Meg Menzies. Please share your story. Since January, thousands of lives have been impacted by the death of Meg Menzies. Many of us have been overwhelmed with sadness. But many of us have also found love and hope and encouragement at a time we needed it most. As we've learned more about who Meg was and accepted the call to share her legacy with the world, the stories of our lives have been forever changed. And we've seen lives around us change. If your life has been impacted by Meg's death, I invite you to share your story at the link below. It's my hope that our stories will bring comfort and maybe an occasional smile to the Menzies and Cross families who will be missing Meg this holiday season. Submit your story here.
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