The scenery is truly euphoric … It makes you realize that life didn’t happen by chance and the Earth and Universe wasn’t created by a ‘Big Bang’ alone. There is more to it and the answer lies within us, if we look hard enough. We are all born from the same all powering force of unconditional love, but we seem to have forgotten it. But whether we remember or not doesn’t matter if we realize that when we help others we help ourselves.”
I just finished reading The Road is Long: A 4,000 mile run around the United Kingdom by Linda Pritchard. Every step of her “Keep Hope Alive” run was about raising funds to end cancer. What an incredible story, it was difficult to put down. I was right there with Linda Prichard. All those miles, having run every step of the way! It’s hard to imagine such a feat. I enjoyed getting to know her extraordinary ability to accept such a challenge and carry on in the midst of daily hardships. A role model, indeed. This is truly the story of a modern hero. I highly recommend it.
The accomplishment of a dream takes strength, and courage, and determination even when you’re tired, and burnt out, and you’d rather someone else would take it on. Dreams are not nice fantasies, which stay in one’s head to cheer one up. They’re incredibly insistent and if not listened to, they get louder. Dreams lead to accomplishment, that actual leap into the unknown, the lonely belief that one can do it and it’s time to start.
For me as a novelist, I can relate with the daily ups and downs of a long-term challenge like Linda’s. Mine takes place at my computer, away from the weather, but is also a marathon of sorts. And no less exciting or daunting. Some days I wake and shy away from the thought of opening up my heart and mind to another series of pages. It’s not an easy thing. But as Linda kept herself going with the thought of putting an end to the suffering that cancer brings, I am envisioning her run as I start a new page. Especially on those days I’d rather stay in bed.
Gretchen Altabef is an MX author of Sherlock Holmes novels. Mondadori Publishing has contracted to translate her novels into Italian. Ms. Altabef strives to emulate Dr. John Watson’s and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s literary style. The first, These Scattered Houses, is in Holmes’ own voice and resourcefully chronicles the last two months of his ‘great hiatus’. The second in the series is, Remarkable Power of Stimulus. After 3 years away, Holmes finds London awash in murders, No. 221B under siege, anarchists threatening Paris, and the return of Irene Adler. Fully aware he is being watched by Moriarty’s men, Holmes steps out of the cab into Baker Street knowing he will find Watson’s friendship and unerring aim are as dependable as the British Rail.
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