2018 WALK FOR HOPE

2018 WALK FOR HOPE

WHEN I DID MY FIRST WALK IN 2013 I CHALLENGED MYSELF
TO DO DO THIS AGAIN IN MY 70TH YEAR. WHY?,YOU MIGHT
ASK. I DON'T REALLY KNOW OTHER THAN IT SOUNDED LIKE A
GOOD CHALLENGE ( AND 70 PROBABLY SOUNDED REALLY OLD
AT THAT TIME) BUT, IF YOU KNOW ME AT ALL "I AM ALWAYS
UP FOR A CHALLENGE."THE MAGIC DAY HAS COME AND GONE,
THE WALKING SHOES ARE ON, THE FITBIT IS CHARGED AND
THE TRAILS AWAIT!"

Why do I walk the 3Day? I walk it in honor of the 400 names I now carry
on my Tutu and for the new names I will obtain in my training this year.
Men,women and children who have been affected by the monster we call
cancer.The challenge is real. 60 miles is a long walk and the hours required
to train are many. It is a commitment I don't make lightly because once the
commitment is made the entire 60 miles becomes the goal. NO SHORTCUTS,
as those I honor, who fight this monster, are required to endure every hour of
treatment. So, in good health, I will walk strong in their honor.There are many
who do this walk and are not physically able to complete the full 60 miles.
They are on the trail, the research money has been raised (each participant
is required to raise $2300) and their commitment to that ultimate goal is no
different than mine. It's not a race, it is not a "contest" it IS hundreds of
participants with the same goal.

My reward comes in the name of HOPE. The HOPE that comes from each
research breakthrough from the monies donated. The HOPE I see in the eyes
of those who share their stories trusting that I care,and that each mile I walk
is in their honor of the friend or lovedone whose story they shared.
Today I carried my first new name home. It is always a humbling experience
as I acknowledge that the person I'm walking away from has opened his/her
heart and entrusted me with a story they hold dear.
When my phone 'pings' with the announcement "A Donation has been made"
no matter how large or small, my heart smiles, my steps seem lighter and I
uttera prayer of thanksgiving.for those who will be blessed by it. It never gets
old,routine or mundane.

It has been a couple of years since I 'hit the trail' and there have been several
times that I have doubted that I would be able to accept that challenge due to health issues. In December we came to Arizona to take advantage of the sunshine and stay active. After joining the Walkers of Palm Gardens for a couple desert walks, my husband, and most ardent supporter said, "I think you could do the 3Day again" Unknown to him I had made that same decision. (I love it when we think alike!)

I made the call, registration has been paid and the excitement of a new adventure stirs within me. I invite you to share your story and a name for the Tutu!! (No donation required) and as always you may join me as a 'Vessel of Hope" by making a donation on the link below.
www.the3day.org/goto/lauramoody

Walking Strong because EVERYONE DESERVES A LIFETIME

Dream Big...Pray Earnestly..Walk Strong!

It has been several months since I have taken the time to sit here and share a thought or two. Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I hope to get back 'in the groove.'

The calendar pages seem to turn faster and faster each year and here we are in the midst of October again. Fall brings with it a gaggle of celebrations in our home. Birthdays of children, grandchildren and friends give reason for gatherings, fellowship laughter and love! I always find myself feeling blessed beyond measure as I am given opportunity to celebrate the gift of a life filled with such love and health.

Thanksgiving reigns supreme in my heart as we have traversed through 10 months of another year with everyone healthy. In the year 2016 we have seen 5 friends diagnosed with cancer. Two of those are children.:(  My heart aches for each of these families as they make their journey down a path they would never choose.

