Hope and Comfort

 

My walk for MS was a blessing and challenge in SO MANY way! I was constantly amazed at the number of new names I would gather, to add to my walking shirt, and the stories behind those names. The original plan was to travel to San Diego and join a group of other walkers for a 3 Day 50 Mile trek in the sunshine, with ocean breezes. But after the past 2 years of Covid and rise of costs, I made the decision to stay in Montana and do my 50 miles here.  

In the midst of training I injured my knee, requiring some physical therapy and changes in plans. Sometimes the bumps in the road demand alternatives to the route! Many times it is in the detours that the best route is actually found, with new friends gained along the way!! That proved to be the case in the new plans began to come to view.

 I decided that instead of one fifty mile route I would do 5 ten mile walks, in different areas of our valley, giving an opportunity to bring awareness to more people.  What an adventure that proved to be!! I had committed to myself, that one of the walks would  be in Whitefish, MT. 

The San Diego walk was to take place the first week of November and my plan was to continue to walk thru October. 

Toward the end of September, I learned my oldest sister was in Hospice care. She would soon join my Mother and another sister,  both whom had lost their memories and lives to Alziehmers. Almost, immediately, upon hearing that her battle was ending, an opportunity to Walk a 100 Miles, in October for Dementia. My heart needed this walk.  The one community that I hadn't covered yet was Whitefish, so I made that my last walk for MS. (I was asked why I felt I needed to walk Whitefish? No one else knew of that commitment. My answer, "Because, the most important promises are sometimes the ones you have made to yourself")  I was blessed beyond measure, as I met new friends, collected some last donations gathered a couple new names and in my heart, walked over the finish line. I felt like I had kept my commitment and with the generosity of so many friends, family and strangers we had gone above the $2500 goal.

The final donations brought the MS Walk total to $3563!! 

My sister passed, on October 22, 2022. 

On October 3, after completing the MS Walk I switched my focus and completed the 100 miles in her honor.

Looking back on my past history it is interesting to find that walking has become my way of bringing HOPE to others and peace and joy to my soul. At the moment I have no plans for 2023.....

CHALLENGES

I have decided that there is something within me that rises up and says, "ME, ME, Me!" when a challenge arises. Was I always like that?? I really don't think so. I think as I have gotten older I have gained that "I CAN DO THAT" spirit more each year.
Is that a good thing?? My opinion is YES, because as I consider the challenges I have taken on, have been mainly HEALTH oriented. 
My new favorite montra is:
"DON'T TELL ME THE SKY IS THE LIMIT WHEN THERE ARE FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON"...Paul Brandt
My first challenge I found on the web sight of my Weight Watchers a couple years ago. A challenge to "get off the couch" and walk 250 miles in 3 months. I turned to my husband and said, "We could do this!!" 
Now there was no prize, no recognition, just the knowledge that "I took the challenge and completed it." Well, that was enough for me, so I ordered pedometers and we began counting steps and miles. 
At the end of that 3 month time, we had logged 500+ miles which was like a WOW factor to my soul!!
I had never thought of myself as an athlete but now I was realizing that my heart held the desire to prove that I could accomplish some pretty cool things.
About that I time I read about a man who had purchased a set of walking sticks and walked ACROSS the U.S. and then inside the boundary of EVERY state in the continental United States. Jim had recently retired and I suggested to him that, "WE CAN DO THAT! Let's walk across the United States."
He was getting a bit worried about my state of mind until I explained that I would buy a MAP of the United States and we would trek it by means of miles logged. THAT sounded do-able and our adventure began. To keep the adventure exciting and to get others involved, I set with my address book and GPS and measured the distance to the homes of family and friends. We made 'virtual' visits to people we had not seen in years!!! We arrived in Erie, PA one evening to 'share a dish of ice cream with our daughter and family!!! :)
It was in the midst of this incredible journey that I signed up for the adventure of a lifetime. I registered in February of 2013 for my first 3Day..60 Mile Walk for Breast Cancer. I had just reached a milestone in my life and took the challenge for several reasons. One being to prove to myself and to show my kids and grandkids that age need NOT be the measure by which your challenges and adventures are planned.
I had lived for years with the complications of having compound fractures in both legs as a teenager and the voices of doctors and others telling me "you can't do that." After an ankle surgery I was now celebrating walking further than I had in years. 
Also 6 years earlier I had come through surgery and radiation as a Cancer survivor. 
I claimed the 3Day as 60 Miles of celebration of life and the ability to walk. Also it was an opportunity to honor and give hope to many others who had fought and won and others who had lost their battles with the big 'C'.
So with a heart filled with THANKSGIVING, I joined approximately 1200 other walkers in Seattle for 60 of the most amazing miles I could have ever walked. The hills rang with the stories, faces were drenched with tears and smiles stretched for miles as hundreds of walkers shared their challenges and nursed their blisters on the trails. Each soul held their individual reason for making the walk.
At the end of the 3 days we walked as a group into a stadium filled with friends and loved ones who had cheered us on and provided words of encouragement and love when needed. It is impossible to voice the emotions and feelings of fulfillment those last few minutes brought to culmination. Suffice for me say that those 3 Days, the weeks of preparation (1100 miles walked) and the hundreds of people I met and stories I learned have change my life forever. 
Let me share with you the one lesson I learned and the LIFETIME CHALLENGE I have given myself and would love to share with you.

