Generosity in every step.

I spend a lot of time thinking about Annette as she moves through the beauty of the high sierras. I also consider what a physical and psychological challenge this trek is for everyone that participates. And that is not considering the weeks and months of planning that have gone into each journey for each trekker.

Mostly, to be honest, I think about Annette; because I miss her. Still, as she shoulders her pack through another mile, she must carry thoughts of all the people who have so generously and unhesitatingly supported her in this quest. Roughly, she has raised the equivalent of about one hundred dollars per mile. And that money represents love and support for her vision, her passion, her tenacity and her grace. All your love and support has got to be in her heart as she walks the John Muir Trail. Better than bio fuel.

Tonight my mother handed me almost $40 in change. Seems the women she plays mahjong with, her “mahj girls” as she calls them put a quarter in a can every time they play a game in which (and forgive me here for I am not a true follower of the game) nobody mahjes. If no one can achieve a mahjong then they all put a quarter in the can. This the donate to charity and they have decided to give it to support Trek for a Cure. So our heart-felt thanks to the Mahj Girls, Lily Reenes, Bev Schpell, Terri Stern, Susan Rosenson, Lenny Lancet.

A similar source for donation comes from a very competitive dominos game played by Annette’s mom Pat and her lifelong friend Sally. They play cash for points and since the Trek for a Cure was conceived, Pat and Sally have both donated their winnings to the Trek.

These are just two stories that I felt I had to tell tonight as my mom handed me a sack of quarters. A question Annette and I ask often is “How did we get so lucky?” I know that as I write this the Trek is still on, entering its last third. So it is not time yet for great synthesizing thoughts of what it all means. Still tonight or should I say this morning, I am moved to thank the hundreds of people who have been so loving and supportive of this effort. There is so much to be done, so much more to accomplish and yet it is vital to me that I take moments like this to rejoice in the support and love that has come our way. Just as Annette must be almost constantly in a state of awe in the presence of those magnificent mountain range profiles and glacier fed lakes, waterfalls and rivers; so too she must feel her heart fill with awe and joy at the community of support that has embraced her efforts from day one.

Thank you does not seem sufficient.
Gambaro
Marc
P.S. Here is a video from a day of deluge on the third segment when Kara, Audrey and Annette hiked all day in a down pour and then had to set up camp in a brief lull and then hunker down without cooking that night. Still they had time for Kara to make a little video. It is about ten seconds.