Early morning solo meditative/reflective run. Just me and the crescent moon and stars. Two warmup miles, 8 miles in the marathon pace range (6:40-7:00, ave 6:50), then 2 cooldown miles.
Today I pay tribute to one of my all-time heroes and role models, my father Glen Lee. After a gradual decline in health the last few years, and after 15 often lonely years since my Mother passed away while they were serving a mission in England, my Dad passed away peacefully yesterday morning, apparently while saying his morning prayers. He would have turned 80 in a couple of months. This was not so unexpected considering his declining health, especially over the last year. Of course we will miss him but he is certainly now in a place that is far happier for him as he is reunited with the love of his life. My Dad was a simple man who loved people and in turn was loved by everyone in the small town of Ephraim and surrounding communities. For years he owned and operated "Lee's Variety Store", a small five-and-dime store of the type that don't exist anymore in the Walmart era. He was "Mr. Lee - the Candy Man" and he brightened the day of thousands of children who came in to the store for years after school to check out the selection of penny candy. Not only did he provide great service, but was often known to also surprise his customers with one of his signature goofy songs, such as "Old Man River" or "Clementine", but typically with the words changed around to include the name of the possibly bewildered customer who was lucky enough to get treated with the serenade to go along with the candy. We'll miss my Dad but hopefully beyond that we'll try to model our life after his and leave a legacy of joy and love to all those we meet! 
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