A Million Miles...

On Thursday I'm leaving on a bus to put together/work at an event that has been in the making for over a year and a half now.  That in itself is crazy...and to finally see everyone's hard work come to fruition and impact lives is going to be a beautiful thing - no matter how big or small the turnout.

In preparation for the long trip, I made a quick stop at Borders after work today to pick up a book.  I hate to admit that although I used to be an avid reader...that has definitely not been the case in the last...ohhh...8 years (wincing).  I know, I know...my brain is just going to turn to mush!  I know this is a totally lame excuse, but I read so much during college that I remember feeling like I could go the rest of my life never reading again and be fine...but I think maybe a 6 month hiatus would have been sufficient!  So anyhow, I'm working on getting back to it.  I have a stack of books that I've either started and haven't finished or haven't even cracked the cover yet...and I intend to get through those and more before the end of this year.  Anyway...back to Borders.  I had read this birth story back in January (which, if you have not read - it is a MUST...but keep the tissues handy.  It is beautiful in more ways than I can begin to explain) and in the beginning of the post, she mentions purchasing Donald Miller's book, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" and proceeding to read the entire thing in one night because she just couldn't put it down.  When anyone says that about a book...you can't help but be intrigued.  I tucked it away in the back of my mind...always intending to grab it at the library or see if I could borrow it from someone...but always forgetting.  I will make a point to not wait so long the next time.  I wish I would have run to the store the next day and picked up the book...because it was exactly as she said. 

I stopped at Borders to purchase the book and then headed home.  I literally dropped my stuff on the living room floor, laid down and opened the book...thinking I'd just read a chapter or two and see what it is that everyone keeps talking about...and next thing I knew I was completely sucked in and couldn't stop!  About 1/4 into the book I realized I was desperately in need of a highlighter, so I paused for a brief moment, found my highlighter and went back to reading.  I highlighted so much I literally ran out of ink and found myself doing the "lick the highlighter" trick (is that gross?  Sorry. Desperate times call for desperate measures!).  I read the story about the dad and his daughter's prom dress and I cried.  I read the story about Jim and his wife Janice and I literally had to wipe the tears off the pages and keep my nose from snotting all over everything (again, sorry...just keepin' it real! :)).  I was a full-on blubbering mess. And inspired. And moved.  I wanted to grab the hands of all my friends and run off the dock, fully clothed...and jump into the lake.

There's so much yummyness in that book that I can't even begin to explain it.  I feel like I have a million subpoints that I want to talk about and yet all I can say is that if I were not already inspired to live my life 110%...I'm now inspired to live it 200%.  I not only want to dream big, I want to live those dreams.  My favorite chapter is the Afterword...because he talks about sitting with God in heaven, in chairs under a tree...telling him all his stories...and how God will laugh and remind him of the parts he forgot...the parts that were his favorites.  "We'll sit and remember my story together, and then he'll stand and put his arms around me and say, 'Well done,' and that he liked my story. And my soul won't be thirsty anymore."

I hope I live a life that makes God proud of my story.