Day 1
My spirits were not dampened even after the forecast called for severe weather this morning. As the threatening, but still distant thunder roared in the midst of a bright blue, sunny sky, I knew without a doubt that this would be no ordinary day. In the final moments of chaos (packing for 6-weeks is no easy task!) and last-minute blunders, the words of our Campus Christian Center Director, Jeff Pool brought a welcoming sense of calm as he, President Shinn, and a large group of well-wishing Bereans gathered to send off myself, assistant to the president, Amy Harmon, and about 15 cyclists for the first leg of our 1855-mile journey.Today I learned about the true rewards of taking the "scenic route".
Literally.
As I accompanied the bikers through the lesser traveled roads of Madison county - roads I never knew existed - I became undeniably engulfed in the simple beauty of my natural surroundings. Unfamiliar faces watched us with curiosity and as the Berea van became visible to them, they waved excitedly and offered kind gestures of support. The gentle, big brown eyes of grazing cattle peered at us, and there was an overall unexplainable, magical breeze that surrounded us.
Our first scheduled visit was to bring greetings and thanks to our neighboring institution of higher learning, Eastern Kentucky University. The rain had managed to hold off through the entire bike trek to Richmond and Amy and I were now eagerly anticipating sharing our alma mater's Great Commitments with EKU President, Joanne Glasser. Amy's van led the way to the parking lot adjacent to President Glasser's office and she apparently told the parking officer, "I need to park two vans". Before her words even left her lips, there was a loud crash and the friendly parking officer replied, "You mean this one and the one that just hit my truck?" Day one and not even 25 miles from home, it seems that my limited experience making wide turns in 15-passenger vans finally caught up with me. Luckily, the damage was minimal, the EKU safety officer was gracious and everyone walked away with no questions asked.
And then it rained.
I'm not talking a few scattered thunderstorms either but full-blown, soak-you-down, turn-your-umbrella inside out rain that followed us through our next stop to the White Hall estate, former home of Cassius Clay who donated land that was to later become Berea College. It followed us to Congressman Ben Chandler's office whose lovely and accommodating staff insisted on taking pictures with me despite my drenched clothes and increasingly frizzy hair. It followed us to Lexington Mayor Teresa Issac's office where Amy and I had to walk several blocks in the downpour after we discovered (the hard way) that our vans were too tall to pass the clearance bar in the government parking deck. By the time we arrived at our last stop, a retirement community in South Lexington I was drenched, covered in mud (I managed to step in a huge puddle of mud on my way to the mayor's office) and in dire need of hot chocolate. Just when I was seriously contemplating how in the world I would make it through 43 more days, there sat Edna Mae.
Edna Mae was a beautiful and graceful alumna who attended Berea for one summer in 1934 and has never been able to forget her experience since. She spoke of Berea with genuine fondness and she was one of those people who couldn't help but radiate positive energy to those around her. As Edna Mae's beaming face forced me to pause to reflect on my "day one" experience, I was amazed that despite the dented van, the muddy shoes, and the unmanageable hair, at that exact moment, more than ever, I felt the power of the blessing that was bestowed upon me at the time of my departure from Berea,
Deep peace of the running
Deep peace of the flowing
Deep peace of the quiet
Deep peace of the shining stars
Signing off from Lexington, KY,
Mae
P.S. I'll be working with folks back on campus to set up a photo album of pictures from the road. Please stay tuned...
posted by Blog Team at 5:37 PM
