MIDLAND -- "I questioned God, I was so mad at Him," Sarah Schieber recalls thinking. "You know, You are God, You could have saved him right then and there, and You didn't. Why?"
Nearly three years after the death of her husband, Chad Schieber, in the 2007 Chicago Marathon, Sarah Schieber now knows that question can never fully be answered. But the faith upon which she and Chad built their marriage has helped the mother of three forge on.
"If you build your life on the solid rock which is Christ, when the terrible thing happens to you that you dread, you have a rock to stand on," said Sarah. "And you are not hopeless, and you are not stuck there."
Chad Schieber proudly served for the Midland Police Department for 11 years before his untimely death, and he was just as committed to health and fitness as he was to law enforcement.
"He was very passionate about the importance of taking care of your bodies and making good choices," said Sarah. "He was a very healthy eater, and exercise has always been an important part in our home and in our lives."
To honor this part of his legacy, the annual Chad Schieber Memorial Run will take place at Emerson Park in Midland on Saturday morning at 9 a.m., an event Sarah cherishes for the sake of the three young children Chad left behind.
"It is my job to keep his memory alive, for them," said said. "You know, my little guy was only six. The reality is he may not remember very much of his daddy. And so, this is a way that we can keep Chad's legacy alive for that little guy."
Sarah's christian music is also keeping Chad's legacy alive, with singles like "Run" one of her many musical tribues to him...which no doubt has Chad smiling from the heavens.
Proceeds from this year's race will go towards a scholarship fund with Chad established before his death, called the "Youth Drivers Incentive Program," designed to encourage teens and new drivers to obey the rules of the road. For more information, and to register for this year's race, visit Sarah's official website at sarahschieber.com.