by Deacon Rie
Stephen arrived to them at the moment Hailey unsteadily came completely to her feet. "Hey there, sweetheart."
"Congratulations Daddy! You did it!" Hailey lifted the medal off her own neck and lovingly placed it over Stephen's head. “I think you’ve earned this.”
He received his medal and held her shoulder, not really certain who was stabilizing whom. "Thank you, Hailey." He kissed her forehead. "Sweetheart, I didn't think you were going to make it but I’m so glad you're here."
"Hey darlin', you look like you need Hailey's chair." Sarah came around, hugged them both and placed a gentle kiss on Stephen's lips. "I'm so proud of you. But I never doubted for a second that you could do it."
"Well," the calm of his voice resonated with satisfaction, "I might have to admit at least a couple of seconds of doubt."
Hailey took his hand and interlocked her fingers into his, "Daddy, how do you feel?"
Stephen stared at her in a drifting pause before exhaling and letting out a jovial yet pained laugh, "Good. I feel really good." He paused for a moment and considered his state, "But, I think. Yes, I'm also really sore. You might need to carry me home."
Sarah interjected, "Well, my love, as much as I would do anything for you, that isn't going to happen at the moment. You should probably change your shirt!"
Fingers still intertwined with Hailey, Stephen grabbed Sarah by the waist and pulled her closer. He paused and looked around, taking in the moment with a deep breath that he held and savored. Releasing the pain, the frustration, the anger, the regrets and resentments; those hindrances which had burdened him for so long, he let each of them go. Standing victorious in the finisher's area, holding in his arms the most precious people in his life, he felt peace. Its presence was welcome but this time it wasn't alone. Something else tugged at him, something that now wanted to be a part of his life. It took him only a brief moment to recognize the feeling as a sense of appreciating the world around him. It brought him a thankfulness not just for the specialness of this moment, but for every moment ahead of him. Stephen lifted his head and closed his eyes skyward. He released a joyful sigh and then allowed the brilliance of the beautiful day to wash over him.
After a moment, Sarah affectionately squeezed his hand as other finishers continued to shuffle past them toward the finishing area, "We should probably get moving."
Opening his eyes, he kissed Sarah on the forehead. "Yeah, babe. You're right." He grabbed the handrails of Hailey's wheelchair and began helping her towards the race exit. "Besides, we still need to swing by and pick up my father."
Sarah responded with disconnected confusion, "Your what?"
Hailey registered the passing comment and chirped in, "Grandpa's here? Who brought Grandpa to the race?"
The Cool Down
"Has anyone seen my purple hair brush?" The bellowing from upstairs continued, "I have to use the purple brush. It's the only one that gets the knots out without tearing my hair! Does anyone know where it is?"
Stephen's baritone voice returned the bellowing, "Hailey, sweetheart. I really have no idea know where your brush is. But are you still in the shower?"
She emerged from her room and began down the stairs, still drying wet hair. "I'm out, Dad. I think I left might have left my brush on Mom's sink." Stephen pressed against the wall as Hailey hurriedly scooted past him, long wet hair being tossed around by the gyrations of her towel slapped him in the face as she flew past him on the stairs.
"Dad, tomorrow night I need to go over to Jessica's house. Her mom's helping us put together the banner for Friday's pep rally. I really need to be there. So you can take me to Jessica's, right?"
"Not tomorrow, Hailey. I'll ask Mom to take you. Remember that I'm having Mr. Ray come by the house tomorrow."
"For another counseling session?" Hailey responded passively.
"For a chat."
"I think it's neat that you guys are… chatting. He's cool." She looked at Stephen's attire and without missing a breath she asked, "Are you and Mom headed off for another run?"
"Yeah, we should be back in about an hour or so."
"Alright. But remember, you said you would go to church with us today. You promised and we can't be late."
"Right. Yeah, I'm on board." Stephen glanced down at his recent birthday present. The watch measured his heart rate, his pace, and even his current elevation. What he couldn't find was the actual time of day. He pressed buttons that made an awkward beeping alert, which only announced his lack of familiarity with the seemingly space-aged technology. "I'm sure we'll be back with plenty of time to get ready."