"Each day choose to SLOW DOWN for a few moments and LISTEN to that person you find in your life for that moment."

Your life will be enriched beyond measure as you give that small piece of your day to another. 
I would love to hear your story!!

Let the Adventure Begin

We are almost two weeks into our time in Florida and the adventure is set to begin. We have spent the last 10 days exploring close to "home " and lying in the sun. What a refreshing time it has been.

THE STICKS HAVE RETURNED!
Our walking sticks arrived yesterday.  After putting them together, walking shoes on..it was time to kick the training into gear. I can't think of a more beautiful place to begin than down the trails, across the waterways and down the beaches of Florida!! The sunshine and sand definitely provide a safety factor lacking in the snow and ice of Montana.
A year of new friends, new stories, new motivation has begun. An opportunity to join thousands of other women and men walking hundreds of miles with the dream of seeing  an end to breast cancer. I will keep you posted on how to be a part of my team :)

We packed our bags and headed north. It was interesting to see the landscape change as we traveled the miles to Orlando..THE LAND OF DISNEY!!
Miles of swamp or Everglade, orange groves and finally pasture land with cows and horses. Huge transport trucks loaded to the top with oranges sped along the freeway. On the West Coast those same trucks would be loaded with potatoes, onions, corn, apples,or melons.
Made us realize how diverse or country is. How blessed we are to live in a country that 'grows it all' and ships from coast to coast!!

Walking thru the stores there is good chance of hearing a smorgasbord of languages to be mixed with the fashion choices of those you meet.

We have arrived in Orlando and will spend the next few days exploring the streets of Disney, greeting Mickey ,Goofy and all of Disney characters gathering memories and stories to be shared with family and friends.

So it is with hearts full of thanks for our many blessings we will ride some rides, see the sights and find a  younger us for the next few days.


Sent from my iPad

NUGGETS OF GOLD

Encouragement.... to fill with courage or strength of purpose...

Are you an encourager or the one in need of encouragement?? I have found myself on both sides of this issue and and without question would, normally, much rather be on the giving end! In the past few months I have been a recipient in more ways than I could have imagined and it has been AWESOME!

"Hang in there"...(I always picture the cat hanging from a limb :) Just Do It....This two shall pass...You can do it!... a few of the many automatic responses you may hear from a friend. But it is not only words that bring sunshine to the heart.

Through the past few months I have had the opportunity to experience some very interesting and fun forms of encouragement. Maybe I have enjoyed these smile creating moments because I have been on the alert. I am convinced I have missed or 'dis-missed' many of those nuggets of hope in the past simply by not taking time to look and listen.

As you may know by now I am training to walk The 3day  . 39 days and counting!!  It has required walking more and further than I would have ever imagined myself capable of. I have discovered some incredible nuggets in my path and along the sidelines. Many of these have given me just the boost I needed to finish my goal for the day.

Normally I would think of a card in the mail, phone call, email or visit from a friend as the tools used to deliver that much needed encouraging word. Through the various aspects of this walk, fund raising, walking the miles of prep, fundraising, attempting to raise awareness of the need, walking the miles of prep, fundraising..(I think you get the message :) I have learned to look in the most unexpected places!

 A person met along the way because I took the time to stop. 
A "PING" on my phone,"a donation has been made on your behalf"
New grips for my walking sticks...an email this week that they are making a SPECIAL PINK 
pair for my walk...AWESOME!!
Cars passing with people honking and waving...cheering me on (strangers a few weeks ago)
A young boy, head out the window, yelling,"Hi...Hey I like your pink shirt!"
New experiences to be sure..each stamped with a smile on my heart.

 I ENCOURAGE  YOU this week to slow down, and take time to let the light shine on that nugget in your path that will bring that unexpected smile to your day and put a new spring in your step!!
Or maybe that beam will shine on you and you will be the nugget found in another persons path. Either way, YOU WIN!!

