The Swim in Pictures

After a sleepless night, I began my day at the lake very early. It was worth the trip as I had the honor of seeing a gorgeous sunrise.

The workers were already there. The kayakers began to enter the water...

What an awesome way to begin the day! The lake was calm, the sky was gorgeous, and the lake and shore were buzzing with activity.

The support of the people on shore was so amazing. This gentleman played the sax while we boarded the boats. His music touched the hearts of all.

Here I am standing on shore with The Columbia behind me. We were the last on and the first to jump.

Nancy jumped in first, and then I jumped in. We found our boater and began the swim. I'm so grateful we were wearing red caps; I could see them without my glasses!

Here we are swimming. Another woman from our pod joined us. Our boater is in the light blue kayak. We look like tiny dots from the shore.

Here are the three of us. We were a great group together. We kept checking to make sure that we were together and that everyone was doing well. It's such a gift to have so much support. It really made the swim so much easier.

As I approached the dock and my destination, relief washed over me that I was almost there. My friends and family were cheering me on, and I actually waved somewhere around here. The loving support urged me to push the last bit. Wow!! Cheers and clapping and hooting and hollering. So wonderful.

The volunteers hugged each of us and said, "Thanks for swimming for us." The real surprise was that my son somehow got passed the women who kept people off the dock to bring me my glasses and for a hug. What a sweetie!!

What a morning! We swam the 1.2 miles in about 40-45 minutes.

Perhaps the greatest gift of the day was the gifts of love and support. I must say that I've never felt more loved or supported that I can remember. I'm blessed.

Namaste

L