soul

CANDY FOR THE SOUL

Those who dance are thought mad by those who hear not the music - Unknown
If obstacles are what you see in your path... Then you have lost sight of your goal! - Unknown
What age would you be if you didn't know what age you are? - Unknown
Dream big and work hard - Jean Driscoll, 7-time winner, Boston Marathon, wheelchair division
The empires of the future are empires of the mind. - Winston Churchill
I shall allow no man to narrow my soul and drag me down, by making me hate him. - Booker T. Washington
It's far better to be correct than it is to be right. - Unknown
If you are going to seek revenge, first dig two graves. - Chinese Proverb
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. -Seneca
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. - Unknown
I was passing trees and rocks like they were standing still. - Unknown
When you come to a fork in the road, take it. - Unknown
I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. - Frank Sinatra
If I rest, I rust. - Placido Domingo
Never attribute to malice that which can adequately be explained by stupidity. -Unknown
Thanks for giving me the freedom to be what I am - and for loving me anyway. - Unknown
Perhaps Cancer becomes an evolution rather than a limited experience confined to a time span or a location. Maybe that is what people mean when they talk about "Survivorship"... packing up significant memories and lessons and carrying them forward with you into the rest of your life. - Kristin Armstrong
We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us. - Romans 5:3-5
No husband has ever been shot by his wife while doing dishes or housework. - Unknown
Finishing the Assault on Mt. Mitchell gives you a view from the top that is so unforgettable you are forever changed. - Unknown
No one can ruin your day without YOUR permission. - Unknown
No matter how hard you try, you just can't baptize cats. - Unknown
My repeated attempts to injure myself have finally paid off. - Stan Finley
Everyone is a genius. It's just that some people are too stupid to realize it. - Unknown
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. - Thomas Paine
Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever. - Unknown
Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world. - Albert Einstein
Whatever you are willing to put up with is exactly what you will have. - Unknown
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Thoreau
Never quit on the uphill. - Carl Touchstone (ultrarunner, cancer survivor)
You will never "have it all together". - Unknown
What age are you when you're riding up that mountain? - Unknown
Blessed are those who never read a newspaper, for they shall see nature; and through her, God. - Thoreau
Life is a journey ... not a destination. Enjoy the trip! - Unknown
Misers are terrible to live with, but they make great ancestors. - Unknown
When I run, I become, of necessity, a good animal. But I also become, for less obvious and

more mysterious reasons, a good person. - Dr. George Sheehan

To discover your real age, just sleep on the ground for one night! - Stan Finley
The biggest lie on the planet: "When I get what I want, I will be happy". - Unknown
Don't be sorry for the things you do - be sorry for the things you don't do. - Dr. Charles Fontenot
The most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. - Pierre de Courbertin
I've learned that ultimately, 'takers' lose and 'givers' win. - Unknown
Alcohol and calculus don't mix. Never drink and derive. - Unknown
We often fear the thing we want the most. - Unknown
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. - T. S. Eliot
The only time you can't afford to fail is the last time you try. - Charles Kettering
I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not sure. - Unknown
Success rests in having the courage and endurance, and above all, the will to become the person you are. . . - George Sheehan
Success is getting up one more time. - Unknown
Do you feel more like you do now than you did when you first got here? - John Hunter
Self-conquest is the greatest of victories. - Plato
Eat right. Get lots of sleep. Drink plenty of fluids. Go like hell. - Nike
Don't try to wrestle with a pig in the mud. The pig enjoys it and all you get is muddy. - Unknown
Now is the most interesting time of all. - Unknown
If you're gonna be stupid, you better be tuff. - Anonymous
We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life when all we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about. - Unknown
Not until we are lost in the woods, not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves. - Thoreau
Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. - Steven Wright
I wish people who have trouble communicating would just shut up. - Tom Lehrer
People who snore always fall asleep first. - Unknown
It's awful hard to get people interested in corruption unless they can get some of it. - Will Rogers
Don't worry that the horse is blind. Just load the wagon. - Unknown
The best way to convince a fool that he is wrong is to let him have his way. - Josh Billings
The man who lives by himself and for himself is likely to be corrupted by the company he keeps. - Charles H. Parkhurst
The miracle isn't that I finished ... The miracle is that I had the courage to start. - Runner's World, Feb 1998
It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit. - George Sheehan
The only limits to our realization of tomorrow are our doubts of today. - Franklin D. Roosevelt
All of the significant battles are waged within the self. - Sheldon Kopp
Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance. - Bruce Barton
To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice your gift. - Pre
All things are difficult before they are easy. - John Norley
He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he that loses courage loses all.- Cervantes
Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. - John Wooden, coach
You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, "My God, you're RIGHT! I NEVER would've thought of that!" - David Barry
You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration. - James Allen
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will. - Vincent T. Lombardi
The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we're moving. - Oliver Wendall Holmes
It's not a disgrace for a person to fall -- to lie there and moan is! - Unknown
Shared pain is lessened, shared joy is increased. - Unknown
When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on, or we will be taught to fly." -- Patrick Overton
The mind is an amazing thing. I hope this sends out a fantastic message to all the cancer patients and survivors around the world: We can return to what we were before--and even be better. - Lance Armstrong
Adversity does not build courage, it reveals it. - Chuck Yeager
The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible. - Richard M. Devos
You can never teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig. - Unknown

