Posted on September 03 2018
I'll preface this story with today's happening...
My girlfriend Gianna texted me first thing this morning to tell me she had one of my songs, "Hawk In The Heavens" stuck in her head. Funny thing is, I had been outside doing yard work and found a hawk feather. This reminded me that I was looking for a good time to write down the story I'm about to share with you.
In May of 2017, I had the honor of participating in the Trailblaze Challenge. It is a fund raising campaign for the South Carolina chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation. This amazing foundation grants wishes to kids who are battling life threatening medical conditions.
Having been an avid hiker all of my life, this adventure was pure excitement!
A one day, 28.3 mile walk through the beautiful mountains of North & South Carolina meant inspiration beyond words. And the heartfelt love we have for these kids would be guiding our steps.
Me and forty other hikers would spend two nights in a hotel in Georgia during this weekend. The spirit in this group of people was so alive and very much infectious! All coming together for these kids in our communities, we had raised over $100,000.
At 3:30 am on Saturday, we set out in darkness on an hour drive to the trailhead. I had been placed in the final group of hikers to embark on this journey by foot. I was sitting in the last seat of the last van as we made our way through hills and curves in the Carolina morning. I knew I should be in the lead group of hikers due to my experience and physical ability but had come to peace with the placing.
I had a role on this day...to anchor the ship.
I knew my role had significance and felt blessed to be entrusted. I was in constant prayer for all the hikers and made sure everyone was healthy and in good spirits.
Our mini group was the smallest of all the groups, consisting of me and two other hikers. We left the trailhead at 5 am. The first hour and a half was in solid darkness. There was mist & fog in the cool air and the silence of nature surrounded us...it was surreal. All day long we switched between elevation gain and drop. Hiking through the hollers of dense mountain forest, past waterfalls, alongside river, whistling the tune of God's creation.
With only a couple miles of Trailblaze Challenge remaining, I stopped for some water.
Just then a hawk flew in and perched on a tree extremely close to me. He gazed down at me and I up at him.
I recalled a song I had written many years before called "Hawk In The Heavens"...
One day
I'm gonna win the lottery
And I'll buy you
The best darn pony there be
We'll ride to Wyoming
And when we die
We'll die free as can be
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven
There's a hawk in the field
And a hawk in the heavens
I sang that song all the way to the finish line. The last quarter mile, we were to stop at the "wish tree" and grab a star. I saw a cute little girl that reminded me of my mom Donna and my niece Ella so I grabbed it. I flipped it over and cried. It was a 4 year old girl named Harper who was fighting a kidney disease. Her wish was "to go to the mountains and ride horses".
I said a special prayer for her and her family and finished the day with rejuvenated strength.
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