Blessings,
Walking Strong   Because Everyone Deserves a Lifetime

IMPOSSIBLE ? I think NOT!!

My post is once again inspired by a song from my Pandora..What Faith Can Do...by Kutless.

One segment of the lyrics in particular caught my attention and has been rolling over in my mind ever since,
            "It doesn't matter what you've heard 

 Impossible is not a word
 It is just a reason for someone not to try"

WOW! was my first response and continues to be. Looking back to only a year ago there is no way I would have believed that I would be able to say "I have walked 800 miles in 4 months." Two years ago Jim and I accepted our first walking challenge...250 miles in 3 months.  After doubling the distance in the set time my comment was "Let's walk across the USA" Jim thinking that I had surely lost it, looked at me questioningly. " "VIRTUALLY I mean", I responded.  Impossible you say.... The laundry room wall became the 'Map Wall" and would you believe we are almost on the east coast!!!

But wait a minute...some goals require a strategy:

Knowing that a 3,000 mile hike was a little overwhelming we begin making "do-able" goals. I got out my address book and set down at the computer to 'google' addresses of friends and family. We set out to make it from the nearest to the furthest, calling to announce our arrival and "joining" them for a cup of coffee.Who says you can't make the Impossible fun? When I called my sister in Oregon we had a good laugh and a promised cup was waiting for our actual visit.  A few weeks ago when we reached Erie,PA I called our daughter to announce "being outside her door" we enjoyed a dish of ice cream together :) Walking to Oregon or PA would have seemed IMPOSSIBLE even 21/2 years ago.

What I learned was, each time I achieved a small 'impossible' goal the more POSSIBLE that huge goal became. As I look back on my life I can see many "impossible" goals that have been reached. Some have been reached through the encouragement from a friend or family member who could see what I could not. Some have come through a determination and strength from within. ALL have come because I made that first step...
A favorite scripture is Phillippians 4:13  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" which to me says " it doesn't matter what you've heard..Impossible is not a word "
 It is not always a physical challenge, it may be speaking in front of others, choosing to trust, choosing to stop and just be, beginning a new job. It may be choosing an unpopular path because I know it is the right path...
Whatever it is.. your adventure begins by setting that first 'impossible' goal. Step out of your comfort zone with a little bit of faith, then shoot for the stars and reach for the moon!! 

Walking Strong

MOTIVATION

Motivation...As I have mentioned in previous blogs I am training for the Susan G Komen 3day 60 mile walk for the cure of breast cancer. After posting that I am REALLY close to 800 miles since making my commitment in March a friend asked, "What is it that keeps you motivated?"
The answer was really quite simple for me.."I walk in honor of the donations made on my behalf but more than that I walk to honor all those who have or are now fighting their battle with the " BIG C. " Friends,family and strangers alike have chosen to support me financially and emotionally through this journey. My promise to them has been to WALK STRONG. 
 When I feel tired, or think," I did a good walk yesterday," I only have to remember that someone out there does not have a choice on which day to be strong and carry on...that is motivation for me to grab my sticks and get on the road. Then there are those little 'wonders' that drop into my path..like the older lady struggling to put one foot in front of the other, but determined to 'get her walk in for the day.' I casually slow my speed and meander with her for the next little while till we reach her home. We talk about the beauty around us, the gift of health and walking and I learn her daughter is dealing with breast cancer. I get her daughters name, assure her that I will carry her name on my walking shirt as I do the BIG walk and finish my 16 miles with a new motivation. 
The 'wonders' have been many, a story shared, a ping on my phone "a donation has been made on your behalf" when I am feeling a bit tired and least expect it. A 10 mile walk with a 17 year old who assured me "I'm a dancer..I don't get tired" and then proved it while keeping me company and making my walk go so much more quickly. The old man who was awed by my walking sticks and excited to think  that "with a set of those he could once again get back to doing something he loved and missed".. a walk.
How often I take the simple things in my life for granted, like being able to walk across the room without pain, the ability to speak, see, hear and hug.(one of my favorites!)
The fact that I am loved, have a home and family that are intact. ( Not perfect but mine none the less.) When I give myself time to think and meditate on these things I am motivated to bring HOPE and HELP to someone else, if not through walking sometimes through just being there, taking a moment to be. 
In your busy life..What is that motivates you? What is that you find makes you want to be the best you that you can be?
Montana Gram
Walking Strong    Because Everyone Deserves a Lifetime   
My 3 Day Journey