Who Are You Carrying?....

 I am proud today...of a lot of different things.  First of all I stepped way out of my comfort zone and took a trip to the other  side of town.  That trip forced me to drive where I am not at all comfortable.  I had to leap out of that genetically inherited need to stay within a 5 mile range of my house and travel to a place that meant navigating many roads that were not attached to the ground.  I have an intense fear of heights and I am even more fearful if I am on a highway that is part of the muli-level ,criss-cross, single lane, piece of what our area proudly calls the high five.  I not only do not drive on them I have such a fear I put my head between my legs when I have to travel over them as a passenger.   But today due to multiple wrong turns (as I am also direction dysfunctional) I was forced to step up to the plate, grab ahold of my fear and actually drive across one of those dreaded single lane overpasses.  Yes, I sweated and I prayed but I made it, not only once but twice...and I think I am now a better person for conquering that dreaded obstacle.

My goal was to help inform patrons of  Boots and Shoots about an event that is very near and dear to my heart.  Next weekend is Carry the Load.  Drew is walking with hundreds of other in a 20 hour run/walk marathon that is meant to honor Memorial Day weekend in the way that it is meant to be remembered...with those who lost their lives serving our country taking precedence over beer and hot dogs.  He took on this task by himself and he is way more than 100% committed.  I am so very proud of him.  But, I have a role too...because it matters to me.  I preached to my students for years about the value of volunteer work in the community.  We carefully checked volunteer activities when we selected this years recipient of Matt's Annual Scholarship.  I think it is important to practice what you preach...so I am.  Just randomly choosing an activity to participate in is great but the hours spent in a volunteer capacity when it is something you are passionate about is more than rewarding. 
I am proud of my children.  I am grateful that they know that there is lot of debt we owe the many, many friends who supported us when we lost our son.  I cannot have Matt back but I can give back and that is what we are set to do next weekend when we help "Carry the Load".