Take one step, take one more, take one more....

Today I started back into running - got my butt outside and moved it!  Why today? when I have been meaning to get back into it for months now.  Well, I set a goal and signed up for a run on Mother's Day 2013, the 10K Run for Kids Cure.  Not only that, but we now have a whole team going so I am really committed.  The preparation seems daunting - 16 weeks of a training schedule to follow - 3 days per week.  But today I realized that I should start the same way I start anything that seems overwhelming - by taking one step.  Then one more.  Then another.

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."  

 ~ Unknown ~ 

I then got to realizing this is how I get through all difficult things.  I focus on the steps.  Not the whole staircase.  If I look up to the top step is looks too far away, and the climb too steep but if I focus on the first few steps, on even just the next step if need be, then it's manageable.  I am doing that now with the diagnosis of my cancer being back.  The initial shock of the Ct scan results; the tumor by the bladder being detected and the possibility of lung spots has settled down.  I have my next steps and now it's manageable.  I don't know how it's all going to work out but I know I can take a few more steps.

The race belongs not only to the swift and the strong,  
but also to those who just keep running.
~ Unknown ~

I found this prayer on the Cancer Crusade website and it has become a purpose I have taken into my heart ... (http://www.thecancercrusade.com, which has been a source of encouragement, humor and information for me for many years now).

Dear God, help me find that place inside me where there are reserves of strength and courage I have yet to use, and lead me to share that strength and courage with others who are struggling
to find their own.
Amen 

On the Survive and Thrive Expedition this past summer, on the Owhyee river, one morning the group awoke an hour before dawn so we could hike up a seemingly huge mountain to watch the sun rise.  I know all of us were doubting we could make it to the top. It was a quiet group that early morning, as we took it one step at a time.  We reached the top and it was breathtaking, so worth it!  A lesson I aim to remember.  Here are pictures of us hiking up and enjoying the rewards of our efforts. 

Just take a step, have faith and take one more step.  Love, Teresa

Teresa & Mike, Owyhee River, top of the ridge, June 2012