Thanks, Paul!
I admit I'm not 100% satisfied with the whole "We step forth with heavy hearts of clay" line, but I'm trying to say we're feeling burdened, weighted down, with sadness. I expect there's a better way of saying that, but it might mean losing the "clay - way" rhyme, so I might have to rework those two lines completely.
For the other one, "Our dreams melt into one" certainly sounds better than what I have, but doesn't quite seem to mean what I'm after...I'm not sure. Right now I'm trying "Together, walk as one", but that is not as ethereal and pretty as your suggestion. More thought yet, I need.
I've been helping with our Relay For Life event for more than ten years. I think it was about 12 or 13 years ago when we had the first one. The first one was the best. That one was carried out the way the American Cancer Society envisioned, and it was very meaningful and moving for me. It's supposed to be an all-nighter, but too many people complained about staying up all night. The whole idea is that cancer patients never get a night off, and we were staying up for just one night to express our solidarity and support. I guess the locals just aren't into that kind of symbolism. So I don't participate as a team member any more, but I support it by buying luminaries and by helping with entertainment.
It isn't a women only event. There is another event called the "Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure", though, which raises money for breast cancer specifically. There is no Komen event anywhere near me, however, so I only get involved in that if someone I know is walking (like in the Minneapolis/St Paul area, maybe) and hits me up for a donation. The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life is for cancer in general.
Vicki