Be the Cause

Walk for Hope in Modesto, CA

the seed, that became the walk for hope modesto, was planted inside of me on september 22, 2007.  on this day I experienced my first walk for hope.  from the time i picked up the flyer at a coffee shop, and stepped foot onto the path at the park, my view of the world changed.  there are good, amazing people in the world, doing good and amazing things.  i feel blessed to be apart of it.  i can still feel the LOVE that goes into putting something like that together.

i believe it was almost two years later that i first contacted be the cause about me organizing a walk in modesto. i listened to a song that said humans only experience two emotions, LOVE and fear, and that all other emotions stem directly or indirectly from either one.  those are exactly the two emotions that i kept experiencing from the minute i first inquired about me organizing a walk.  LOVE because i wanted others to experience the walk for hope. fear because i was not someone who does something like organize a walk.

may 22, 2010, the date is set, there’s no turning back now.  before the date was set i would have thoughts about just not doing the walk.  there was a feeling that would always over power those thoughts, and that feeling is the feeling i felt on september 22, 2007.  all the LOVE that is the walk for hope, can not be ignored.

the day arrives and a beautiful day it is. waking before the sun is a wonderful thing.  the first walk for hope in modesto was becoming a reality.  the sun is rising as all the volunteers gather.  the set up begins, the air is cold and crisp.  we post the hand-made quotes along the walk route, stopping to set up the activity stations, starting to feel the warmth of the sun.

the walkers start to arrive, we form a circle, and introduce ourselves. at that moment i let go, i let go of organizing the walk, for the walk is happening.  the walk has a different effect, meaning, or experience for everyone depending on what’s going on in each of our lives, indivividually and collectively.  i LOVE everything about the walk for hope.

as the walk ends, the tear down begins. from beginning to end is a gift for me, but it’s only the beginning.  the first walk for hope.  what a feeling.

i want to say thank you to everyone who was involved, for without you there would be no walk for hope.  I am truly and forever greateful.

MAY ALL BEINGS BE HAPPY!

— Niccol Wiley

Number 8

What does the number 8 mean to you?  Every since the talk of the walk happening in modesto, I’ve noticed it a lot more.  To begin, the first Walk for Hope was 8 years ago.  In it’s 8th year is when the walk spread.  The first time was in Florida in March 2010.  The next time will be this Saturday May 22, 2010 in Modesto, CA.  So there is still a chance to be a part of it all!  It is becasue of the walk that brings me here to tell this story.

Last week sometime I recieved an e-mail from a wonderful woman, her name is Michelle.  Michelle was going to make some quotes for the walk, and was wondering that since she lived close to me if she could just frop the quotes off at my house. I replied of course you can, and that was that.

So I check out the sign-out sheet for the quotes, and see that Michelle has signed out many quotes. It was a sweet sight to see.  Everything is coming together.  I come home from work last Friday, to find in my room this amazing pile of quotes.  A good day it was.  It was intoxicating, reading each quote, the smile on my face getting bigger, the warmth in my heart….spreading.

Sukh asks me to write blog. So here we are.  I go to count the quotes for the first time….1..2..3..4..5..6..7….8.  There it goes again, it’s fun!  As I was writing this noticed that the qoutes were delivered 8 days before the walk.  What does it mean?

– Niccol Wiley

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