4 MARKS YOU GET IF YOU
RIDE LONG ENOUGH

1. Chainring teeth on calf
2. Patched collarbone
3. Faded road rash on knee
4. Calluses at base of fingers

-- reprinted from Bicycling magazine, January 2000

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

- Teddy Roosevelt

The Ultrarunner's Prayer

Lord,
Watch over me today as I run.
I have paid the price to run this race through the summer heat,
the winter winds, and up those hills.
There are other days and other races,
but this is the day
and this is the time for this race.

Lord,
Watch over my body.
Keep it free from injury.
As I run, may the tiredness and the pain
be the symbol of victory and not the reason for defeat.
May I acknowledge my limitations,
but not accept less than my potential.

Lord,
Watch over my mind.
May I be intelligent as I run.
May I listen to the signals from within
as I enjoy the scenes from without.
Keep me from foolishness at the start
so that I can finish with wisdom at the end.

Lord,
Watch over my spirit.
As time passes and my commitment dims and blurs,
may the inner resources that You give me
come forward and give me the resolve to press onward.
Remind me of the relative shortness of this race and life
and the victory You give at the finish.

Lord,
Watch over my competitors.
As they face the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual challenges
we all face, may they find the peace and strength
that I have found through You.
Remind them that we all are struggling equally
and that their personal Victory is a result of your guidance.

Lord,
Watch over the trails and mountains.
As they seek to challenge me, may they also offer
havens of comfort and shelter from storms.
Please allow me to seek out that shelter
and give me time to enjoy the boundless beauty they possess.
Let the mountains offer me a test and a challenge
but also a passage through which I may safely pass.
As I continue to press to the summit,
may the trail lead me where You want me to go.

Lord,
Let me win.
Not by coming in ahead of my friends, but by beating myself.
Let it be an inner win. A battle won over me.
May I say at the end,
"I have fought a good fight.
I have finished the race.
I have kept the faith."

- Carolyn Erdman & Jay Hodde

Feeding the Rat

"But every year you need to flush out your system and do a bit of suffering. It does you a power of good. I think it's because there is always a question mark about how you would perform. You have an idea of yourself and it can be quite a shock when you don't come up to your own expectations. If you just tootle along you can think you're a pretty slick bloke until things go wrong and you find you're nothing like what you imagined yourself to be. But if you deliberately put yourself in difficult situations, then you get a pretty good idea of how you are going. That's why I like feeding the rat. It's a sort of annual check-up on myself. The rat is you, really. It's the other you, and it's being fed by the you you think you are. And they are often very different people. But when they come close to each other, that's smashing, that is. Then the rat's had a good meal and you come away feeling terrific. It's a fairly rare thing, but you have to keep feeding the brute for your own peace of mind. And even if you did blow it, at least there wouldn't be that great unknown. But to snuff it without knowing who you are and what you are capable of, I can't think of anything sadder than that."

