September 4, 2009

OUR BONUS DAY


today (sept 4) was officially our last day in whistler
(this was confirmed by reliable sources)

since we thought yesterday was supposed to be our last
i guess you could say today was our bonus day

a whole extra day of holiday
yippee....not!
seeing as our bonus day now includes a gondola ride
i'm thinking i should a left when i had the chance!

i spent most of the morning worrying about it
my stomach in knots
bile rising in my throat
my mouth an acrid desert
my knees weak
and my heart pounding in my ears
whenever
i thought about getting on "the ride"



i'm not kidding either
i really considered hanging back today
yikes, don't say 'hanging'

back and forth my mind and spirit sparred
i did not want to scale that mountain!
no way
no how
no can do
however
it was not lyme that stood in my way

i am well enough
i am able enough
i am strong enough
no it is not lyme that would impede my ability today

it is FEAR
the choice is clear
how can i even consider allowing fear to hold me back?


my yesterdays have included the use of a wheel chair
my tomorrows may include many more

but
TODAY I AM ABLE...ain't nothing going to stand in my way!



"Come to the edge." he said
"We can't. We're afraid."



"Come to the edge." he said
"We can't. We will fall."



"Come to the edge." he said



And they came...


And he pushed them....and they flew.
-(Guillaume Apollinaire)


our bonus day...
has been so much more than just a breathtaking ride up a mountain

our bonus day...
has been about facing whatever mountains stand in our way and trusting God to give us the courage and strength to scale them.



"when faced with a mountain, i will not quit! i will keep striving until i climb over it, find a pass through, tunnel underneath or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine, with God's help."




our bonus day?
well, i wouldn't trade it for the world




6 comments:

PvT said...

Warms my heart to see those pics :~)

Renee said...

WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!! Good for you, Shannon...you climbed the mountain and enjoyed the view!

Julie K. said...

What a great day you guys had, this BONUS day...I am SO happy for you! We all can learn so much from your blog entries....you are a very inspiring and encouraging writer - God really speaks through you.

Take care! Praying for you often!

Chezza said...

I honestly cried a little at work when I read this post, especially the writing between the photos.
God Bless you.
You, who can be so brave and positive. You, who I love and have not even met. You, who are my own personal hero. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Shannon
What an encouraging blog entry. What a challenge for all of us - to move forward inspite of fear. Good for you - you triumphed and once again experienced God's courage and faithfulness. Keep on climbing those mountains !!! Go girl Go.
Love
Betty

Kathryn said...

Shannon, this is close to my heart so I had to read it many times. I would have been in the "I'm hanging back" group and stayed there. I love it how you are smiling in every photo! You are an inspiration to all, in so many ways.