Sometimes miracles happen, and other times you have to work to make them happen.

Miracles of both types were on display at last weekend's Relays For Life for the American Cancer Society in North Attleboro and Mansfield, and those miracles touched thousands, and will keep on doing so for years to come.

I personally witnessed several miracles by participating in the North Attleboro event, but both events had their fair share of miracles, just as the Greater Foxboro Relay For Life will have this weekend at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Don't believe me? Then check out just some of the miracles that happened last weekend:

Miracle of planning: Hard work, long-range planning and meeting goals produces miracles daily, and the outcomes of the North Attleboro and Mansfield events were the product of miracles born of the diligence, determination and perseverance of thousands of volunteers and participants.

Miracle of working together: Just to get to the relays takes the miracle of having people unite in common purpose. This miracle was the product of a year's worth of blood, sweat and tears by the relays' organizing committee and by the thousands of people who formed teams and raised money in preparation for the relays. Miracle of commitment: The miracle of commitment was evident in some impressive numbers that both events produced. More than 1,500 people on more than 70 teams showed they believe in the power of commitment by giving up a good chunk of their weekend to walk around the North Attleboro High School track, and another 1,600 participants and 131 teams did the same thing in Mansfield.

Miracle of hope: Despite being held smack dab in the midst of this recession that is sapping so many people's enthusiasm about life, there was no despair on the tracks last weekend. From the moment I arrived Friday night, I saw people walking around the track trying to find the luminarias that they had bought to honor cancer victims and survivors close to their hearts. I also saw cancer survivors proudly wearing their purple T-shirts, confidently taking their laps to emphatically declare their intentions to, per the cancer society's theme for these inspirational events, fight back against cancer.

Miracle of friendship: Throughout the track, I saw people getting reacquainted with folks who might be strangers the other 363 days, but who on one Friday and Saturday a year are old friends. I again was amazed by the honest affection that people show toward one another. One gentleman greeted me warmly, and asked why I wasn't running when he saw me walking Friday night, and I was happy to reply, "I will on Saturday morning, as always."

Miracle of results: Greeting people and having fun is nice, but the relays are important fundraisers, especially so given the economic climate, and it was a miracle that the North Attleboro relay had collected more than $225,000 by Saturday night, and that the Mansfield Relay had taken in more than $403,000. The combined total of $628,000 qualifies as a miracle any year, but should be considered a major miracle in 2009.

Miracle of divine inspiration - and intervention: On a week when the gloom and doom of the times spilled over into the weather, with gray skies and a constant drizzle or rain falling daily, including up until the relay's opening ceremony, this miracle is huge. I missed that opening, but found out that it had rained a bit. So I was pleasantly surprised while driving to the track to spy an odd object in the sky: brilliant sun.

Old Sol's reappearance had energized me, but the divine presence was just starting to be felt. Just as I arrived at my team's campsite, I looked up and was mesmerized by a massive, colorful rainbow arching over a huge portion of the sky.

"Now, that's a sign," I said, and my wife agreed.

Some, of course, may choose to explain away the rainbow by talking about the after-effects of rain and the sun, and that would be technically accurate, but such an explanation would be devoid of the deeper spirituality behind such wonders of nature.

That's why I prefer this explanation: God was blessing the relay.

To which those who saw the rainbow said, "Amen!" LARRY KESSLER, a Sun Chronicle news editor, can be contacted at lkessler@thesunchronicle.com.