Finish Well

Finish Well is a raw and vulnerable story of a family's pursuit to be faithful with what they have been given. It was written to their young boys, in the face of a terminal diagnosis, as they ultimately aspired to live well, suffer well and finish well. Intimate letters, life lessons, dogged perseverance, the continuous fight for faith in darkness, parental guidance, advice and counsel were documented for their children. The Homans' story reminds us that regardless of our circumstances, we still have a race to run. And like all things in life, there is a finish point for everything we do. While living the life they never imagined or wanted, God was clearly present and working through it all.We'll see you at the finish line. Finish well.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

In 2017, Jeff Homan cycled 100 miles across the countryside of Southwest Michigan, competed in a 1/2 Ironman, rock climbed in the world-renowned Red River Gorge, skied black diamond slopes in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was diagnosed with ALS.

Jeff and Tara, high school sweethearts, are graduates from Ohio University with careers in Information Technology and Consulting/Healthcare, respectively. They live in Westfield, IN with their two boys, Evan and Cole. The boys are elite rock climbers and compete on the USA Climbing circuit, both Nationally ranked climbers. Jeff was 38 years old when he received the terminal diagnosis of Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). The typical lifespan of ALS is 2-5 years and we have been living with this devastating disease for 4.5 years now. ALS is a progressive disease that robs sufferers of the ability to move, speak, eat and ultimately breathe. It's always fatal.

Immediately upon diagnosis, we made the commitment to live well despite our circumstances and to be faithful with what we've been given in this life. We rallied our support team of family, friends, and community because God never designed us to fight alone. While our daily loses have been great, God has been greater. Our eyes are focused on eternity, the finish line, and we are determined to finish well.

The concept of Finish Well applies to everything in life-school, athletics, adventures, marriage, career, projects, ministry, finances, raising children and more. We adopted this mentality quite fiercely!

Jeff knew he wouldn't survive into Evan and Cole's teenage years and beyond, so we began drafting words of advice, guidance, personal letters, prayers and documenting life application for our boys shortly after diagnosis. We compiled our notes into this book, appropriately titled, Finish Well. Ultimately, we want to finish well in life. Anyone can start well. When life gets real hard, and it will for all of us, it's incredibly difficult to finish well. Together, Jeff and I wrote this book to our children, and we are inviting you in to see the beauty in the wreckage as we live out our commitment to each other, to our boys, and to our Heavenly Father.