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Taken
from the September 2007
parish
magazine.
Inspirational figures are
important in our journey of life and
faith. One such person has been Jane Tomlinson, who has just
died. Our thoughts and prayers are now with her family. This
local lass, from Rothwell, has raised £1.75 million pounds
for
charity since being diagnosed with cancer 7 years ago. Her
feats
began with her joining the local gym, which surprised her family as she
had only enjoyed gardening and walking before. She began with
a
5km run that raised £3,500. The following year she
did the
London Marathon, and is thought to be the first runner on chemotherapy
to complete all 26 miles. The publicity from this enabled her
to
greatly increase her fundraising success. She managed an Iron
Man
event involving a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile cycle ride and running a
full marathon.
One
thing Jane got from this was the discovery that
running gave her some
control: she could choose to push her body herself, just as much as the
disease could. Her ability to be concerned for others despite
her
own problems has been inspiring. The Bishop of Leeds, the Rt
Rev
Arthur Roche, said she "left us a legacy of courage when faced with
difficulty; of striving for others despite one's own important needs."
Tragically her suffering was added to, as she also experienced a
backlash, receiving hate mail and accusations that she was not really
ill: she carried on running.
A test of our character, humanity and faith comes when we face
adversity. The example of Jesus is amazing. In the midst of
his
agony on the cross, He was able to look out and be concerned for those
around him.
As we pray to be filled with His Spirit, we receive strength from His
glorious power, so we can endure everything with patience.(Colossians
1:11) Let us encourage each other to not only be concerned
for
ourselves but to care for those around us.
Rev W Henderson
