This is a big year for anniversaries. Thirty years of marriage, ten years of marathons, first year of our new restaurant.

As the date of my tenth San Francisco Marathon approached last month, it seemed to “feel” different than previous years. I mean I’m always excited and a little nervous, but this year there was an extra buzz of excitement as I walked into the expo to pick up my race swag which, to my surprise, also included a ten year loyal runner gift of a fleece blanket.

Everyone has different favorite parts of this course. Most will agree that crossing the Golden Gate Bridge is a highlight. One fond memory I have is from Golden Gate Park and an elderly African American man standing quietly off to the side of the road around Mile 15. That first year, he stood out because he was holding a tall wooden post with a gigantic hand-painted sign that simply said “Jesus Loves You.” He would smile and wave at runners. That’s it. I’m guessing most of the 17,000 runners who passed him didn’t notice, didn’t care, or didn’t remember him after the race. But something about his smile and the peaceful look on his face resonated with me.

During a 26.2 mile race that takes the average runner 4-5 hours, you have a lot of time to think as well as pray if you’re so inclined – and not just desperate prayers for relief from bodily pain or the end (finish line) to come quickly. I remember praying for that elderly man. Praying blessing over him. Praying that his simple sign and those three words would encourage other runners.

The following year – and six years after that – I couldn’t believe he was there again at the same spot with his giant sign. Always on the right hand side of the road. I usually run on the left side of the course (just habit), so I made it a point to run over to him for a high-five and a quick word to say “Right back at ya, bro!” And then I would pray for him as I ran on.

Two years ago, I remember looking forward to seeing him as I approached Mile 15. He was not there.

Last year, same thing. I was actually worried that something had happened to “my friend.”

This year I didn’t expect to see him. And I didn’t. I later told Dave that I suspect since he was elderly that he had passed away. I said the same thing about my friend as I had said after Billy Graham’s passing this year: “Wow, he probably has THE biggest mansion in Heaven now!” Well done, good and faithful servant.

This year as I rounded the turn toward Mile 24 and caught a glimpse of AT&T Park, I admit I got a little emotional. Mile 25 runs right past the stadium where fans line up early for afternoon Giants games. By then, the fog had cleared revealing the beautiful San Francisco Bay just steps away. I got teary-eyed thinking about how I was about to cross this particular finish line for the tenth year in a row. For a few surreal seconds, highlights from those ten years played in my head. I was an emotional wreck by the time I saw the Mile 26 marker but pulled it together for that last point two. I savored every moment of those last 385 yards, took lots of mental snapshots, and even heard a friend cheering me on from the sideline right before I crossed the finish line.

It wasn’t my fastest or my slowest San Francisco Marathon, but it definitely felt special.

Race expos, pasta buffets, and post race muscle maladies are certainly not the most romantic way to celebrate an anniversary. Funny that the L.A. Marathon was held on Valentine’s Day a few years back. Nothing says romance…

Dave definitely wins for planning anniversary surprises ranging from tickets to Phantom of the Opera (which I accidentally found) to long stemmed red roses delivered to my classroom.

As generous, thoughtful, and truly appreciated those anniversaries were, it’s taken thirty years for Dave to realize and me to communicate that I really don’t like surprises or red roses.

So this year I took it upon myself to plan our 30th anniversary celebration. I didn’t want to go to our usual spots like Carmel or Napa. We hadn’t been to Bodega Bay since before kids and we pretty much never venture that direction, so off we went for a day trip that I had googled up. Was Google even around thirty years ago?

Much to my relief, the day hike, lunch spot, and dinner lived up to their google acclaim. More importantly, the time spent with Dave seemed to fly by and the day ended with a feeling of sadness that it was over but excitement for the next date together. Isn’t that how it always should be?

Whether or not you’re a runner, married, or a business owner, you can probably guess that none of these endeavors are easy, come without sacrifice, and for sure hold their share of tears and joy. Perhaps this is why anniversaries or milestones are so significant and worthy of celebration.

The title and excerpt from this article by Ben Reoach, pastor of a large Midwest church, recently caught my eye:

Remember His Goodness: Six Ways to Fight Spiritual Amnesia

“When it comes to remembering God’s faithfulness, we can be especially forgetful. One striking example of this is found in the book of Exodus, chapters 14 and 16. In the span of just a couple of chapters, we see the Israelites delivered from slavery and brought through the Red Sea, and then they are grumbling about not having food to eat.

And then, of course, we remember that we do the same sort of thing. God brings us through a trial, answers a prayer, and within a few days it’s almost forgotten. We’re already looking to the next struggle on the horizon and finding reasons to gripe and complain.

We have to find ways of remembering God’s faithfulness.”

God Himself set the stage for celebrating significant milestones. After each day of Creation, He made it a point to say “It is good” culminating with His magnum opus, the first human, whereby God declared “It is VERY good.” The next day was set aside for enjoying all He had created.

And so we celebrate, not just for the sake of celebrating, but to remember and recount God’s goodness as well as His faithfulness and timeliness that become more apparent with each passing year. We celebrate with things like loyal runner blankets, day trips, dinners, wine, and even closing down your restaurant early to treat your staff to a night of dinner and games.

So, then why don’t we celebrate EVERY year with as much pomp and circumstance as the decade markers or the “jubilee” years? As a huge Disneyland fan, I will say that Disney sure knows how to put on a 60th Anniversary Jubilee which also coincided with their 10th Anniversary Half Marathon. Upon a little further research, I found that the word jubilee itself means “a special anniversary of an event” with a nod to the 25th and 50th years. Many word origins/traditions find their roots in the Bible. I admit I don’t venture much into Old Testament books like Leviticus (mostly cuz I’m not a great history or Bible scholar), but I did find this passage about God’s purpose for the Jubilee as well as this commentary quite interesting:

“Make the fiftieth year a special year, and announce freedom for all the people living in your country. This time will be called Jubilee. You will each go back to your own property, each to your own family and family group. The fiftieth year will be a special time for you to celebrate.” Leviticus 25:10-11 NCV

“The Jubilee year contains many of the pictures of our salvation. Just as the land, the people, and all the property was released, so we too have been released from a debt that we could not pay (our sins). We were once slaves to sin but now we’ve been released, once held captive but now set free. Christ’s blood has atoned for our sins and satisfied the wrath of God that was due us (Rom 5) and as the land was given rest, we too have entered into His rest from all of our works for we could never save ourselves by our own works because salvation is fully a work of God.” – from What is the Meaning of Jubilee in the Bible? by Jack Wellman

Now THAT is worth remembering and celebrating DAILY!

This December I will be running my 50th marathon. It’s also my seventh year running the California International Marathon. The number seven in the Bible holds countless significance with regards to God’s order, timing, provision, and completion. In fact, Leviticus also documents how that 50th year of celebration came to be with “seven times seven years of Sabbaths” which is 49 years. When I ran that first marathon (SF) back in 2009, I definitely didn’t think I’d EVER hit 50 marathons much less for that 50th to be my seventh C.I.M.

Coincidence? Nope.

Of course, my prayer is always that God would say of any race I run that “It was good.” For this 50th marathon, I’m kind of hoping He will say “It was very good.”