Read All About It!

Katherine's story was featured on GoUpstate.com, a newspaper located in her hometown of Spartanburg.

Read about it here: http://bit.ly/lqbA3e

A Note of Gratitude

Throughout and after Katherine's journey across the Southern tier of the United States, many people have sent her cards expressing gratitude towards her. The note below is from a woman who Katherine never met.

Dear Katherine,

I am the sister of Julia Burnett of Spartanburg, S.C. She sent me the wonderful article of your cross-country ride across America, raising more than $214,000 for wound/ostomy care. My husband, Jim and I are so impressed with your dedication to this cause. Since we're living in Europe, he did send an electronic check to you a week or so ago. I've had an ostomy since December 2008. I'm very blessed to have the care of nurses at the wound care center of Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. I've even had good care from my St. Louis Center while living abroad for a year!

Though I've never met you, you are an inspiration to me and I'm sure many others who are aware of your dedication to this cause.

I would like to personally thank you for your efforts.

We will be returning to the states at the end of this month. If I'm ever in the Spartanburg area when you're in town, it would be a pleasure to meet you.

Best regards,
Elizabeth Marchbank

Lessons from the Tree of Life

This old tree, that I call the tree of life, is on the loop I ride in the French Broad Valley in North Carolina. Study it for a minute and you will see the place on the right where the tree was broken and fell about a foot from the ground. No doubt that happened many years ago and it was left to die and disintegrate in the pasture. Instead, the trunk that was so grievously injured has given life and strength to eight limbs. They have grown to great height and fullness.

Every time I cycle by I think of the life events that bring us down and the amazing opportunities we have to grow from them and to achieve unimagined stature because of, not in spite of, the setbacks and losses that occur across our personal and professional lifespan. Failed relationships, job layoffs or changes, illness, unexpected and unfathomable deaths. May this beautiful symbol of nature's redemptive powers remind us that we, too, can be successful opportunists and overcomers.

Recollecting and Reflecting

• I asked for prayers for safety for all the cyclists. No one was badly injured.
• I asked for prayers for no rain. There was not a drop of rain on any riding or resting day during our 58-day journey.
• I asked for prayers for no head winds. There were significant head winds and cross winds, but they didn't last too long; and they taught us to pedal stronger and trust God for perseverance to ride through them.
• I asked for prayers for no flat tires. There were any number of flat tires among the 16 cyclists and 2 guides. I had 3 and they were all in the parking lot - a convenient time and place to change them.

God’s grace never failed me. He was on time, in time, all the time. The epic bicycle trip from coast to coast, from San Diego to St. Augustine, was akin to two months in a prayer closet! My appreciation for the companionship, devotional and prayer time, and help with tedious tasks provided by my treasured friend, riding companion, and roommate, Marge, grew to dimensions that remain indescribable. Our minds were emptied so we could fully receive; our senses were quickened so we could relish the sweet and tantalizing aromas of the early morning —fresh desert air, manure on the crops, piney woods in East Texas, magnolias, jasmine, and honeysuckle in the South; rejoice in the beauty of every sunrise and swoon over every sunset. We descended into canyons and climbed demanding ascents; we marveled at vast desert vistas, endured bone chilling cold mornings and enervating Southern afternoons; we enjoyed excitement and stood down exhaustion. We saw helpfulness and hospitality in all 8 states; and we savored solitude and spirituality during every day. We experienced encouragement and affirmation from guides and fellow cyclists alike. We learned the importance of gratitude for something as small as a patch of shade from an overhanging branch to cool us when the temperatures soared, for a good shower in a motel room that was old and grubby, for the use of another’s cell phone when our provider’s service failed, for help with the dinner dishes from a pair who could have been resting in their rooms after an arduous day of cycling. We were welcomed by a Methodist congregation in Crawfordville, Fl for Easter Sunday worship and brunch. We formed friendships that will last a lifetime and made memories that will never fade. By every measure the trip was an enormous success. We all completed it. We all loved it and became stronger and more competent than we ever imagined we would be. Thanks to contributions from so many of you, my Cycling for Scholarships initiative has now brought in $213,513.00 and donations are still being made. I miss the simplicity of the road as much as I adore being in my own bed and close to my beloved Jack. I long for the challenge of every riding day as much as I delight in the slower pace of home. A bicycle trip across America is a marvelous metaphor for life. I learned that there is nothing in the world ahead of me that I can't handle - as long as I acknowledge God's sovereignty in it and the dozens of people required to go through it. This I know for certain: there is no such thing as self-sufficiency! Please be assured of my thankfulness for all of you who invested yourselves with prayers, checks and on-line contributions, calls and cards. You were crucial to the completion of a grand and glorious endeavor. I can't wait to see each of you very soon. In HIS service and care, Katherine

YouTube Update!

New videos posted to the WOCN Cycling YouTube channel feature Katherine's reflections of the 3,100-mile bicycle tour. She discusses the life lessons she learned and how she'll incorporate them into her daily life post-tour.

Vital Information

It's been a month since our jubilant return in St. Augustine. The rememberance and reflection continue and the vital statistics have been of interest to many who followed the tour.

Some questions I receive include:

• How much weight did you lose?
• What happened to your body?
• Are you sorry you passed up those desserts?

I weigh 118 - one pound more than the day I started the tour. Although I didn't lose weight, I still had to buy new pants. My pant size dropped from an eight to a six. My body fat dropped 10 percent, but those hand help measurements are not the most reliable. The chart says I am in the "acceptable" range, not the "fit" range. You can imagine how that sits with me!

So, am I sorry I passed up some desserts along the way? No, because I have never felt better or enjoyed more energy. I wish the same for each of you.

I'll look forward to seeing my WOCN colleagues in New Orleans next week. It's not too late to donate or give more to the WOCN Scholarship Fund to help us exceed $215,000!

YouTube Update!

Jack, Katherine's husband, created a storyboard of her trip. Visit the Cycling for Scholarships YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/WOCNcycling to see the creative piece Katherine arrived home to after her long journey.