- Al Alvarez in "Feeding the Rat"

THRU-HIKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL (2160 Miles)

If thru-hiking the AT is not the most important goal in your life, at least right now, you may want to consider doing what is instead. -

Unknown

from Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television
by Jerry Mander
Quill Books, 1978

Confinement itself, the removal of a creature from its natural habitat into a rearranged world where its ordinary techniques for survival and satisfaction are no longer operative, produces several inevitable results:

1) The creature becomes dependent for survival upon whoever controls the new environment. It will use its intelligence to learn whatever new tricks are necessary to fit that system. If it takes tricks and changes to stay alive, then that's what it takes.

2) The creature becomes focused upon (addicted to) whatever experiences remain available in the new environment.

3) The creature therefore reduces its own mental and physical expectations to fit what can be gotten.

Confined creatures that cannot fit this pattern go crazy, revolt, or die.

from Tristam Shandy
by Laurence Stern
1768

"...have not the wisest of men in all ages, not excepting Solomon himself, - have they not had their HOBBY HORSES; - their running horses, - their coins and their cockle-shells, their drums & their trumpets, their fiddles, their pallets, - their maggots and their butterflies? - and so long as a man rides his HOBBY HORSE peaceably and quietly along the King’s highway, and neither compels you or me to get up behind him, - pray, Sir, what have either you or I to do with it?

from The History of Sexuality
by Michel Foucault
Vintage Books, 1978

There is no binary division to be made between what one says and what one does not say; we must try to determine the different ways of not saying things...

from The Real Frank Zappa Book
by Frank Zappa (written with Peter Occhiogrosso)
Poseidon Press, 1989

In order to deviate successfully, one has to have at least a passing acquaintance with whatever norm one expects to deviate from.

All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough. They'll say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this.
THEY WILL TELL YOU NO,
a thousand times no until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. They will tell you no.
AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES.

- Nike

WHAT IS A WORKOUT??
(Submitted by John Hunter)

* A workout is 25 percent PERSPIRATION and 75 percent DETERMINATION. Stated another way, it is one part physical exertion and three parts self-discipline. Doing it is easy once you get started.

* A workout makes you better today than you were yesterday. It strengthens the body, relaxes the mind, and toughens the spirit. When you work out regularly, your problems diminish and your confidence grows.

* A workout is personal triumph over laziness and procrastination. It is a badge of a WINNER - the mark of an organized, goal-oriented person who has taken charge of his, or her, destiny.

* A workout is a wise use of time and an INVESTMENT in excellence. It is a way of preparing for life's challenges and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary.

* A workout is a key that helps unlock the door to OPPORTUNITY and SUCCESS. Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force. Physical and mental fitness are the triggers that can release it.

* A workout is a form of REBIRTH. When you finish a good workout, you don't simply feel better, YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF.

- Author Unknown!

DO NOT SUFFER FROM LONELINESS.
Go outside. Go away. It's all the people making you lonely. Pick a spot on the horizon and go for it. Weave your way through a stand of redwoods. Kayak an island chain. Peer over your toes at the edge of a canyon. Go to your favorite place, again and again. This is what you need to do. Not just because it fuels your independence. But because it reminds you you're part of something bigger. And although it may not occur to the baffled onlookers who can't take their eyes off your smiling mud-covered wired-up insane self, it will occur to you:
YOU AREN'T THE ONE WHO'S LONELY.

- Author Unknown

Most people can't understand why someone would run 10 miles through the woods. Most people think it's crazy to slop through mud and dodge rocks when you can run on smooth pavement. And most say it's downright stupid to run up the side of a 14,000-foot mountain.
GOOD. THEY WON'T GET IN MY WAY!!

- Author Unknown

FALL RUNNING

When the Summer's sun is

A memory away

And you and I

Are ready for play.

The trees are replete

With the hints of fall

And the sky's as clear

As a bright crystal ball.

The air is pure, and cool, and such

And the morning sun rising is just the right touch -

For a brand new run

Through the morning's pure haze

With my friends on each side

And a straight ahead gaze.

I'm here 'cause I love it!

There's no better place

To be doing what I like most

Just look - in my face.

So we run through the Fall

With Winter to come.

This is a great season

Look, it's a sweet gum!

Let's just keep on running

'Til we can't make a move

Even that won't deter us

We have nothing to prove.

So enjoy the great season

Bring in the big crowds.

