grateful

Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk

Sunday Reflection & Dedication Reading

grateful… by michelle ensminger 

for the power of being fully present to the world around me, the all the bits of pieces of myself

to share this sacred space with you, two beings, slightly broken, overflowing, fragments of the divine

to hold your hand, to carry your burden while you regain your strength

for the questions and the gentle reminders that beg me to look at the truth I am creating in my life

for the grace that holds my becoming in its center

for the horizon, flat and blurry, and beyond that, and still beyond that

for the toes my toes find in the dark

for the delicate scent of jasmine still lingering in the morning air

when two stories intersect, shifting the plot and the characters toward something more brilliant

for honey colored whispers that spin their magic into a new day

for the way the setting sun’s light shimmers off the withering hyacinth

for petals, curled, brittle, colorless, dropping one by one into a pile on the sidewalk

for leaves draped in color and tumbling, a downward, a weightless dance

for a dream being born somewhere, carried through the spiral of time by faith and courage

for the way autumn slips in with her ribbons of red and yellow, orange and gold

for the tears and bravery of others

for prayers, rising like incense to fill the space we hold

for familiar, dog-eared pages that know so well the shape of my hands

for the things that weigh heavy in me waiting to be born

for the way a moment can catch in my throat like a song needing to be sung

when scattered pieces come together, making sense for a moment, then blurring to confusion again

for the softness of breaking open, daring to be tender, daring to love, daring to be seen

for the nervous energy of unknown beginnings

for contradictory thoughts that grapple with each other until they make peace

for the palette of choices at our disposal in each moment

for the invitation to explore what it means to be called woman, mother, human

to the stillness I come back to again and again

for this breath, and this one, and this one

for love, and what else is there, really, besides love?

i am a poem

Image from Mrs. Chow

Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk

Saturday Reflection & Dedication Reading

i am a poem by michelle ensminger 

sometimes she held a sliver of the moon in her cupped hands 

and let the light run through her fingers like the sweetest honey 

sometimes the sound of the earth’s quiet breathing 

was enough to make her sigh 

sometimes when she passed under the leaves they shone 

colorful and translucent 

and she knew the world was one large cathedral 

and every step was a prayer 

sometimes she fought against her own living 

and then her mind would give 

and her body would softly surrender 

sometimes her scars seemed like broken paths 

and the lines connecting each one 

formed the silhouette of someone familiar 

sometimes she ignored the promises she made to herself, 

telling herself they weren’t all that important 

but her dreams always told her the truth 

sometimes she remembered who she was 

and the memory was like a dance 

she could follow with her eyes closed 

sometimes when her toes touched the edge of the cool water 

there was the distant memory of thirst 

at the back of her throat 

sometimes she forgot she could save herself 

but the cadence of the rain against the windows 

was a tender song of remembrance 

sometimes she felt the weight of her scattered pieces 

but it was never as heavy as the weight of her wholeness 

sometimes in the early morning hours she swore 

she was the curve of pink on the horizon 

and sometimes the fading color of day told her 

she was right 

sometimes she stood at the window looking in on her life 

sometimes she could touch the fringe of it, 

sometimes she could leap straight into its story, 

but sometimes it felt distant and out of reach 

sometimes her breath caught in her chest 

and in that moment she knew the stillness of nothing 

sometimes the voice singing “now” was louder 

than the temptation of tomorrow 

sometimes a ladder leading nowhere would appear 

sometimes she was brave enough to climb one rickety rung at a time 

sometimes there were enough sometimes to stitch together 

and from that she could create a life 

2012 Immediate Impact Walk - Pre-event Preparations!

After months of planning and preparations, lists, emails and meetings - our event weekend was here!!! It began with Marcia and Sandy picking up the 10' box truck which would haul all of our event supplies and gear bags for the weekend. 

We met at Costco where we shopped for healthy snacks for our route stops. and items for our continental breakfast. I had already shopped for some event supplies and food with some gift cards at Safway and the total spent there was $9.00!

A group of volunteers  meet at East Beach to vehicles and sort our event supplies into the vehicles and make packs of snacks/supplies for each day.

Lots of snacks to keep everyone fueled for our 55 miles of walking!

We applied our new fancy car magnets. Very official looking, yes?

After we finished organizing at the lot, we checked into the hostel for our all crew meeting!

Right after we had started to go to bed the fire alarm went off and we all had to evacuate the building!

See? Firetrucks! An auspicious beginning to our remarkable weekend!