Time will only tell

     Well it has been sometime since I posted my thoughts and feelings on this blog, not because I am too busy but because I have put all of my efforts into running my 70x7 tour. There have been a lot of emotions that I never knew existed. When I wrote down this very personal goal to inspire myself and other survivors of illness, I just didn't imagine the magnitude or possibly the apathy of others. Let me explain myself more thoroughly. After I began to walk, talk, read, write and deal with my ability to understand others I quickly realized that if you want something to change then you've got to be the change! Live your convictions with hope, passion and honour. Be the person that you can look back at and say "I did it with respect"
     As I began to run farther and farther, the newspapers took notice and inevitably people began to personally email me their struggles and feelings as well. I felt encouraged and compassionate for their plight, it gave me fuel for each and every city that I came across. Well here I am at city 17 and I am taken by surprise, I survived a stroke and now I am trying to find sponsors, money in order to reach city 70! This will be a tough battle and one that has heard its share of empty promises with big smiles attached. My dad always told me "action speaks louder than words" well I have become a firm believer in that now. So I guess all in all, what I am saying is "Be your promises, live your respect, act on your honour"

Live your words and blaze a trail of change.

Hunger

   I lived in my car for sometime due to contractors lying and cheating me out of wages so their sons could drive bmw's etc. Well I didn't get paid and slept through an entire winter in a car. I often woke up because of the chattering of my teeth, I ate small amounts of food that my soon to be wife gave me (an apple or an orange, maybe a banana) She took only food that was her own and then shared it with me. Some nights were beyond bareable and so I slept during the day when the sun was out. My girlfriend  was going to school at the time and while she was in class I would sleep in the main study hall. I was a very broken person back then, disheartened by those who lied and those who withheld due wages. In fact I remember my stomach hurting so much that I often thought of eating garbage just so I could get by. Well right across from me was a food dispenser that I often stared at but had no money to purchase food for my hunger, late one afternoon I saw a few women from my girlfriends dorm room tipping the machine so they could get candies and food just for the sake of it. They thought it trivial and erroneous to believe they were stealing and for some reason felt it was humorous to take what was not their own. As they walked away they chuckled at the thought of their actions and that they had the money to purchase but instead took what they felt they deserved despite the lack of hunger.

    

     I never forgot that day nor the hunger that constantly burned in my belly. I questioned Gods kindness and mans mercy but I knew that in those moments that God was digging deeper into the very depths of my soul, telling me with memories that hunger is but a moment but honour is a lifetime. Don't forget that every action you do has an indescribable reaction. You can chose to have a photo album of memories worth smiling about, looking back knowing that you put your faith in a God who remains strong through even the roughest times. I am no special person by any means but I do believe that Christ has created in me a clean heart, to worship him, to live for him, to run for him, to be all the things that Gods heart spurs me towards. Late one night as I was shaking from the cold a security guard took notice to my predicament, he invited me to his office and gave me hot chocolate and 10 dollars. We spoke and laughed for a brief time, I forget the words he spoke but I never forgot his kind smile and giving heart. We all have an opportunity to be the light that everyone so desperately needs, sometimes it's like the break of dawn, shining beautifully as it rises and other times it just a brief light to guide the ship home from rough waters. After that winter and others I had experienced in hardship I never forgot the value of people over objects. Christmas is a time of giving from the heart not the wallet, a precious star of hope guiding us to a promise much bigger than ourselves.

Beyond Words....Honor Still Stands

     I had such an amazing day filled with so many surprisingly inspirational moments. For the last four weeks I have been training in the gym, trying new techniques and performing new methods of conditioning. While being completely focused on my exercises I would occasionally notice an asian gentlemen watching me train. It looked as though he was studying my posture or something. I would quickly shrug it off and then carry on with my new regime. Well today I went to the gym after performing a demonstration at a local martial arts dojo. I told the martial arts academy my story (stroke recovery) and they were excited!! So hopefully I will recruit more runners for the big day. Well back to my previous story, I walked into the gym when low and behold there was the asian man again. As I began my stretches he approached me and with a soft kind voice asked if he could speak with me (with a strong Korean accent) He told me how he taught martial arts in south korea for 20 years and how he was amazed by my fluidity, speed and power. I was completely taken back!! That is one of the most honorable things anyone could hear. He shook my hand and we both bowed. 

     He then approach me an hour later and asked me what my philosophy was and then I spoke to him in korean. I told him of my belief in God and that I was a christian. He then smiled and said "You move like an asian person does" we then both laughed and smiled. I taught him some english and he taught me some korean. There was a silent admiration for one another and a mutual respect. He was kind enough to tell me about his family and I told him of how my journey to recovery was hard and filled with many tears. He shook my hand once again and gave me another bow (a sign of respect) so I in turn did the same.

      Now I know that this may seem a little silly or inconsequential but that meant the world to me. Not because I want a big pat on the back but because I believe in honor. Something deep down within me just smiled from ear to ear. I not only overcame my physical barriers but in the process fulfilled a dream. That dream was to be more than what I once was....

Like I said before, dreams are worth fighting for!!!