For the last couple years, Fall also has meant long walks, as I train for the 3Day 60 Mile walk for breast cancer. September would find me in Seattle, WA in the midst of several hundred walkers. This year I am changing it up a bit and will travel to San Diego, CA. in November and join several thousand walkers along the beautiful Pacific Ocean.
 Each mile I walk, whether in training, or on the course, is taken in honor of the names I have gathered,  and the thousands of others who have been called into their own personal battle.
Each year I am required to raise a minimum of $2300 to be a part of the 'big walk'. For my third year that goal, and more, has been given by friends, family and strangers!
 From the $3.00 donation to the $250 donation, EACH ONE is added to the thousands of dollars raised by others to see an END to cancer!!
What a humbling thought that each of my supporters and I can be a small part in such a HUGE goal!!  My word for the year has been "HOPE". My desire is that the miles I walk brings HOPE to others.
It has been shown that the research done on behalf of one cancer will benefit many, so the ultimate dream includes an end to ALL cancer. Dream Big and Pray Earnestly and Walk Strong!! Those are three things I can do!!
Walking has become my passion and has proven to be that means in my life to share Hope with others and brings Joy and Health to mine :)
Have you found your passion??? What is it your life that takes your focus off YOU and puts it on others??? I would love to hear.....
Check out my personal page: www.the3day.org/goto/LauraMoody

Checking out Arizona

                                                                                                                                  

We traveled from Vegas down to Earp, CA almost 4 weeks ago, where we met up with a high school friend.  

Meeting up with old friends in new places is such fun. Friendships made in high school seem to have matured as life has taken us each on our own journeys and we have gained new perspective and priorities.          
Earp is a little community close to Lake Havasu a more familiar destination for the snow birds.

We pulled our motor home in beside George, facing the water, and set up camp for a couple days. There is something about water that calms the spirit and the renewing of old friendship brings jSeveral hours of refreshing memories and draining a couple pots of coffee we toured the area, and discovered a couple local eateries. Nothing demonstrates the personality of a community like a meal among the locals.
The wild burros roaming the countryside were a novelty to all the visitors young and old.
After a couple days in Earp, we secured the inside an hit the road again and headed toward Mesa, Az.
Ya know the old saying, "Home is where the heart is" we are proving again that that is indeed a fact.  In our years together we have lived in many different styles of homes, including very small and large houses, a camp size trailer, a tent (with 4 children) and now a motorhome. Through each adventure we have found that all it takes to make a dwelling a home is love and a willingness to share it.
A pot of coffee, a seat and an open door proves to be a key. When the kids were home it was often an offer of playtime to another Mom and her kids, a dinner shared with friends, or a s-more made over an open campfire.
In Mesa we have found neighbors from "home" are enjoying the sunshine and break away from normal life as we are and new adventures are shared. Our first week in Mesa was spent sharing time and fellowship with neighbors from our home site in Montana and from a small community close by.
While shopping at a nearby grocery and choosing a melon a woman close by commented on how her father used to grow them in Oregon. Of course I asked "Where in Oregon" well, that led to us learning that we had both lived in the same communities in both Oregon and Montana. A small world we live in indeed!!
The RV Park we ended up in, has proven to be a "home away from home. " We have connected with old friends and collected a bunch of new ones to add season and joy to our lives..
Swimming, a workout room, hikes around the neighborhood and a gospel music jam have been among the many activities we have shared. I have begun my training for the 3Day in San Diego so a walk along the water canal has provided a quiet peaceful and beautiful trek.
Cactus and roses blooming in March have added a bit of splendor to the view, while walking the dogs under a sky filled with stars and lighted by a full moon never cease to bring a feeling of awe and wonder.

                                                                                                      
So the search for a home base has begun...will it be in a place surrounded by desert, but offering the beauty of sunshine and roses in the winter...or a home surrounded by the mountains (offering snow covered peaks) and lakes with clear blue water calling me to sit,rest and soak in the peace of it all, or someplace yet unexplored??
My peace comes when I choose to remember that God has promised, that He has a plan for my life and "He will be with me WHEREVER I GO"! The greatest joy is knowing that He has control of the GPS and has my destination set!

