A note to a dear friend.

Dear Me:

     Now I know you are lost in fear, I feel it within every step I take. The moments in between laughter and sorrow, tears of hope and whisperings of failure. It seems as though I am climbing a mountain that never ends but who am I and what am I?! I must be more than this. Well I am.....
     In life I know that things change and sometimes people fade away and maybe even memories but I was meant for more than feeling afraid or lost in the dark! I have survived a devastating storm and for this I should be proud, I should be proud that I am crawling out of this dark hole of impossibilities. Soon the light will shine once more and I will feel the warmth upon my face but until that moment passes I will carry on. The garden of my dreams has been ruined but that doesn't mean that things will not grow it only means I have to work harder to make it happen. So it is time for me to pull the weeds of anxiety, dig out the rocks of doubt and plant tiny seeds of change and hope. Embrace the seasons as they turn and dance with the grace of God. I am more than just a day that passes under the morning light, I am the laughter that tears will embrace, I am the joy that sorrow will kiss. I am the victory that God will never miss!

Dedicated to my dear friend tracy and all those who feel lost or overwhelmed....

You are more than this moment!

Words Of Change

     As of lately, I have been running my feet off and when I say "feet off" I mean it! I say that with a slight chuckle but all in all it is true. I never thought in my wildest dreams that this 70x7 tour would take off so well and yet it has. Somewhere deep inside my heart I felt there was a reason why all of this happened and that God knows His business. I just decided that either I was looking at one big pile of impossibilities or I would take every minute at a time, maybe even seconds and see opportunities. Yes, sometimes it really got that bad but I'm not a quitter and I never will be! Now I could sugar coat my journey but for the most part it was hell on earth, no two ways about it, period.

     In life we can either triumph over our circumstances or we can believe that everything should be handed to us on a silver platter and well, that just isn't me. I chose to run for hope, not away from it! You can simply choose one or the other but from that point onward, one will strengthen you and the other will lead you astray. slowly compromising all your hopes, dreams and aspirations. Take this moment to embrace victory and challenge every little opposition that dares to tell you that you can't do it! Every little doubt that wants you to fail, slowly pay less attention to it and the voice will only get quieter. Start today, you are worth it! Whatever requires strength, demands excellence in repetition. 

I hope these words give you comfort and dare to challenge you, to make you believe that you have a greater purpose than failure! I know Gods grace will carry you onward..

Me and Crabmagoo

     Have you ever heard of the crabmagoo theory?! Well most likely you have felt it in some way or another or may just maybe you might have done it your self. Now of course the real name is some what lengthy but I prefer the crabmagoo theory! What I mean is this, when you begin to do something great in your life or accomplish something worthy of a little joy or excitement there is always someone who sees your attempts to escape the bucket and tries to pull you down. It sounds crazy doesn't it?! Well sadly enough crabs will continually pull each other down not wanting to let the other one go or to escape. We sometimes catch that little bit of fever and do the same or have been victimized in the same manner. If you are that person who is diligently trying to overcome your situation, trying to be a better person or for that matter just living out your dreams and hopes when suddenly someone comes along and tries to yank you back down into the bucket with the rest of the crabs, just remember you don't have to be there. Fight with every bit, every ounce of who you are and keep reaching higher and if those friends try to pull you down again, it just might be time to let go of that friend. Their selfishness may supersede their intent to be what all good friends ought to be, encouraging, loving, thoughtful and caring.
     It never feels good to let a friendship go but sometimes there are seasons for friendships, for laughter, for pain, for so many things and life is messy. Don't take their baggage with you, just let it go and carry onward, you have victory in the waiting so press forward and don't give up! True friends will come along and you will forget all about the momentary pain of a friendship that once was...
     True friends are made of the best ingredients, love, patients, mercy, kindness, courage and so much more, their welcome never ends!

Here is one of my favourite songs about friendship and it is worth the listen.

Friends ~  By Michael W Smith


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbPKaIozS-c

From storm to storm what shall we be

     How fragile is life? For the past few years I knew that personally and intimately. I didn't mind the struggles because for some reason I just plugged away at it. You know, you just keep swimming because, well you have to! When my wife suddenly became sick, that was a shocker. Her body, her immune system finally broke down all because of my stroke, the stress.

