You could not have asked for a more perfect, beautiful day to do the March of Dimes/March for Babies Walk here in Dallas. The perfect temp, the perfect humidity (hardly any), the perfect breeze (just the right amount to cool you off), the perfect everything! I had a blast.
Originally I was going to take the whole family on this little trek, but decided against it. I'm glad I did. I don't think about things like "where is the parking?" That would be far, far away up on some random hill because that's as close as I could get. Not kid friendly. And then the beginning of the walk that started 10 minutes late because they had to thank this person and that person. Blah, blah, blah. Also not kid friendly. And then the crowd of people--thousands of people. It was amazing. But, again, not kid friendly. I admire the people who have the nerves to bring their children to an event like this. Sadly, I'm not one of them.
At any rate, the walk got off to a slow start since it's hard to have any kind of momentum when huge masses of people are tightly squeezed together, but five minutes into it and I was able to get into a good groove.
We walked around White Rock Lake in Dallas. Absolutely gorgeous. I loved seeing the Dallas skyline above the trees. I loved the boats on the lake and tied to the docks. I loved the slightly rolling hills (about as rolling as you get around here). I just loved being in a place that was green and heavenly.
Along the way there were signs posted with "In Honor Of" or "In Memory Of" and then a child's name, picture, birth stats. I had to wipe away a few tears for those families with children that didn't make it. We definitely could have been one of them--and we saw several of them in our four-month stay at the NICU.
I finished the five miles in 85 minutes, under the time I had planned for myself. Yeah! But I also got a renewed sense of how truly blessed we, the cute Martin family, are. How much the Lord has watched over us and helped us on the path that started January 3, 2004, when Josh and Shari were born at 27 weeks. I never would have chosen this path. But, on the other hand, I would have missed getting to know so many dedicated medical professionals who truly love what they do and try their best to work miracles. I never would have met so many wonderful families who also have children with special needs. You don't have to explain yourself to them. You are instantly loved and welcomed by them. And I never would have experienced the thrill and ecstasy of Shari and Josh learning something new. It's something that I just don't take for granted.
So, viva the paths that are sometimes chosen for us! You never know what treasures you might unexpectedly find.
