Day 6 – July 11, 2008 – sunrise

I DID IT!!! I spent the night alone in the woods! I slept pretty well too. I woke up maybe 3 times for very short periods of time and went right back to sleep. I felt as if someone was checking on me on those 3 times I woke up. Maybe it was my guardian angel. Who knows? Anyway – I’m very proud of myself.

As I am writing this I am sitting on the rock at the lake watching the sun rise. It is SO beautiful. It is about 60 degrees and there is a wonderful breeze blowing. You can hear the insects hum, the water lapping, and the breeze blowing through the trees. I wish I could bottle up the serenity and take it with me – so I can pull it out when stresses come and remind myself that there is still peace in the world. We just have to look for these quiet places.

We have a 6 mile hike today. Luckily our packs are lighter, it’s on a good trail, and there is only about 500 ft of uphill spread over 3 areas, with one being right at the beginning. I think we’ll do very well. Betsy is the leader today, so we will be going at her pace. I wish I could stay here in this moment for a while longer, but I know that 6 mile hike gets me closer and closer to getting home and holding Daniel & Patrick. I keep picturing their precious little faces, silly smiles, and beautiful big blue eyes that light up with excitement. I can hear their voices so clearly – “Mommy – I NEED a lollipop!” I am so ready to continue on life’s journey, gently guiding them, loving them, and raising them in the core values.

Speaking of which – I am teacher today. I think I’m going to teach the 12 Lakota virtues. They are listed on the next page here in my journal. Coincidence? I’m sure there was a reason I wrote them down and why they ended up being in this section. I just hope I can present them in a way that will inspire the others.

I need to pack my gear so I am ready to go when Ryan or Jeff gets here.

12 Lakota Virtues (from Joseph Marshall’s The Lakota Way)
Humility – to be humble, modest, unpretentious
Perseverance – to persist, to strive in spite of difficulties
Respect – to be considerate, to hold in high esteem
Honor – to have integrity, to have an honest and upright character
Love – to place and hold in one’s heart
Sacrifice – to give of oneself, an offering
Truth – that which is real, the way the world is
Compassion – to care, to sympathize
Bravery – having or showing courage
Fortitude – strength of heart and mind
Generosity – to give, to share, to have a heart
Wisdom – to understand what is right and true, to use knowledge wisely