"Okay…" Hailey responded in a condescending voice that only a teenage girl could deliver. "Oh BTW, Grandpa's coming with us to the potluck dinner tonight too."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, he hasn't been very social since Grandma passed. He's overdue." Hailey wandered through the living room, found her phone and instantly began punching away at the screen's letters.
Stephen followed her and said, "And you asked Grandpa if he wanted to go to the dinner with us, right?" Eye contact had been lost and he was now having a conversation with the top of his daughter's towel twirled head.
"Sure! We talked about it last night." Her head still focused on the phone.
"Sweetheart, Grandpa doesn't talk. He makes motions with his hand, remember?"
"Uh-huh." Hailey exhibited her minimal attention span.
"Hailey, when you were having this conversation with Grandpa were you looking at him, or your phone?"
"Dad!" Her head shot up causing her towel to slip into her hand as she displayed a pose of pure and absolute shock, "I cannot be expected to remember intricate details of every conversation."
Stephen was only pretty sure he wasn't going to respond to this sassy display.
She gave him a cheeky smile, "But silence is consent. Right, Dad?"
"Well, I suppose in this case, it's alright."
Hailey's attention shifted again and she darted upstairs, phone in one hand, towel in the other, purple brush in neither. "Okay. I'll let Grandpa know when he needs to start getting dressed for church. You guys have a good run but don't be late; okay?"
"Alright, we'll be back in time. Thanks, sweetheart." His voice trailed after her but never made it past the empty stairs.
He turned and murmured to an empty room, "And… you forgot your hair brush."
He opened the front door and stepped onto the wooden deck. The door closed behind him and without looking, Stephen outstretched his arm and made a fist. His arm lingered in the air for a brief moment before Tom's fist reached up from grasping the chair's armrest and connected with a bump.
Stephen pulled in a long, deep draw of breath and slowly exhaled, feeling the gentle tickle of a soft breeze feathering across his skin. "Wow. This is a beautiful day. Isn’t it, Dad?"
Tom picked his coffee cup off the armrest, gave Stephen a reassuring grunt and resumed rocking the creaky old wooden chair.
"Yeah. One heck of a beautiful day." Stephen took in a deep breath to appreciate the moment.
"Hey there! You gonna stand around or you gonna lace up?" Sarah called out to him as she leaned over from a hamstring stretch at the end of their walkway.
"Oh… I'm laced up alright. Laced up and geared up, good-lookin’."
From the distance, Sarah flirted back with a wink, "Then I hope you brought the Icy Hot 'cause those bones sure aren't getting any younger,"
Stephen looked across the wooden porch, "Ya know, I was thinking there might be room enough on this porch for two rocking chairs."
"Oh? Are you planning on taking up a career of rocking a noisy old chair, talking about the good old days and yelling at the teenagers for driving by too fast?
“There could be worse ways to spend weekends.” Stephen offered.
“You sure Tom wants the company?" Sarah laughed.
"Maybe not. But it still sounds like an interesting way to pass the time between races. But first things first, we gotta
get you trained up and ready."
Sarah playfully replied, "Well, my race is two months away. So today's training is only a six-miler. You okay with that Mr. Marathon?"
Stephen met her smile and popped a quick peck on her lips. "Six miles or twenty-six miles, the plan is all the same, Hon. We're just going to put one foot in front of the other and repeat."
"Well, let's get started then." Sarah started them out on a brisk walk and Stephen quickly caught up.
As their warm up pace steadied into a slight jog she looked at him, "So I never asked but I get the sense you're not done with this whole race thing. You gonna run another marathon?"
"I don't know." Stephen pondered dramatically and then gave his wife an expression of guilt pleasure, "But I was looking at some races online last night."
"Find anything coming up that interest you?"
"Yeah. Sort of. You ever hear of this thing called an ultramarathon?"
"An ultramarathon? Are you serious?" Sarah looked at him in disbelief and then broke into a dash, leaving him behind. Without looking over her shoulder she yelled out, "You're unbelievable."
"Wait! Unbelievable in a good way, right?" Sarah's quickened pace put distance between them and Stephen stumbled into a run to try and catch her, "In a good way… right babe… Sarah… Sarah…?"
