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Every once in a while, if we are fortunate, we are given a glimpse into a relationship of such incredible beauty that we are instantly inspired to be more, to do more, and to love more than we ever have before. To read I'll Push You, is to witness the ultimate expression of brotherly love and devotion. It is the opportunity to enter into a pilgrimage of the heart.
There are volumes of travelogues written by those who have embarked on such ancient walks as the Camino de Santiago. The thing that sets this story apart, along with Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray's extremely rare lifelong friendship, is the fact that this trek was supposed to be impossible for them to accomplish. Few believed they could actually pull it off. Of course, those naysayers did not comprehend the enormous overcoming power of Justin and Patrick's friendship, of their faith, and of their spirits.
Born just 36 hours apart, Skeez and Paddy, as they affectionately called one another, never really knew life apart from one another. They were classmates throughout their schooling, were best man in each other's wedding, and only became closer when Justin was diagnosed with a debilitating neuromuscular condition similar to ALS. When Justin lost his capacity to walk, and to use his arms and legs, Patrick did not hesitate to step in to help Justin's wife care for his every need.
Not one to wave a white flag and give up in defeat, though he would have been justified in feeling more than a little bit of hopelessness, Justin sought to find ways to continue to live life with gusto. When he learned about the Camino in Spain (The Way), Skeez asked Paddy if they might attempt it. Without losing a beat, Patrick replied: I'll push you. At the time, neither Justin nor Patrick knew just exactly what it was they had agreed to do. All too soon, they would begin the most arduous journey of their lives.
How do you cross the Pyrenees, and other mountain ranges, make it through the Mesita desert, and ford through raging rivers in a wheelchair? What do you do when the pathway becomes a steep, boulder-strewn bowling alley, or an impassable quagmire of deep mud? These became the daily challenges that had stopped even the most robust pilgrims along the way. With the help and kindness of strangers, Justin and Patrick are drawn into the pilgrimage within the pilgrimage. What began as a travel adventure, becomes a deeply transformational journey of self-reflection.
Over the course of 500 miles, Skeez and Paddy explore what it means to love, to serve, to trust, and to grow in grace. To take the journey with them is a blessing, a privilege, and the chance to ponder how we might be the love that turns the impossible into the possible.
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