The Journey Begins | Week One: May 12 - 18, 2019

Cultivating Hope: The Journey begins.

Filled with emotions and an awareness that I never realized, I knew that the person that took the first step, will not be the same person who made the last step. Knowing that the months of physical preparation would not compare to the emotional "training" that would happen.

My goal was to "Cultivate Hope," I didn't realize that it would be the participants on day one that would set the tone for what I would understand what "cultivating hope" would be. I knew it would be my support driver Clara and I on the start line, and I didn't realize I would have the physical support of my maternal Uncle and his two sons with their wives and children. What a great start, this sets the tone, and I knew at that moment #StartTalking, #KeepTalking #StartWalking, #Keepwalking would be at the forefront of my mind every day afterward.

As we completed the first week, the emotions were high, and I knew I was going to make it. The support was made clear. The greatest lesson that I learned this week was, "When you think you can – you will!"

Each day, I found or received a gift on the highway, these gifts are highlighted under each day here. Continue reading to see more. This weeks gift was a child's smile: That no matter what the challenges are, if we look through life through a child's eyes, we will always have the answers we seek.

The Journey Begins | May 12, 2019 | Day 1

One foot in front of the other - As we approached the day and knowing the beginning of the Walk is nigh, the emotions that set this journey into motion began long before May 12, 2019. This day has personal meaning; my Grandmother, Monica McKinnon, had died on May 12, 1991. This day set me on a journey to honor my emotional pain and validate my grief.

Gift: A broken watch - That no matter what conditions we are in, the girt of our time is precious.