The most important things in life aren't things...RoseRunners

Many of you have asked how my children are navigating the process of grief. To be honest, often times I am left in the dark, but I do know they love and miss Madeline dearly. 

My oldest daughter Rachelle has always been known as "the athlete" in the family. She was the first person to get Madie to run, and so even when Madie was in elementary school, Rachelle and Madie would go for runs. Sometimes MarShae would join them, and Rachelle would only let tiny MarShae join them if she could run all the way to the neighborhood pool, which is about half a mile from our home. 

One of Rachelle's best friends even rolled down the window while driving past the three of them running and jokingly yelled out "Slave labor!" to the girls. The thing is that Madie and MarShae WANTED to run with their big sister. 

Over the years, when Rachelle has visited home from Utah and Dallas, she and Madie (and sometimes MarShae) would go for runs. It was their thing. About a week before the accident, Rachelle and Madie decided they would run a half marathon in Washington DC in March.

    It took a while for Rachelle to officially register for the race after Madie's death, but with the support of close friends, she signed up and ran with them, and they all wore shirts that had #MadelineRose printed across them. 

After the race, Rachelle decided she wanted to run races and fundraise for Taylor's medical bills, and she soon realized that others wanted to join her in this effort. So with the help of my two

 oldest sons, Ryan and Sterling, they have created a nonprofit organization called RoseRunners. 

I love their website and what they are doing. They only have a few races listed on the website, but they plan on adding a lot more over the course of the next year. 

As a mother, it means so much to see my children banding together to help one another get through this experience. 

Even yesterday while we were on the beach, Sterling, Rachelle, and MarShae went for a barefoot run, and they disappeared for 20 minutes.... 

I am so proud of my kids. I hate that they have to go through losing a sibling, 

someone they planned on being a central part of their lives for several decades, but seeing what they are doing with RoseRunners gives me hope for them, as I realize they understand....