About 35k and five hours into my first marathon, I couldn’t run anymore.

I didn’t really think it through, but the general plan was to run the entire 42k. If I didn’t feel too good I’d run 8 minutes and walk 1. By about 28k I was running 5 mins and walking 1. As the race progressed, I was running less and walking more. By about 35k, I couldn’t run 1 min.

I tried pushing past it and gutting it out but I just couldn’t run anymore. Part of me felt embarrassed that I couldn’t do more and push just a little more. But as I listened to myself & my body and just stayed honest, a one minute shuffle was all I could manage.

And as I put my heart into every small slow step, I remembered the story of a widow who gave the little that she had to someone who was working for a purpose larger than themselves.

I’ve often found myself looking for effectivity — being able to achieve results in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of effort. You can blame it on my MBA training that valued results and working smart more than working hard. But as I was struggling to get to the finish line 7 more kilometers away, the story of the “Widow’s Mite” made so much sense.

As I find myself praying over my late father’s life 11 days after his passing, that makes so much sense to me – it is the small things done with great love that make a difference in people’s lives.