From East to West and Ocean to Ocean

It has been a while since I set with some time available to put a few words on the page. Life is so different at this time in my life that sometimes I just have to pause and contemplate the happenings.
Right now we are in Oregon...the last few days I have awoke in the mornings and honestly had to take inventory of my surroundings and remember what STATE I am in. :0)  HONEST!!  (I keep assuring myself that it has nothing to do with age!)

The last time I wrote we were still in Florida and on countdown for returning to the land of frost, snow and ice. Otherwise known as Montana.
The last week before boarding the plane, we made a list of the things left to do and places to go. The highlight was a cruise on the Inter coastal Waterway. We were mesmerized at the sight of all the multi-million dollar homes,  incredible landscaping and the peace of the river. Upon returning to the dock the captain did a drawing from the passengers and guess whose name was called. Yep, Laura Moody, tickets for another cruise with no expiration date.  Florida 2015??
A walk on the beach, collecting shells, wading in the water was another bonus day. A beach which just five weeks earlier was hardly worthy to be called a beach. After five weeks of dredging and pumping sand a new beach was created and we could hardly believe we were in the same spot.
Our time in Florida was such a blessing and more fun than I could put into words. Memories created, new friends made and a vast supply of Vitamin D...compliments of the sun. The last few days we spent walking in the sunshine, laying in the sun by the pool with soaking up as much warmth as possible the desired goal.
Emotions were mixed as we pulled out the suitcases and packed to leave our little spot in paradise. The freedom from all the responsibilities that pull us in normal life had been a chance of rest and healing that God surely knew we needed. The generosity of a friend had been a gift beyond measure.
We flew from Fort Lauderdale with a temperature of 85 degrees only to land in Missoula, MT with a temp of 17. The drop of temperature was held at bay as we were met by the smiles, hugs and love of our son and grandchildren. Nothing warms the soul of a Mom or Dad like the hug of a child or grandchild! We reconnected quickly and then headed to bed...our bodies were still on East Coast time.
The following day we spent organizing the motor home for travel and getting a full fledge welcome home from the dogs.
With another winter storm on the horizon we decided to leave our home on wheels, roll the car off the dolly and take the car back to Kalispell to reconnect with additional family and friends.
Hope to rescue the motor home from the winter wonderland and head to warmer climate was dashed with more snow and ice in the forecast as our time in Kalispell came to a close.
Flexibility being our word of the day we re-packed our bags and headed to Oregon. A short visit with my sister and then on to the Oregon Coast.
                                                                                                                                                                     From the Atlantic to the Pacific. We love our oceans and the diversity between the two.  The warmth and white sands of the Atlantic to the cold and storminess of the Pacific. Winter is so different on the beaches of the two coasts and yet what a joy to walk in the sand of each and to observe the power that lies behind those waves.                                                                                
 Today as we walked, our attention was drawn to the destruction of a barrier built to protect the foundation of a motel sitting high on a hill, much like the beach destroyed in Florida. Cold or warm the results of the power of the waves are the same. Man made barriers will bow and bend to the to the power of nature and the hand of the Creator.
As if given a smile from heaven on our last day by the sea we walked in sunshine! Morning will find us once again packing our bags with plans to meet up with our daughter and family. Then head north to hook up with our home on wheels, unpack the suitcases, and settle in to life on the road surrounded all we call our own!

Cultivating the Soil of Thanksgiving!

"Thanksgiving is the soil that JOY thrives in"...this is on a church sign just up from our home. I have passed by it several times and every time I read it it gives me pause.

Notice it is JOY not happiness that thrives in the soil of  thanksgiving. 

 Several years ago I was made aware of the difference in "Joy" and  "happiness."  I realized that happiness is a choice..while JOY comes from deep within.  My attitude and response to my surroundings and circumstances that can change daily will determine my degree of happiness but I can experience Joy even in the darkest of times. My joy is rooted deep within me and is founded in those things that do not change...those things that produce a deep rich soil from thanksgiving that is continuous and flows freely. 