Let's run and be merry

And make everyone proud!

- Stan Finley

GETTING OLD

I heard the cry one winter night

Of those lost souls who fought the fight

To be the best at what they do

And satisfy no one, and everyone, too.

They, like me, curse the day

When age creeps up and washes away

Those hard fought gains that elude us all

And reduce our gait to merely a crawl.

But we fight and spit and curse and then

We go and do it all over again

Until we're the best at what we do

And satisfy no one, and everyone, too.

- Stan Finley

A REAL WOMAN

I run along this path of mine

Content to think that all's just fine.

Until I happen upon a lass

Who calls me out - and says, "That's fast?"

She dabbles along for maybe a mile

And then says she, with nary a smile,

"How far you going, another 10 or so?"

I tell her meekly, I don't really know.

But she can see as my eyes tell all

I'm almost dead now and ready to crawl.

So we part our ways, she wondering why

I'm looking so beat, and she's on a high.

I glance around to see her go

A real woman for sure, I've a ways to go.

Now I've a goal set in my sight

And I plan and work on it with all my might

That someday I'll know the real man I can be -

An equal to the real woman who just passed me.

- Stan Finley

BITE THE WIND

I'm on my bike

And I love it that way.

A bike, a hike

It's better than pay.

It's a time to know

What you can do.

All you got is sweat

And blood and you.

Push hard on the ups

And zip quick on the downs.

Feel the wind in your hair.

Go another round.

Hit the wall hard.

Break out the french bread.

Coast a bit now

Then get back to burning tread.

It's great out here

Nary a soul to bend.

So yell it out loudly

And bite that cool wind.

With a snap and a lurch

There's all to gain.

It's a crazy joy with me

I'm feeling no pain.

I gotta laugh out loud

Man, this is the life.

I can feel those goose bumps

There is no strife.

I'm just about done now

And I'm feeling great.

Can't wait for the next one -

It's a date!

I'm gonna bite more wind

Cause that's the best way

To have a great time, now

On any darn day.

I'm off again sprinting

On these two bike wheels.

With a bite and a snap

Man, I'm kicking my heels.

Another bite and a yell

And the wind in my hair.

This is the best

I got nary a care...

- Stan Finley

WHAT IS SUCCESS ?

To laugh often and love much;

To win the respect of intelligent persons

And the affection of children;

To earn the approval of honest critics

And endure the betrayals of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To give of oneself without the slightest thought of return;

To have accomplished a task whether by a healthy child, a rescued soul,

a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and

Sung with exultation;

To know that even one life has breathed easier

Because you have lived;

This is to have succeeded.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Philosophy ... 1997 wasn't really a great year for me and I couldn't wait for it to end, but during the last few months of it I was able to take a circumspect look at life. During that time my philosophy has developed into something like this: You have the ability to choose to be happy or sad about yourself and your life. I choose to be happy. There may be things that upset me, and I may have bad days but they will pass. I need to do what I can to help them along quickly. If something is bad, CHANGE IT. You really can! And most importantly, EVERY DAY something wonderful happens. Sometimes it's a beautiful mountain sunrise, sometimes it's meeting a new person who does something nice for you for no reason, and sometimes it's seeing a butterfly flitting among the wildflowers. Sometimes it's nothing more than waking up knowing that adventure lies ahead, and you're headed down a road that no-one else has ever taken, because no-one else is you. Isn't life great?!

- Debbie Smith "Twilight", AT thru hiker, 1998

GIMME A TRAIL

Green car, blue car
Black car, red -
It's a crazy day in heaven
And I'm a running for the shed.

I've been out here already
For too many a mile.
And the crazys in their cars
Ain't a makin' me smile.

A whiz and a zip
And a screech and a curse.
I'm overdue for a checkup
And maybe a psyc nurse.

Gimme a trail, or a mountain,
Or some gravel, or a pine.
And keep them cars away from me
'Cause I'd rather the sublime.

So join me in a long, cool run
Up and down the mountain green.
We'll enjoy ourselves and finish strong
To the noise of the rushing steam.

