Sometimes an idea grabs ahold of you and just won’t let you go until you follow it.
The moment I first heard that Cath Duncan was going to walk 100 kilometres in honour of her little Juggernaut (her stillborn baby), I knew instantly that I wanted to join her. In the weeks that followed, I came up with every good reason in the world why it wasn’t a good idea (it’s in Alberta and I can’t afford to travel right now, it’s bad timing with kids starting school, it’s too hard to fundraise all that money, etc.) and yet I couldn’t deny the deep longing I felt to join her.
And so, finally, after working through all the resistance, I committed to it! I want to walk!
Why?
For one thing, Cath and I share a similar story. Like little Juggernaut, my son Matthew was stillborn. His eleventh birthday will be a few weeks after the walk. I felt so drawn to Cath’s story that I knew I wanted to do something to honour her little girl (and, at the same time, my little boy).
For another thing, I think Cath is an amazing woman with a lot to share with the world and I want to see her live a long and healthy life. I want to see a cure for Kidney disease so that Cath can continue to shine her unique light in the world. I want to do what I can to honour and support people living with illness like Cath who continue to fill the world with dignity and beauty despite their struggles.
And for a third reason… I am on a journey toward greater health myself – physical, spiritual, and emotional health. I am on a journey that has seen me take up running for the first time in my life and I am LOVING it. At the beginning of this summer (just after I turn 45) I will be running my first half marathon. It seemed fitting that I would book-end the summer by walking 100 km at the end of it. Running and walking make me feel strong and alive, physically, spiritually and emotionally, and I look forward to this challenge and what it will bring to my life.
And that brings me to the final reason… holy COW! Can you imagine how amazingly mind-blowing and life-opening it will be to spend three days walking through a beautiful part of the world with three incredible women? (Yeah, I have some selfish reasons too.) For this happy wanderer, I just can’t imagine a more FUN way to spend three days!
For Cath, for little Juggernaut, for Matthew, and for myself, I will walk 100 km!
Will you sponsor me? Please? My 45th birthday is coming up on May 20th – perhaps instead of that gift you wanted to lavish me with, you can spend the money on the Kidney Foundation?
Just one other thing… go on over and “like” Team Juggernaut on Facebook and follow along! There’s a super-duper Secret Project soon to be revealed that I KNOW you’ll want to be in on!