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!!

Counting my Blessings

To make this year of training even more interesting and put a little more challenge into my commitment to walk the 3Day 60 Mile for breast cancer I have injured my right knee. When entering the motor home I slipped on some wet grass and twisted it, causing intense pain and a soreness that will not go away. I've tried rest, then exercise and nothing seemed to bring relief and a sense of healing.
Finally, out of frustration and a certain need to get back on the trail I went to see a doctor. She ordered the x-rays which seemed clear and then in for an MRI. With November and the 3Day quickly approaching it was not with great patience that I awaited the results.
As I was in prep for the test the technician ask me if I would like to listen to Pandora. I responded "sure" and requested the Praise and Worship station, which is one of my favorite walking stations. 
As she slid me into position and the machine began to grind I found myself asking God to not let this be something that would stop my walking. The music began and the first  song to filter through the ear phones was "10,000 Reasons to Praise The Lord ". Now, any walker knows that 10,000 is a special number. It is a number that becomes your goal as you begin the challenge of becoming a healthier you.
It is a number that proves you are no longer a couch potato but have entered the world of activity and are headed for better health. This chorus has had a special place in my heart as I hit the trails...Twice now it has come at a time that many would call a 'coincidence, but I see as a "Wink from God" letting me know He is aware of just where I am! I have concluded that if 10,000 steps will start me on the road to better health physically, then listing 10,000 reasons to bless The Lord will surely give me a healthier happier spirit! 
It is amazing the power of the written word, even our own! How often we are blessed and thankful in the moment. Then we go on to new challenges and that blessing is lost or forgotten in the busyness of life.  
Reminding myself of the daily blessings is like the pieces of a patchwork quilt put together with remnants of memorable materials. Alone that memory will  bring a smile to the heart, but when stitched together they bring warmth and comfort to our entire being.
So, I would invite you to join me in my endeavor to list my 'Reasons to Bless The Lord' and remind myself daily it is the little things in life that prove His faithfulness to walk the path before me.

Friendship knows no bounds!

Friendship is an incredible thing. Distance and time do not form barriers..but instead the most amazing thing happens when the distance is covered and time allows memories to rekindle that warmth that comes from anticipation of new memories in the making.
This last week we met up with friends made about 9 years ago during a hard time for their family. We were blessed to live next door to Judy"s Mom who had suffered and died of lung cancer. Both Jim and I had lost our parents years before and having Pat next door was a privilege and blessing. We enjoyed some special times before she had gotten sick with she and her family. Then, because long distances separated she and her children we kind of co-adopted each other. She trusted us to be there when she needed assistance and we felt honored to act on that trust. On the other hand she was there to share stories and hugs with, which we all found refreshing and a blessing.

Several times Judy and her Jim, had invited us to visit with them in Florida and we had agreed it would be a fun time,'someday.' Well, last week our 'someday' arrived and we met up at Epcot in Orlando for an amazing day.  Sharing stories of days past and creating new stories to be told.
That's the thing about friendship...God gives you an opportunity to rekindle those from your past and you are reminded of the influence each made on your life. Then new people enter your life and bring with them a whole plethora of new stories to tell and memories to be made and influences to be had.
With that in mind it is with a sense of wonder of who we will call 'friend' when we board the plane for Montana. How their lives will add to the landscape of our life and how our presence will effect theirs.  The knowledge that the boarders of our world have expanded in our travels, makes the promise of re-visits believable and offers a new dimension to our future because of those who will be called friend.

PROVISION

The 5 weeks since participating in the 3Day 60 Mile Walk for Breast Cancer, have been a whirlwind and it seems like a lifetime ago. One of my favorite sayings such marrying my husband nearly 47 years ago is "life is NEVER dull at the Moody house"  You would think, or I did anyway, that after retirement things would slow down and get 'normal'. Well, I should have known that my normal would not fit in the mold of what most people would consider normal.

My first hint that I  was about to enter on a lifetime of adventure should have been when he came home on a two week Christmas Break and  ask me, " If we were to get married this month what day would you want to get married" We chose the 30th and 17 days later I was walking down the aile . But that is a whole OTHER story....

Just before leaving for Seattle we had listed our home...with no particular plans for life without the house...

While the excitement and awe of completing one of the biggest challenges of my life was fresh in my mind..our realtor called to add to the celebration..We had an offer on our home. Because this was not our first rodeo..as some would say..we didn't get TOO excited. But we chose not to be completely      out of the loop either.  After spending a week with our daughters family and collecting as many hugs and cuddles as a grandma could possibly collect we came home to make sure all was going smoothly on the business end of life.  The next week is filled with a home inspection, bank appraisal, family weekend celebrating the births of four of our children and the word comes back that all has gone well and we have 15 days to pack our belongings and usher new owners through a door of a house we have called home for 13 years, and which is holding 47 years of treasures and memories.

To add another level of excitement to the mix, Jim had decided to proceed with treatment for a knee that had been limiting his mobility level for several years, but had gotten considerably worse in the past 6 months.  We had set and appointment with a specialist before leaving home.  We are now thinking that having a home to recuperate in would be a nice side benefit " :0)

As I have written many times during my training God  made Himself known nearly daily, by the little moments He had chosen to share. Or was it the times I was patient enough to be aware? His faithfulness and provision throughout the years has always added the 'awe' factor to my life. 

Let me share our latest "Wink" from God...After hearing that the sale on the house was actually going to happen we had made a 'to do' list.  At the top of that list was securing temporary housing, hopefully furnished.  While visiting with a neighbor, to share the excitement of their new-to them motor home, we shared our news. To our amazement, they both, without hesitation offered their home. [They are 'snow birds' and are leaving for warmer climate] They were to be leaving town the same day our home closed and will be gone for approximately 6 months. Their home of course is 'fully furnished'. We are moved in and will be warm and secure while Jim takes time to recuperate!!

In the business and hectic pace of life I am in awe once more of the mindfulness of God. It is totally amazing that with all the chaos  and pain in this world that He in His AWESOMENESS smiles in on my life!! 

We still have no set plans for life but feel pretty convinced that HE has a plan and am thinking I am gonna need to "Hold on Tight" as a new adventure begins!