Brave (Five Minute Friday)

It's (not) Friday. The word this week was BRAVE. And Friday I was on the road to meet some really, really brave folks. So I hope you'll forgive the late post - as this fit the word better than anything else would have this week anyway.  Welcome to the *late* edition of Five Minute Friday. Where we stop, write, and post without editing, overthinking, backtracking or any of that. Just raw writing.  And there is always grace with this writing. So even if it isn't Friday, give us 5 minutes, write a post, link up over here, and then leave a little encouragement to the brave writing soul who linked up before you.

Now, for my non-Friday Friday post - 5 minutes on:

BRAVE

This weekend I walked in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. 39 miles, 2 days. Full of inspiring people, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children. All walking for - or with - someone they knew, or wish they'd had a chance to know. Lots of stories, lots of personal journeys.

But the bravest walkers of all - and the bravest non-walkers for that matter - for some of them crew, and some of them just cheer and some of them are present in spirit only - are the survivors. The men and women who battle breast cancer day-in and day-out. The ones who fight to get up in the morning. The ones who battle chemo, and radiation. Reconstruction and side effects. Drugs and sickness. Tests and more tests. These souls who see the worst the disease can throw at them and fight back despite the longest odds.

These brave souls are why I walk. With hope that one day we'll be able to say we've beat it forever. I walk as they fight - to help them fight another day, or to help them have a home cooked meal along the way. To support a clinical trial that buys them a few more years - so they can see their baby grow up, or at least go to school. So they can live to walk with us. I met one lady walking this weekend  - she is 27 year survivor. THAT is brave. For her, and all the others who have gone before, and who are yet to come:  YOU are brave, and I am proud to fight for you and your loved ones - to give you another day in which to show us all your courage.

Stop.

*Note, another post all about the walk will be coming later.