- Stan Finley

It is unique here. Bonds form quickly and strong. You may see another hiker for a day or two, and never see them again, or run into them a month or two down the road. There is no selfishness here. Everyone is willing to share everything they have, and to help another in anyway possible. We look out for one another and ask nothing in return. There is no such thing as lying, cheating, or stealing. There is only one common goal of pushing North, the experience of shared hardship, the peace and pleasure of conversation after a hard day, spoken quietly so as not to disturb the peace of the night in the forest, and the ceremony of cutting your last Snicker bar into 7 equal pieces so everyone can have some. This may be what God meant for society to be like.

- John Davis, AT Thru-hiker, 1999

...For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints. Alas, as we get up in life, and are more preoccupied with our affairs, even a holiday is a thing that must be worked for. To hold a pack upon a pack-saddle against a gale out of the freezing north is no high industry, but it is one that serves to occupy and compose the mind. And when the present is so exacting, who can annoy himself about the future?

- Robert Louis Stevenson: Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes

"So get out there and...ramble out yonder and explore the forests...breathe
deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate
the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy
yourselves, keep...the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I
promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound
people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by
desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards."
--Edward Abbey, 1987

Never Quit On the Uphill

When things are hard and the going gets tough
When the trail is steep and the footing is rough
We can't go on and we just want to quit
The struggle's not worth the pain, not one bit!

Like the mouse in the trap, who's had enough cheese
"No more, no more, let me out of here please!"
And a voice says, "stop now and rest a while
For this steep incline goes at least one more mile."

But if we push on and ignore the displeasure
The pain of the climb plays out its full measure.
Then the crest of the hill comes into full view
And we reach the top of this problem so new.

Cruising downhill now with strength in our stride
The wind in our face, with joy and with pride
"Thank you God for your grace and good will
To see that we didn't quit on the uphill."

Carl Touchstone
1941-2000

GULFPORT - Dr. Carl A. Touchstone, 59, of Gulfport, died Tuesday, June 6, 2000, in Gulfport.

Dr. Touchstone was born in Gulfport and was a former longtime resident of Laurel.

He was a 1958 graduate of Hattiesburg High School and attended the University of Southern Mississippi where he served as president of Phi Eta Sigma Scholastic Fraternity and president of Kappa Alpha Fraternity and was a member of ODK Leadership and Scholastic Fraternity and Pi Kappa Pi Honorary Scholastic Fraternity. He graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in June 1964, first in his class. He was a member of OKU Dental Scholastic Fraternity, had a Research Fellowship in Biochemistry, served as President of the Student Body, University of Tennessee Medical Units, and received the International College of Dentists Outstanding Student Award. He received a Masters in Orthodontics in 1966 from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry and has taught at the University of Tennessee and the University of Mississippi Dental Schools and practiced orthodontics in offices in Laurel and Gulfport.

Dr. Touchstone was a former member and deacon at the First Baptist Church of Laurel and was a member of St. Peters by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Gulfport; was an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster; President of Jones County Heart Association and was on the Board of Directors of the MS Chapter of the American Heart Association and served as President of Laurel Rotary Club (1995-1996); and previously served in the U.S. Army.

He was a private pilot with commercial, instrument and multi-engine ratings and was a long distance runner, having run over 150 marathons and 65 ultra marathons.

He was a member of American Dental Association; MS Dental Association; Third District Dental Society in Laurel; Dental Society; Greater Gulfport Dental Society; American Association of Orthodontics; Southern Society of Orthodontics; and MS Society of Orthodontics; a former member of MS Running Club; and Gulf Coast Running Club.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Carlisle Bayard and Kathleen Hunt Touchstone; and a brother, Isaac Powell Touchstone.

Survivors include his wife, Brooke Alexander Touchstone of Gulfport; daughters, Kathleen Wood Touchstone-Pearson and her husband, Mark of Nashville, TN, and Kristine Webb Lutz of Tupelo, MS; sons, Dr. Carl Alexander Touchstone Jr. and his wife, Kim of Diamondhead, Bradley Carr Touchstone and his wife, Michelle of Tallahassee, FL, and Justin Reed Touchstone of New Orleans, LA; a brother, Dr. William Carlisle Touchstone of Belzoni, MS; an aunt, Christine McCoy of Gulfport; and his beloved dog, Honeysuckle.

