T Minus Three.

Three days are left before the Philadelphia Women’s Triathlon. I’ve completed all my training, run all the miles, swam, biked, even started rock climbing. The triathlon is this Sunday, July 12th. Three people have donated to the fundraiser I’ve been running in the last three months: two of those three people have been family members, the other, a generous stranger from my twitter followers list that I connected with and am grateful for. My triathlon bike is in pieces in my garage, having had recent tire problems more than a simple cosmetic fix could tend to, and I am on my last reserve of patience. I’m anxiously awaiting standing at the starting swim area come Sunday morning, waiting for my heat to go off.

I have a list of people in my mind I’m going to be thinking of, as thanks while burning through the miles, Mr. M among them. Mainly, I want to be able to collapse in the arms of the people that care about me, and me them, after crossing the finish line.

So, this “before the race” post is about ambition, with a huge thanks to my twitter friend @jenniferlucille.

Ambition: Each day strive to be a better you. Do not be deterred by others who would keep you from your potential. Make positive choices, read, challenge yourself, learn from those who have gone before. Turn adversity into a call to rise above, and into a better you. Take time to relax, reflect, to meditate. Define your path – through each obstacle overcome and every opportunity embraced. Be flexible, move forward toward your future.

Inspiration & Hope.

The first donation arrived in the PO box this past Friday, along with a personal note of inspiration from which I’m going to quote a few lines to help illustrate what this fundraiser is about, and how, deep down inside, I feel about helping others and spreading hope. This check, along with several words of heartfelt encouragement, came from my sister. Her note of inspiration, read in a rainy post office parking lot last Friday, made me outright weep a little. I’m sharing a few of her words below because I want others, I want you, to know how much this fundraiser means, how much getting involved means, how even just sending a note or dedication means:

“…first of all – I love you for trying your little heart out! It’s a good thing you are trying to get people involved in, and one day it’ll come back to you. I know this man was only briefly in your life, and I understand he had a big impact on you, more than I’ll know I’m sure.

…this little piece of your life will hold so much emotion & hope for you & others – make sure you tell your story! I love you.”

My sister is right about many things. I want to get people involved. I only knew Mr. M for a short period of time, but was impacted greatly by having known him.

“Family” is the most amazing support system I have ever been witness to in my lifetime. It humbles those of anything else in my opinion. Not everyone though is fortunate enough to have family around them, or to be able to rely on family in times of need or crisis. Those that can or have been able to, know just how fortunate they are, and just how powerful the support of loved ones and family can be when called upon. This is how I remember and often think of Mr. M’s family, of the man himself. I recall being in the hospital, a silent support for my friend, watching Mr. M and his wife hold hands and share moments of love and support the likes of which I haven’t seen since my grandparents passed away. Even through episodes of pain and grief, there were amazing bonds of love and support. Families do many things within their own space to be able to deal with many situations: they make light of things, they don’t take things for granted, they constantly learn to cope. I was reminded last fall and winter how important Family is, how important love and support are, how necessary our duty should be to those endeared to us.

So, thanks to my sister, my family, someone I know that has my back regardless, this fundraiser is off and running. I share my pieces with you in the hopes that you will be impacted as well, and moved to become a part of something that might change you too, TriForm.

TriForm, Fund-Raising and the Postcard Project.

Postcard Project © triform.com

TriForm is the name I’ve given the fund-raiser I’m currently running. It consists of three parts:

The first part is the Triathlon itself. The Philadelphia Women’s Triathlon is an all women’s triathlon, consisting of a 1/4 mile swim, a 17 mile bike and a 3 mile run. Women of all ages, backgrounds and abilities come from all over to join each other in this group competition. It is also my first triathlon. I picked this triathlon based on the recommendation of several other family members, women, that have competed in it and enjoyed it and the company they had while enduring the race itself. This is part one of TriForm.

Part two of the TriForm is the Dedication. My competing in the Philadelphia Women’s Triathlon is about many things: it’s about endurance, it’s about pushing past pre established physical limitations, it’s about challenging the body and the mind, but for me, and foremost in my thoughts through these months of training and I know during the race itself, will be the dedication I hold in my heart for someone that has passed away. My dedication is for Mr. M, and for his family. This is part two of TriForm.

The third and last part of the TriForm is the Fund-Raiser. This is where you get involved, open your heart, and offer support. There are two ways you can help support TriForm. You can help by donating funds through check made payable to Temple University Health System, which is the Philadelphia hospital where all donations will be sent “in memory of” Mr. M after the completion of the triathlon. Monetary donations are also tax deductible. The other way you can get involved in the fund-raiser is by participating in the multi-media postcard dedication project. The Post Project is a creative way for you, as a supporter to actually and physically, show your support, even if it’s hard to financially donate funds. You can send a postcard to the PO Box address below with a simple dedication sentence, or the sentence “In Memory of Mr. M” and I’ll donate 50 cents to the fund-raiser for every postcard received. Also, for the first 50 postcards received, I’ll return one as a personal “thank you” for getting involved in a project that means a great deal to me. The “thank you” postcards are images from the Magnum Stories Book, a collective of photojournalist’s images from all over the world.

Please remember, any donation amount helps, which is why even sending a postcard as a dedication to the fund-raiser -helps-. If you can spare $1 then please consider it, any amount would help.

Monetary donations and postcard dedications can be sent to the address below, checks made payable to “Temple University Health System“:

Melinda Houvig

PO Box 169

Wayne, PA 19087-0169

*you can fill in the memo area with “donation.”

Introduction.

Hi.

My name is Melinda, I’m 31 yrs old, and I didn’t know how to start this introduction, so I thought the best way would be to just dive right into why I’m here, and why I want you to be here too. I’m competing in my first triathlon this July, the Philadelphia Women’s Triathlon, in memory and honor of my friend’s father, who passed away last December. I’m fund-raising right now in order to make a considerable donation to the hospital that gave this man an extended lease on life through a lung transplant and additional care over the years afterward, Temple University Hospital, located in Philadelphia, PA.

This is a private fund-raiser, not affiliated with the hospital or any company. It’s a personal dedication I’m taking on to a man I respected, and to a family I learned to love through his parting of this physical place.

Mostly though, I’m competing in his memory, and I’m asking people to pledge funds so that a hospital like Temple University Hospital, can keep helping people like my friend’s father when they need to, even in the hardest and darkest of hours.

This is for Mr. M, who is missed and loved.

*Fund-raising information, including contact info to come.