Today Mac Crutchfield is 16 years old. Nope, not gonna say, "would have been 16 today." Mac still lives on in a bunch of us. Mac's spirit is very much alive.
Mac appears to many people in the form of a rainbow. When Sherrie and the original Ironmac team did Ironman Florida in 2009 as the team "Girls Gone Iron!" It was the sunniest and most cloudless blue sky, yet, just before the race in a small section of the clear sky a small rainbow appeared. Tears and chill bumps broke out. Don't be surprised if you see a rainbow today.
Mac died while playing in a storm and today we are in the midst of a tropical depression. It started really raining about the last couple of miles toward the end of our 15 mile run today. Oddly, I did not want to go inside when I finished. I did not know it was Mac's birthday at the time but I felt the urge to just stay outside in my driveway and hold my arms out and open my mouth and drink the rain in. That is the same way a neighbor last saw Mac. Again, I did not know it was his birthday at the time. It is just the way he still pulls us in.
I will never pretend to know what it feels like to be Mac's mother, father, or sister. Yet I will also never be afraid to talk about Mac with them because I don't want to bring up sad feelings. I know the Crutchfields want Mac to live as long as they do and he will as long as we are open to him. So today, play in the rain, sing happy birthday, eat a piece a cake, say something to his family, or do something extraordinarily nice for someone and say "Happy Mac Day!"
If you or someone gets teary eyed about it, don't worry. That's just Mac watering your soul.
Happy Birthday Mackity Mac!
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