jodygreenwood

Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA

Proper 18 – Year C RCL

Jeremiah 18:1-11, Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17, Luke 14:25-33

Last Monday afternoon, at 1:53 Eastern Time, something amazing happened. No, it wasn’t that your teenager finally woke up, after sleeping-away most of the Labor Day holiday… it was even more amazing than that… after swimming 52 Hours 54 Minutes 18.6 Seconds, Diana Nyad made history as the first person to swim the 110-mile Florida Strait… and she did it without a shark cage.

Diana Nyad, Photograph by J. Pat Carter, AP

It was her 5th attempt. Her first attempt came when she was in her twenties. Her goal was accomplished at the age of 64. That’s what I call commitment!

In an interview on Good Morning America the next morning, she struggled to speak because of the cuts inside her mouth. They were caused by a mask she wore while swimming at night, to protect her from poisonous jelly-fish. In spite of this discomfort, in the interview, she was radiant! She beamed as she talked about the accomplishment and the many people that helped her through.

She also admitted that this wasn’t easy – and she knew it wouldn’t be. After four previous attempts, she didn’t kid herself into thinking any of it was going to be fun. It was going to be a struggle. But this time, she came up with a mantra that she used in those moments when the struggle was overwhelming… she said “Find a way.”

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