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** Mahalo **
We waited in the dark along a quiet, dusty, two-lane highway. No streetlights; no nearby town or homes or businesses -- just a glimmering sky filled with a million heavenly bodies and the glowing, brief streak of an occasional shooting star. We watched the crescent moon rise in the night through a ring of silvery clouds. Finally, off in the distance, we caught sight of the red, white & blue lights of the flag convoy -- police escorts, RV & flag-bearing runners -- moving slowly and steadily towards us...
My heart filled with pride and excitement as they approached. The lead car moved steadily ahead. A pair of runners, one holding the Stars & Stripes aloft and the other lifting a red, white & blue baton ahead of the glow of the RV's headlights, passed quietly -- the only sound the soft cadence of their shoes against the asphalt.
A brief exchange with the RV staff, the waiver & tee-shirt transaction, and my lift to a spot just ahead of the runners. Three abreast, our strides in sync, the baton is passed to me with a nod and a friendly smile. The exchange is made without missing a step. Then, wordlessly, the flag is passed my way. There's a flash as my husband and son take a picture. Then, rhythmically, the miles move behind us as we push ahead. In time, as planned, we are joined by a fresh team. Our cadence in unison, I smile and pass the baton with a nod.
The majesty of last night's experience will linger in my heart forever.
Mahalo nui loa.
-- Carol Stoney Bautista, 52
Hacienda Heights, California
(California desert outside of Twenty-Nine Palms)
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