"uh... ok?" I respond hesitantly. Jim continues, "I want you to go to Rome to see my old friend Peter. He will be expecting you." Holy poop..
While my Saint James, flaws and all, has become an approachable friend, Saint Peter is a whole other story.. Though Peter was said to have had moments of arrogance, a minor jealous streak in regards to time Jesus spent with Mary Magdalena, and Peter did deny Jesus three times, he was still the first chosen by Jesus. Jesus gave him the namesake 'Peter' which is a form of the word "rock" in Greek and Latin. And Peter was a rock; stability and strength in the face of a chaotic decaying Roman empire. In the years following the death of Jesus, Peter fathered and organized the new fledgling christian church. And upon his execution under the rule of a severely depraved Emperor Nero (as evidenced in the mysterious deaths of nearly everyone in Nero's family..) it is said that Peter felt himself unworthy to die in the same way as Jesus, requesting instead to be crucified upside down!!!
Peter is one serious dude! How on Earth will I make this work?
******
I had a little sister. She was lovely and for nearly a year, my family was given time to love her and to learn to live with and without her. Life was filled with white hospitals, bleach smells, irregular beeps and a family that couldn't cope. Years later, I moved to Chicago to work for the Chicago Fire Soccer Team and I met Judith, a strong, soft spoken Scottish woman who ran the Illinois State Soccer association with calm efficiency. Judith and her husband were blessed to have been given time to love their sweet little boy Euan. However, after Euan joined my little sister, Judith changed her life, going to work for an organization that had been a rock for her family.
Almost Home Kids is an organization based in Naperville and Chicago that provides care for medically fragile children who no longer need to stay in a hospital, but are still not ready for home. While touring the Chicago home with Judith, I looked at warmly painted walls covered in friendly murals and pictures, I saw an inviting open kitchen with a large accessible countertop, and I smiled into the big brown eyes of a gorgeous little girl who wasn't quite ready to succumb to nap time. The words of one particular volunteer were quite evident. "It isn't just about medicine," she said. "They also focus on the needs of the family and loving the child."
Due to the compact size of Almost Home Kids, every single dollar has an impact; providing diapers, bedsheets, latex gloves, or even a Nintendo Wii among other things. And while providing a safe, loving place for each child, Almost Home Kids is projected to save Illinois taxpayers approximately 16 million dollars in the coming year. As I looked around, I knew that I wanted to help.
As 2012 quickly draws to a close, I put aside a pair of destroyed hiking boots and begin looking for the next pair. Besides visiting James in Santiago, my personal goal had been to walk a thousand miles by new years and while I came close, even if I began walking now straight until midnight, I would not make it. (of course, my distance is much more impressive if I convert to kilometers..) And so my goal for 2013 becomes clear; walk 1000 miles, 600 of those on the Via Francigena to see Saint Peter in Rome and walk for someone other than myself...Walk for my sister, for Euan and for all the other little angels at Almost Home Kids.
I ask for your help in this endeavor. Please sponsor my miles by pledging a per mile amount. One cent per mile adds to $10, five cents to $50 and so on and so forth. Every mile and every cent is a difference.
For more info on how to give..
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/1000milesorbust/hiketosaintpeter1000milesorbust
For more info on Almost Home Kids
http://almosthomekids.net
http://almosthomekids.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Almost-Home-Kids-Annual-Report-2012.pdf
And Have a Happy and Healthy
New Year!!