26 & Change
By
Deacon Rie
Reading Group Guide
Reading Group Guide
The struggle of a physical challenge paralleled to the difficulties faced in his everyday life is only part of Stephen Lantz’ war. Through a story which is broadly about perseverance and relationships, the following questions are intended to help you dive deeper into the motivations behind 26 & Change. May this guide serve as a companion to your discussion and an enrichment to your fellowship.
What is the author attempting to convey about the struggles military families deal with?
Stephen tends to internalize the fears and insecurities he has about running a marathon. Do fears or insecurities ever prevent you from doing something you truly desire?
As the race begins, Stephen feels out of place among the race crowd and it causes him to become frustrated with other participants. When people find themselves in an unsettling situation why do their thoughts often turn to criticism of others? How can this be prevented?
Military deployments are disruptive enough for families without the compounded impact of an illness. How do you think Stephen grew during his deployments?
During Stephen’s first deployment, Sara responded to not knowing if Stephen was alive by allowing fear to dominate her into a dark helplessness. How do you think Sara’s emotional responses grew as time progressed?
Why do you think Stephen’s acceptance of a voluntary deployment turned out to be a mental burden for him? How do you think not telling Sarah contributed to the struggles in their marriage?
When Stephen’s squad saw the boy with the weapon their bravado stopped. What emotions do you think went through the members of the squad when they realized their enemy was not always what they thought him to be? How do you think those emotions can continue to burden the soldier even after the war?
Expecting the worse, Stephen prayed for another chance to hold his daughter and love his wife. If you lived your life as if you were about to die, whom would you reach out to? Whom would you ask for forgiveness from?
Mayweather is initially shocked and afraid at the sight of seeing his friend being pulled from the building. Why then, does he proceed to joke and harass Stephen when he’s rescued?
Have you ever attended a Purple Heart Ceremony? If so, please share your experience. If not, consider making plans to share the gratitude of a grateful nation with our wounded warriors.
When McDowell’s company goes out of business, why do you think Stephen could only respond with anger towards his mentor?
Sadly, many marriages do not make it through the stress and turmoil of a child with prolonged illness. What were some of the key characteristics Rebecca displayed which were instrumental in helping her son’s family stay together?
On the brink of a bank foreclosure, Stephen is embarrassed to face his father despite Tom’s attempt to be an encouragement. Why do you think people impute their expectations onto others when they are actually the ones disappointed with themselves?
Counselor Ray approaches Stephen’s denial about PTSD in a passive way. Discuss some of the actions Ray used to connect with Stephen and build rapport. Why was it important he not treat Stephen with “kid gloves”?
While holding Sarah in the midst of unknown tragedy, Stephen repeated Ray’s words to himself and they became a pillar of strength for him. What criteria should we use to find words which will truly support us in the face of tragedy?
Rebecca’s friends were always encouraging to Stephen. Why do you think Stephen resisted the idea of building relationships with people in his mother’s church?
Tom’s generosity with his house became a gift Stephen couldn’t hope to repay. How did it impact the way Stephen viewed his father? How did Stephen and Sara decide to express their appreciation to Tom?
What did Stephen gain by finding the strength to break through the “runners’ wall”? What did he lose?
At the end of the book, what do you think Stephen’s views on “his mother’s” church are and why? Do you think he will make it to the pot-luck? Where does he go from there?
In 26 & Change, you observed Stephen and his family working through the challenges of a modern military family. As you think about the war, the financial crisis and the housing bust, have any of the challenges from the book paralleled your life situation?
About The Author
Deacon Rie lives in the Texas Hill Country with his wife, children and a variety of animals that possess an incredible knack for becoming pets. He has a background in psychology, finance and law and works with multiple non-profits which serve economically disadvantaged families as well as classical education. His hobbies include writing, endurance events and the pursuit of a race well run.
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One Last Thing...
If you enjoyed this book or found it impactful, I would be extremely very grateful if you would post a short review on Amazon.com or your literary provider of choice. Besides helping to promote the work, your support really does make a difference as I personally read all reviews to obtain feedback and make future books even better. Thanks again for your support and for taking your time to read this book.
-Deacon Rie