Monday, September 12, 2022

Monday Musings // I Walked 22 Miles

What is this?? A Monday Musings post?? I just checked, and I haven't done one of these posts since September of last year. *gasps*

Last week was busy, busy, busy. I had my first literary analysis to write on top of all my other usual assignments for my two college courses, and I made it my mission to get all my work written and submitted by 6:30 PM on Friday because I had big plans for the weekend.

First, my brother, Luke, and I saw the Kendrick brothers' new film Lifemark at the theater from 7:00 to 9:00 Friday evening. The movie was good, although not my favorite of theirs (Overcomer will probably forever hold that title). 

The movie was not political, but it was inspiring and very pro-life. It had a lot of sentimental moments (more so than any other of the Kendrick brothers' films), but also some humor (thanks to Nate, LOL). If you enjoy movies that are clean, Christian, based on real life events, carry a strong moral message, and will quite possibly make you cry, check out Lifemark. 

The timing of this movie night was perfect, as Luke and I had committed to walking 22 miles to raise funds for our local CareNet pregnancy center the very next day (Saturday). I will be honest - that was a long, hard walk, especially the last 4 miles, when we were running dangerously low on water (I had only a few sips left in my bottle) and our legs and feet were on fire. Brutal is the only word I can think of to describe it. We were not even sure if we could make it . . . at times I thought my body would give out on me. We had no intentions of giving up, however. We watched for benches, and when those seemed few and far in between, we sat on the ground until we had caught at least a smidgen of our second wind. Then we climbed back to our feet and resumed walking, cheering at every mile marker we passed. 4, 3, 2 . . .

I had read during my devotions that morning that God delights in the person "who keeps an oath even when it hurts" (Ps. 15.4, NIV). I had told all my sponsors I was doing 22 miles; when I signed up for the walk, I said I would do 22; and so, I planned to keep my word . . . even though it hurt. 

Partway through our last mile, Mom, Dad, and the kids (oh, and Fern) met up with us. Seeing them gave me a renewed sense of purpose and energy, and I jogged a short distance before ending. As I write this post, my feet are blistered and sore and my legs and lower back are achy and stiff, but boy! it was worth it. We raised a lot of money (more than I had counted on), and it was all for a very good cause. Some pictures from Saturday . . . 


We walked the entire trail (11 miles), then walked back (another 11 miles). Here I am at mile 16.


With 5 miles left to go, Luke ran out of water.

4 miles left to go, and I was emotionally and physically exhausted. Every muscle in my body that could hurt, did.

Finishing strong!

And here we are at the end, almost 7 hours after we started walking, feeling tired and sore . . . but so accomplished!

Did you enjoy reading this post? Have you missed my Monday Musings? Do you want to watch Lifemark? Have you walked 22 miles in one day before? Comment below!

Blessings,
Ellen

11 comments:

  1. Lifemark sounds really good; I hope to see it soon! And way to go with 22 miles!!! I hope to see more Monday Musings posts in the future!

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    1. I hope you get to see it soon too, Lilly! I would love to hear your thoughts on the movie.
      Thank you! Yeah, no promises, but I can try ;)

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  2. Oh, my! I remember my 20-mile Walk-a-thon as a senior (I think) in high school, back in the day when it was for . . . hmm . . . I think . . . the March of Dimes. What a brutal Saturday! There were water stations but unlike YOU, who got to walk on a trail in the woods (how nice!) our walk took us all over the big city of Tacoma. I never thought I would see the end of it. Someday I will find the photo each participant received at the end and send it to you. Aw! The memories!
    P.S. Do not ask me why I randomly clicked over here tonight after reading your email. I should be writing chapter 2

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  3. Laura DannerOctober 03, 2022

    Wow Ellen, 22 miles is a lot! Congratulations for not giving up! That’s so neat that you were able to walk for such a good cause :D

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    1. Thank you so much, Laura! We were very grateful for the opportunity :D

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  4. Hey! That looked very hard but it's so cool that you did it! Congrats! 🥳👍 I saw Lifemark and since I've been adopted it was really relatable. I enjoyed it! The documentary was even better. If you haven't already seen it, you should. It's on YouTube. I have to agree though, Overcomes is definitely a fave! Courageous is my top favorite though. 😉
    -Sara Julie

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    1. Hi Sara Julie! Welcome to the blog!
      Yes, I definitely want to watch the documentary at some point in the near future. That's cool that Overcomer is a favorite of yours too. Courageous is pretty awesome as well 😄 Have you watched their other film, Facing the Giants?

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    2. Yes, I love all of them!!!

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  5. Overcomer (sorry, autocorrect 🙄😉) not overcomes.

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  6. AnonymousMay 20, 2023

    Oh I love the Kendrick brothers movies. Me and my family have watched all of them

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