The word Joy always brings to mind the scripture "The joy of the Lord is my strength"..Nehemiah 8:10... in other words my relationship with God and my thankfulness for all He is, and has given me, produces a rich soil in which  joy is able to thrive. In the difficult times of life when I CHOOSE thankfulness I am able to draw on that joy and my strength is renewed for the battle. 

In the lonely dark times I can choose Thanksgiving. My personal process is to simply begin to make a list of my blessings.  

My husband Jim...best friend, provider, protector and love of my life after  46 years of marriage

My Children...5 in all...the fuel for my desire of life and greatest supporters and encourager's any Mom could dream of .

My Grandchildren....All 16 of them :)...my inspirations to be healthy and active and sources of hugs and snuggles.

My Health...the ability to walk {after both broken legs} breast cancer survivor ..much more

My Home...{wherever it may be!} Temporary home at present..provided in the most unexpected way..now THAT may be another story :}

My friends...to many to name,who bless me constantly with their kindness and love

Food ....

Clothing...

ECT...ECT...ECT...

I find it almost impossible to begin to consciously list my blessings in a form of thanksgiving without finding a smile replacing the stress and loneliness.

I challenge you to make your list..check it twice and be amazed at how very much you have to be thankful for and the joy that will flood your soul. Blessings and Hugs as you enter this holiday season with a heart of thanksgiving and gratitude and JOY unspeakable!!

Finding Balance on the Priority Scale

                    For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.
                                                                            - I Corinthians 14:33                                                         


It is amazing to me how often it is necessary to re-evalute where the important things in life are on my "Priority Scale." The busyness of life has a way of overtaking sensibilities and all of a sudden life is in spiral of activities without order.
Then something happens to bring me to a halt.  I take a new look at life and what is really important.
My life has always seemed to function in high gear and I never seem to have the luxury of dealing with one life event at a time. It seems that in the midst of one major happening another rears it's head and demands it's rightful place and my attention.
A few examples ....
As a teenager while nursing my mother after a major heart attack, I was in a car accident which resulted in the fracture of both bones in both legs.
As I was recovering from the throes of breast cancer treatment, I ended up with major surgery on my ankle to correct complications of the broken bones years earlier.
While celebrating the completion of walking Susan G Komen 3 Day  our realtor called to announce an offer on the sale of our home..
As the sale of the home was drawing to a close, my husband entered the hospital for a total knee replacement....
Each of these events held a high degree of importance and was considered a major life event..only to seemingly be upstaged by the next. As I recall them now I see the impact that they have brought to my life and how they influenced those things I claim as priorities in my life.
I had lost my Dad to a heart attack just about a year before Mom suffered her first attack. As a teenager I learned quickly that I needed to treasure each day. Then came the car accident and broken legs which made me realize the importance of  appreciating those things I often take for granted.   For example, simply walking freely across the room, and the treasure wrapped in friendship and love I possess.
Breast cancer showed me not only the gift of life but the gifts life had given me wrapped in the flesh of family and friends.
Ankle surgery again brought the appreciation of the everyday blessings of life.
Walking the 3 Day allowed me to take the difficult memories that had come with my accident, ankle surgery and cancer and turn them into daily reminders that God has restored my health. It was an opportunity to celebrate LIFE and a reminder that every step is a gift!
The sale of our home and decision to downsize gave opportunity to share keepsakes of 46 years of marriage with our children and frees us for a new and yet to be imagined adventure in our retirement. Jim's knee replacement promises mobility as we begin this new phase of life.
So, putting these lessons on life together has helped to shape my priority list and brought me to point of stopping my spiral of craziness, to put my values in order, slow down give gratitude for the blessings I have.
Family, Friends, Health and Mobility wrapped in the Grace and Mercy of my God are the things that keep my life in order and my Priority Scale balanced.