10 in My Books!

Today was the Avon Maitland District Cross Country meeting at the Falls Reserve. It was a crisp fall day with the beautiful golden, red, and orange leaves floating to the ground.

Stephen and I arrived just in time to watch the most important race of the day - the 10 year old girls! Yes, our daughter Nicole was lined up with 49 anxious, excited runners at the starting line of their race. We watched as they listened intently to the "Get Set" and the thunderous clap which sent the girls racing down the first stretch on the road, through the campsite, into the wooded path, and up a flight of wooden stairs to the finish line.

After we cheered on the first few participants, we were surprised to see our little runner emerging so quickly behind and sprinting her way to the finish line. She was very focused on completing the race, no smile, just plain determination to complete her run. She did give a small grin when she heard Stephen cheer her on "GO, NICOLE, GO!" We were blown away to see her finish so strong - number ten!

After the race, she was beaming as she proudly wore her medal around her neck. While there is always a better placement like winning first, in my books she is a 10! She ran her best and I am SO proud of her!

As Always But Today A Nice Little Surprise!

As always, I am moved to tears when I ponder about breast cancer, the fight, and the number of women who are dear to my heart and affected by this disease.

As always, the month of October is breast cancer awareness month. Pink is everywhere! There was not one store in which I ventured into yesterday that did not don some pink item. There was an aisle of pink ribboned attire in one store, a wall of donation cards plastered behind the cash register in another, and even one store sold pink coloured toilet paper. While it means way more to me today, I found myself having to catch my breath at the first "pink" sighting. As always, it still hits me hard.

As always in the morning, when I go to open my email account I scan the news feed on yahoo. It is a quick opportunity to see what is happening in our world. Then I know that I am living and not just existing - as my grade eight teacher often stated at current events time. While I skip the news about the latest Hollywood gossip it is the real life information that I am after.

Here lies the nice little surprise -

"BREAST CANCER BREAKTHROUGH"

Canadian scientists may have unlocked

the mystery behind how

deadly disease begins and spreads.

Although I realize it is a small step and many more need to be made, it is one more step on the journey. Let's maybe even call it a little leap of joy on the path. WOW! Thank you God!