I completed the Endometriosis Awareness Virtual 5K today. Though a bit chilly, it was an absolutely gorgeous day. The sun shone as brightly as my yellow endo shirt. I drove into town and parked at the Wooster Library. From there, I traveled North on Grant Street to Bowman Street. Then I went East on Bowman to Beall Avenue, then South on Beall Avenue to Liberty, then West on Liberty back to Grant Street. My second loop through town was shorter, walking East on Larwill Street instead of Bowman. I completed the 5K (3.1 miles) in 1 hour, 21 minutes. I didn’t walk fast, but kept a steady pace. During my walk I had several text messages from friends offering encouragement. Yesterday a friend told me about a fun app called Voxer that makes one’s phone like a walkie talkie. I downloaded it and was grateful to hear this friend’s cheers in real-time throughout my walk. At the completion of my walk, this friend met me for lunch at Matsos, our local Greek restaurant, where I enjoyed a yummy Greek salad and spinach pie.

Participation on this walk today holds significant meaning for me. As one who has suffered with this disease for 27 years, I am grateful for the platform in which to raise awareness. Far too many women suffer in silence and it is important for them to know that this pain is not normal; that it is not “just part of being a woman,” as many, including doctors, will tell them. More than my own experience with this disease, though, today’s walk was about health and wholeness. Nine months and 87 pounds ago, it would have been inconceivable for me to even consider such a walk. In fact, even as I think about it now, it is hard for me to believe that I actually did it. Yet I did it!

Tomorrow begins the holiest of weeks in the Christian year – a time when we consider the expectations of the crowds cheering Jesus on Palm Sunday, the dark days leading to his death on Good Friday, and the hope of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. As I consider my own journey during the last several months and my participation in today’s walk, it, too, is a resurrection story. God is continuously at work in our lives, transforming our pain and brokenness, moving us toward our fullest created potential. In the week ahead, may you not only remember the Resurrection, but see signs of hope for your own resurrection story.

Until next time, peace …

I’m laughing here at the completion of my walk, holding the endo “fact cards” I created with yellow ribbons attached.

The back of the T-shirt I made (since the official walk shirt has not yet arrived).