Carl's funeral service was Thursday June 8th followed by interment in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens in Gulfport. Honorary pallbearers were members of the MS Running Club and the Gulf Coast Running Club.

The family prefers memorials to U. S. U. Fund, 430 Security Square, Gulfport, MS 39507.

Ladies Day

By the time you read this I will be running my first ultra of the year and my first one since I broke my leg last November. Whether I finish or not is so unimportant. I am starting and that is what counts the most. What is very important are the decisions I have made over the last few days and how the events of the last week have impacted those decisions.
    When I leave my front porch I am on trail. Everything around me is trail including the road I live on. It is one of my many running routes. When I run almost every neighborhood dog comes out to join me. It is not unusual to see me running with as many as 8 dogs at a time. Their company is most welcome and enjoyed. Last Wednesday my usual male companions Leroy, a neighbors dog, and Luke, my own, decided that they had better things to do. That left me with Gracie and BabyAnn, neighbors dogs, and Leah, my own. It was going to be the ladies day out. We started down Sugar Pine Rd and almost instantly the ladies were exploring. It was so funny to watch them. One would start nosing something and the other two would almost instantly be there. One would run into the woods and the other two would follow. I could almost hear them saying, "what's that, wait for me, let me see too", It had rained the night before - real hard. The first rain in over 5 months and everything was wet. As the sun came out the water would begin to mist and everthing turned a sort of irredesent green. It shimmered and was so bright that it hurt my eyes to look directly at it; but, look I did. I couldn't help it. The magic of this place was once again working on me as it had from the first day I drove onto the property I now call home.
    I remember that day all to well. How from the first moment my feet touched the ground this place had welcomed me. It felt warm, safe, and totally runable. I could hear my Forest Prince whispering in my ear to come and run these trails with Him. For five years I longed to live here. Everything I did, all the money I earned that last five years in Pennsylvania were meant for this place. It has not let me down.
    We have a neighborhood here. From about the 2 mile point to almost three miles there are four off Culberson Rd. loops and roads. There are about 25 families that live here full time and about 15 others who come up on occasion. All of us are very diverse; but, the one thing we share which binds us to one another is our love of this place. We help each other when ever possible. The day I broke my leg several of my neighbors came over that evening and assured my brother that there was no reason to move me to Sacramento with him. They told him that they would take care of me and they did. Over the past week I have watched flags go up all around me. These people have such a love of this country and not even their diverse life style or maybe because of it can dampen that.
    That brings me back to my run with the ladies. I am thinking of all of this and it suddenly dawns on me that I would die for this place. I loved my place in Pennsylvania but this is so different. It fulfills me, it is part of me, it is me. I stopped at a high place to look out over the hills. I felt the ladies around me and looked down. They were looking in the same direction and standing so still and so close to me that I could feel their bodies against my legs. I felt His presence and His arms around me - a group hug.
    LadyG

- Reprinted from an article on the ultra list, 29 Sep 2001

IF I KNEW

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say "I love you,"
And certainly there's another chance to say
our "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.

Unknown

The bitter wind pinches my fingertips, nose, and ears
as if they were buds
trying to spring forth too soon
and frost steals my breath
even as it leaves my mouth
Words would fall with a clatter
like so many shards of ice on the path
dusty white earth blends into gray sky
and the horizon is lost in the chill.
A red hole grows in the Eastern sky
and slowly the fog leaks through it
whiteness draining away
until only blue sky remains
even the cold cannot resist the glow.
The call to run gets louder without the muffling
insulation of snow
New shoes itch for a taste of the trails
no longer restricted to the treadmill
and the Arkansas promises to sing to me
I have much to do
but the night will bring the whiteness again
so I will steal an hour to keep beat for the river.

- Unknown

ONE DAY

Ony Day, I would like to come run with you,
and experience the good things; you may show me.
the good trails that you could lead me down.
the good trails that you have learned.
One Day.

On a special day, with the shining sun,
or on cold moon, you will lead me down the path,
and up the mountain, up to see the view,
the special place that you have found,
a special view that, only you know,
One Day.

One day you will hold me in your arms,
and appreciate the good things,
that are given to you,
the good things we may share,
Heaven or Hell,
One day.

- Larry Robbins

[IF]

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling