Big Hello to all the family and friends reading this!

After three weeks of movement, preparing for movement, moving toward or away from movement, it is nice to finally be still. So I went for an hour run this evening. There was a lot of antsi-ness built up from the 36 hour bus-ride back from Quebec that just had to be removed. Afterward, enjoying the tired, stiff feeling in my legs, I had thai dinner with the sunset and reflected on the past three weeks. I'd rather have been sharing dinner with Gayle, but she was circling over Greenland at the time, unable to land on the ice sheet due to high winds. I hear she's safe in Kangerlussuaq and they're going to try again tomorrow.

Mom called at about 6:00 tonight to officially inform me that I've been selected for the 2005 USACK Senior World Championship Team! While I've never doubted that I would make it, there was some relief that I wouldn't spend all day tomorrow explaining to the folks at Home Depot why I didn't make the team. Everyone I saw today was asking about the Trials, congratulating me, big smiles and handshakes and hugs. What a supportive place to be, truly a blessing.

I'll definitely be racing K-4, but with five guys in the selection pool, there will be some mixing and matching for 200, 500, and 1000meter. Brandon Woods has to decide if he wants to race K-1 1000. If so, then Brandon has a schedule conflict with the K-4, then Morgan, Tim, Danny and I will race K-4 1000. If not, then we'll be seat racing for the 1000, which is the only Olympic distance for K-4.

Taking stock of all this, I think I've learned something about how prayers get answered. In my wallet is a card that says "2008 Beijing Olympics K-4 1000m Gold Medal" On the back is "Don't expect God to do for you what He can only do through you" I wrote that card two weeks after a dissapointing 2004 Olympic Trials. Every practice after that became a form of prayer toward that dream. I guess prayer at it's heart isn't about receiving, but about becoming. It's the prayer that sustains you through the icy paddles and dissapointing time trials. And sometimes, God answers unspoken prayers with messengers telling you to stop panicking and relax, you'll do just fine at the race :) The other realization was that after the Trials were over, and the outcome was uncertain for the past two weeks, prayer allowed me to not worry and simply trust in God to take care of the rest. I think Mom did all the worrying for me, as she says mothers are supposed to do.

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I shall say it again, Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all, for the Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but with everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which trancends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" Phil. 4:4

Gayle and I are certainly blessed to be surrounded by such loving and supportive family and friends.

All the Best,
Ty