I have a cause. Well, several causes actually, which are very important to me. I’m sure you probably do as well. I donate to my favorites, and even brought a couple of those with four legs home with me, but I was recently inspired to do more.
Photo Courtesy of Michelle Mullins
My honorary sister, Jessica, walked 40 miles in the AVON Walk for Breast Cancer this past spring and I went to Washington D.C. to cheer her on and meet up at the end. I arrived early so I’d be sure to get some good pictures of her crossing the finish line. As I waited, I watched hundreds of walkers skip, jump and dance their way under the pink arch -women, men, young, old, A- cups to D-cups, rich, poor, survivors and those who had lost a loved one.
Most were greeted by husbands, mothers, sisters, brothers, children, friends and their dogs. Some were greeted by no one, except us strangers who cheered loudest for them. You would have been proud of each and every one of them. I was, and found myself wondering why they did it. I imagined their stories as they passed by.
She was a survivor and hoped that someday no one would go through the fight she had won. This big, burly man walked for his mother, wife and daughter. That team of ladies in pink hats walked for each other. They all made a choice to commit to this cause in a big way. I’m sure they all have other important causes and people in their lives, but they chose to spend a lot of their time and effort training and fundraising for this very important fight.
I thought about myself and my contribution to the world and realized I wanted to do more. So I made the very short walk over to the registration table and signed up for the 2012 walk. I’ll be stampeding with an amazing team of ladies, including Jessica, next May.
Photo Courtesy of Michelle Mullins
I’ve have a new found respect for people who get out there and devote themselves to a cause, any cause. There are almost as many causes as people and they are all important.
You can’t save them all, free them all, and end all diseases but you can help some of them. So I challenge you – walk, blog, donate, adopt, protest or just be a cheerleader, but do something and stand up for what is important to you. Ready, set, GO!
