To God be the Glory...for the things He has done! - Issaquah, WA
Issaquah, WA
Where I stayed
Home. Sweet Home, Klahanie, Issaquah
(Issaquah hotels)
Wednesday morning we were awake by just after midnight to commence the hour-long foot doctoring process in preparation for our final day's journey home. Anne has done a superb job of helping pad our feet and do everything she possibly could to minimize the effects of hours of road pounding.
Shortly after 2:30am, following a hearty breakfast at a nearby Denny's where we were the only customers, we were on our way - bundled up because of the early morning chill.
We made excellent time on the road to Duvall, averaging about 3.5 miles per hour. From there we turned right up the NE Woodinville-Duvall Road and then left onto the narrow W. Snoqualmie Valley Road NE till we turned right up the steep entrance to NE Novelty Road NE. The elevation on that comparatively short stretch was far steeper than any stretch of road we walked from Spokane!! However, as we may have said elsewhere in this blog, walking uphill is waaaaayy easier than walking downhill.
Anne had in the meantime driven ahead tp pick up our middle daughter, Gabrielle Statkus from Lake of the Woods in Woodinville - who had just herself successfully competed with a team in the 190 mile Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage 2012 from Blaine, WA to Langley on Whidbey Island. Just as Maria and I reached the level portion of Novelty Hill Road, Anne arrived with Gabrielle. What a joyous moment of family bonding and celebration that was!!
Gabrielle's husband, Scott Statkus (a pilot with Southwest Airlines) was staying home to look after their three children, Kyle, Kenzie, and Carson while Gabrielle walked the remaining 11.67 miles with us to Marianwood. Being so close to our destination, we understandably wanted to finish our walk as soon as possible. However, since we had given the good folks at Marianwood an estimated time of arrival of 1pm, we needed to moderate our pace to coincide as much as possible with that arrangement.
We stopped for a refreshing cup of Starbucks at Trilogy and while sitting outside, a couple of ladies stopped by and asked about our gear and what w e were doing. I informed them about the Fundraiser Hike and happily gave them a card I had printed up with directions to this blog. They were delighted to hear about our venture and eagerly asked, "So, can we donate to this?" "ABSOLUTELY!!", we responded as we got up to move on.
Down Novelty Hill Road we walked, turned left on 208th and continued down till we reached NE Redmond-Fall City Road (Hwy 202) and walked to the Gray Barn where we made a brief pit stop. Anne called us to let us know that Celeste Gracey, reporter with the Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter was waiting for us at the top of Sahalee Way and would walk a mile or more with us as she took photos and interviewed us. My mind began to race through the maze of events, encounters, experiences and emotions that we had gone through and were still going to need plenty of time to work through, process and digest. What has this trip meant to you? What have you learned? What difference has it made in you? All questions I could expect and wasn't yet sure of how to verbalize. All I knew was that my heart was overflowing with an incredible sense of gratitude and thanks to Almighty God for the strength He gave us to complete this amazing journey in the time we did; for the incredible send-off blessing from Chaplain's Beth and Bonnie at Providence St. Joseph Care Center that helped set the tone and expectation for this journey - our own "walk to Emmaus" and anticipation of life transforming encounters with the Risen Jesus every day; for the blessed time of bonding and sharing heart-to-heart with my daughter, Maria; for amazing shared times of prayer and intercession as we walked along the highway at night under the starlit sky; for learning through first-hand experience the power of God's Word in Isaiah 40:31 that "those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary."; for the ability to see and delight in the wonders of God's creation; for the opportunity to learn by experience what it feels like when "there is NO ROOM IN THE INN" and you have to sleep in "the stable"; for the ability to identify and grow in compassion - through our own many blisters and leg cramps - to some very small extent, with those who live with pain and discomfort every moment of every day; to face our fears in the dark of the night and on busy sections of the road and narrow shoulders and experience the power of God's protection; for the opportunity to meet numbers of caring, kind, and generous people along the way, who had been complete strangers one moment and almost felt like family the next; and the amazing sense of community this walk has generated with friends and family all over the globe - South Africa, the United Kingdom, and all across the USA. We are so grateful for all our supporters within the Providence Family and for all who have prayed with us and for us, who have upheld us in their thoughts and communications, and who have contributed financially and sacrificially to this project. Singer Jim Reeves once sang these words which I share with you:
May the good Lord bless and keep you
Whether near or far away
May you find that long awaited
Golden day today
May your troubles all be small ones
And your fortunes ten times ten
May the good Lord bless and keep you
Till we meet again...
After our encounter with Celeste we were informed that some folks from Marianwood were planning to meet us at the Sammamish City Hall and walk the remaining 2 miles with us. What joy it was for us to see Donna Hummer, Nancy Dunn, and Olivia Ma waiting to meet us! After warm hugs and embraces we continued on down the road, keeping track of the time so as not to arrive sooner than 1pm.
As we reached Spiritwood we saw Kelly Henderson, Maria's husband, and their three teenage children arrive. The kids jumped out of the car and ran to embrace first their mom and then their Papa in one of the most heart-warming reunions I can recall. As soon as we passed Spiritwood we saw the Issaquah Press photographer out on the road and then Kelly Fabbri with her two kids in the stroller joined us, followed soon after by Gloria Pritchett, Hetty Safavian, and Annie Carter.
The moment we turned the corner onto Providence Point Drive and saw Ilene Dye (Volunteer who leads our Tuesday Hymn Sing), the festive ballons out to welcome us back and could start to hear the cheers, we took to jogging the final stretch up to the driveway and through the ribboned finish line to the musical accompaniment of "When the Saints Go Marching In" played by a quartet from the Issaquah High School brass band. The residents and staff of Providence Marianwood, along with numerous family, friends, and well-wishers were there to cheer and welcome us home with streamers, confetti, bronze medals, congratulatory cards from the Rehab Team, three "thrones" and decorated crowns and ribbons and sashes lovingly made by the residents with words: "Lady in Waiting" (Anne), "Princess Footloose " (Maria) and "King of the Road" (Johann).
After a hearty welcome from Director of Operations Ian Kennedy and DNS Colleen Hardy, Foundation Director, Arlene Carter made the joyous announcement that to date the fundraiser had brought in $8000 towards the setting up of the Bistro and renovating the Family Room. Johann, Maria and Anne then spent time greeting the residents, friends and family who had come to share in the celebration and enjoying the delicious cookies and punch provided by Chef Andy and Dining Services. Gabrielle's husband, Scott Statkus, was there along with their three children, Kyke, Kenzie, and Carson, Scott's Mom and Dad - Frank and Barb Statkus, Barb's sister, Linda Hohengarten, and their parents from Providence Point, Bud and Dotty Milby. Dear friends, Keith and Louise from Providence Point were also on hand to provide a cheer and welcome. Just a week before setting out on this journey, Keith had said to me....words that have since been embedded in my heart.. ."This will be a journey you will never forget".