     Here I am looking down at my wife, watching her as she seems so lifeless, so withdrawn, no energy. She was the pillar for the last few years, being the real trooper, the sergeant in the midst of a war. Now things have turned, it may be for a short while but it has turned nonetheless. How do we overcome such obstacles, such walls of hurt? Well let me tell you something beautiful, something sweet. When I saw my wife lying there, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and that this was my moment to shine! It may sound crazy but what I mean is this, I have the chance to show my wife how much I love her and how much she means to me. I sat beside her bed and I rubbed her for some time, the minutes turned into hours and all I wanted to do is let her know that I am by her side! As the tears welled up in me, I just told myself "you can do this for her, be the strong one now!" It is funny how life can teach you how to be brave in so many different ways. You just never know who you really are until you face the storm! Will you hide, cringe and maybe even fall to the way side or will you suddenly stand up and raise your shield, your sword and fight! Become bold and brave....

     We all face adversity, it is those moments that truly define you, the depth of who you are and are not. Most see affliction, suffering, trials and pain as a negative; all too harsh reality for losing ones spirit. I say it is the perfect opportunity for being the person that God has called you to be. Will you answer, will you step out of the boat and live a life of bravery! Are you willing to be different? Well I am going to run all those cities because now I know that this is what i was meant to do. It is time to shine like the stars and after being hard pressed on either side, this makes the journey even sweeter, more precious. Thank you God for being my strength, being my everlasting hope! 

Matthew 14:29

You can rise above or sink into a world of fear but inevitably you must choose!

Why I must

     The last few days have been very reflective for me. I can't really put into words the full spectrum of it all but I will try my best. For me it is as though I am falling out of a nightmare and landing into the most beautiful dream ever. When my stroke happened it was like hitting a huge massive wall, I mean I had faced poverty, bullying and so much more but the stroke literally took the wind out of my sails, in fact I think it took them altogether. Here I was stranded in the middle of the ocean without any way of getting back. I had to literally reinvent myself, find out who God wanted me to be and what I wanted to believe in the most. When desperate times require desperate measures I guess I took that to the extreme. I made my own wind sails and dug deep into the heart of perseverance. You know, now that I think about my journey I see that I have become much stronger, you either fall to the way side or you simply refuse to quit! I had no idea that I had that much strength in me and for the times I didn't have any, God gave me just the right amount. A perfect balance of hope, faith and love. Those really are the perfect ingredients for inspiration! For being able to move mountains of impossibility.
     So here I am just finishing city #3 and I am blown away by the dreams I am starting to see come about. I actually woke up this morning and was singing in the shower. I had to catch myself and just think about the fact that I hadn't sang in such a long time. I was too busy trying to swim to shore that I forgot that I wasn't doing the most peaceful and most enjoyable simple things. Well I have my tune, my melody and no one is going to take it away. The nice thing about music is that it is worth sharing and when it comes from the soul it simply is beautiful.
   
     Time to kiss the dreams of angels and laugh among the clouds of courage and of change! By Evk

So Shall It Be

     Here I am, jogging across another city. It was amazing to say the least! I had preciously imagined this moment, tasted it within my dreams. I don't know exactly why I am so driven, so focused on doing this task. I can't put a finger on when or how it really happened but it did. Maybe the stroke catapulted me into something that I didn't want but inevitably had to accept. Somehow it shaped my character more than I could have ever imagined. Well I am just about to run city number 3 and i am even more excited than the last time I ran. Why? Maybe because every time I face the giant I get a little bit stronger. I am slowly silencing the impossible, the improbable. Now I am making it possible!!
     As I pass through each city I run up to restaurants and tell them of my journey. The excitement is completely exhilarating and even inspiring when I see the smiles and the faces that seem a little awe struck at the challenge that I am taking on. It gives me something to focus on, to hold to when I run. My heart feels like it is floating on clouds....
     Well I must get back to eating the right foods for the run and continue training the best that I can! Everything that is amazing in life starts from somewhere, some small insignificant place, something small that begins to grow and grow until it cannot be ignored any longer! This dream deserves a pair of shoes and a beautiful cup of hot coco! Well sometimes... lol

You are mine

My friend is a model and she had this photo of herself on her page. Well it had me thinking right away and so I wrote this for her....