Sharing the Load on the Road

Yesterday I took this picture as I was beginning the last mile of the Susan Komen Race for the Cure 5K. You may not be able to really see it, but ahead of me there is a big crowd of people. The crowd on the left are about to turn for the home stretch, and the crowd on the right are in the middle of the first half mile. For me it was an amazing sight, realizing how many people were participating in the event, and how many breast cancer stories were represented by each person jogging or walking.

Emily posted a comment yesterday, saying a friend of hers had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and had been by to visit and talk. Last year at this time, Emily was recovering from her own breast cancer surgery. Reading Emily's comment made me think about this picture, because just as she is hopefully nearing the last mile in her successful fight with breast cancer, her friend Alta is just beginning. I imagine Emily in my place in the picture, and as she passes Alta, Emily is able to encourage her to keep going, to tell her about the path ahead, and to walk along side her, because she knows the road.

There are stories like Emily's every day, of people who have been there opening their lives and their hearts to those who are just getting there. Our paths in life may be great, they may be sad, or they may be really nothing remarkable. But if we're willing to share, there's probably somebody who's travelling the same path and needs a friend along the way. We just have to sometimes get our eyes off the finish line and on to the real prizes - our fellow woggers.