Great Things

So the big race was last weekend! Tim and 11 other family members and friends ran a 199 mile relay in Jack's memory, and generous supporters donated 150 Lego sets to seriously ill children in the hospital. Thank you so much for your support! It was super hard to go into the Lego store for the first time without Jack, but I did it. I know that's not as hard as running almost 200 miles in the sweltering heat, or in the middle of the night, or up an almost vertical hill, but it was something for me.

As the racers gathered at our house before the race on Thursday afternoon, a bird flew into the kitchen! Through the garage, into the kitchen, and right onto the window ledge. There's a picture of it on the An Inch of Gray Facebook page if you want to see the little guy. It was calm. After a few moments, it flew out again. I couldn't help but think that our rare bird was stopping by to give his stamp of approval on the weekend to come.

The weather was much hotter and the course much hillier (mountainous!) than everyone expected, but the runners dug deep and finished strong. Way to go, Team Jack's Lanterns!

I want to tell you something my sister, Liz, shared with me yesterday. She is quite the runner, using her running as therapy and prayer time after Jack's death. Each time she runs a race in his honor, she safety pins a laminated photo of him to her back and takes off.

After each race, she likes to take a look at her bib number to see if there is anything significant she can learn from it in her Bible. For instance, if her bib number were #413, she might think of Margaret's favorite verse, Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." This might lead her to consider the ways in which God strengthens her, too.

This time, the team had the race number 149 on their bibs. This didn't stand out to Liz as significant or remind her of any special verse, so when she went to her Bible, she decided to go to Jack's favorite verse, Luke 1:37, "For nothing is impossible with God" and keep reading in case there was a Luke 1: 49.

There was.

 "For the mighty one is holy and
He has done great things for me."

Once again, Liz felt that her Jackie Boy was close, so close, because that verse sounds very similar to a line from Jack's Psalm of Thanksgiving that he wrote in 6th grade and is on the back of the prayer cards we handed out at his service. I want to share it with you today:


A Psalm of Thanksgiving
by Jack Donaldson

God, You are good,
Your goodness extends beyond
the bonds of eternity.

God, You have done great things,
Helping many in times of need.

God, you have done great things for me,
You have helped me in times of struggle.

God, You are merciful.
Sacrificing Your only Son for our life.
God, You are powerful,
You reign supreme over all of the nations,

God, You care about me,
Your love endures forever.


Even though it's hard to see it sometimes, God did do great things for Jack in his short life. And He still does great things for me. Many days I can see this, and that is good.

Ragnar Relay

This weekend a team of 12 people will be running a 200 mile Ragnar Relay in Jack's honor. They will run through the night from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC in a collision of athletic prowess, sleep deprivation, body odor, and hysterical laughter.

The team includes Tim, his sister, my sister, his cousins, family friends, Jack's baseball coach, and an EMT from the night of the accident who has become a friend. They call themselves "Jack's Lanterns" and they race to bring light out of a dark situation. I thought you would like to read this awesome article my sister wrote about the team and why she runs.

Scroll down a few pages and you'll see a familiar face.


Go, Jack's Lanterns, Go!

Samaritan's Purse and Jack's Lanterns Update

I want to update you on Samaritan’s Purse, one of Jack's favorite charities. Thank you so much to those of you who have contributed in any way! Contributions totaling over $7,000 went to Samaritan’s Purse shortly after Jack’s death. The donations went to Operation Christmas Child, clean water projects, and disaster relief.

In November, many, many people packed Christmas boxes in Jack’s memory to be sent all over the world, giving needy children what may be the first Christmas gifts of their lives. Thank you to those who participated!

Our family had the privilege of making boxes with our church youth group and at Tim’s office. We dropped off 119 boxes the week before Thanksgiving. An Inch of Gray reader, Katie, got creative and made a beautiful video featuring Jack to help motivate youth in her church
to give more boxes than ever before!

Next, my sister, Auntie, set up a virtual running group called “Jack’s Lanterns" which will run races all over the world in Jack’s honor to raise money for Samaritan’s Purse. Almost $6,000 has been raised by Jack's Lanterns already! Auntie is hoping for $10,000 by Jack’s birthday in mid- March! Runners can sign up by emailing your name and what race you plan on running to me at aninchofgray@yahoo.com. That’s it. Just let me know, and you ARE one of Jack’s Lanterns.

As a runner, you can make a donation and/or direct your friends and family to the secure website so they can make a donation if they wish. Neighbors, former students, Jack’s Cub Scout leader, high school friends, blog readers, and one of the paramedics from that horrible night are all Jack’s Lanterns. Tim is running the first races of his life to honor his son's memory.

If, like me, you are not an athlete but rather an “athletic supporter” (one of my fave lines from “Grease”), you can go to the Jack's Lanterns page and donate just as so many generous people have already done. One of Jack and Margaret’s young friends even requested that her friends make donations to Jack's Lanterns instead of giving her presents this year. Wow!

Please spread the word by telling anyone you can think of.

Thank you so much for your love and support!


“Nothing is Impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

Jack's Lanterns

My sister, Jack's Auntie, has started a group called Jack's Lanterns as way for runners/walkers/riders of any level to join together and dedicate some of their races to Jack's memory. Money raised goes to Jack's favorite charity, Samaritan's Purse. I love how friends and strangers, scattered around the globe, can join this team together to help spread some of the light that Jack brought into this world. Non-athletes (like, uh, me) can contribute in his name on the secure website. Consider adding yourself to the team!

Here's what Auntie had to say:

We are a group of runners, riders and walkers who want to give meaning to our efforts.

We are inspired by Jack Donaldson, our beloved son, nephew, and friend. We will never forget him. His patience and good humor inspire us to keep moving when the going gets tough. His intelligence and attention to detail inspire us to do our best and to notice the needs in the world around us. His kindness and love for others inspire us to support a ministry he loved: Samaritan's Purse.

The name "Jack's Lanterns" is borrowed from the back of a relay team shirt at a recent race. It reminds us that Jack's light is still with us. Through Samaritan's Purse, we share Jack's light and help others in the name of the Light of the World.

A few of us are running our first full marathon in March. Others are running for the first time in a long time, or choosing new distances and events in honor of Jack. Please lace up your shoes and join us! If you would like to join our team, just let us know. We would love to have a virtual team in a variety of events throughout the year.

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support our fundraising efforts.

Many thanks for your support.

Luke 1:37 "Nothing is impossible with God."

Check out Jack's Lanterns Page!