In Honor of Mothers

So ladies, how was your Mother's Day? I hope it was filled with joy and laughter, and good times. I know that isn't always the case. There are mothers who spent the day working or otherwise keeping busy because they couldn't be with their children, for whatever reason. Moms who sit praying for a child who is hospitalized or deployed or otherwise missing. My heart goes out to each of them. I pray that there are happier times ahead.
   As a daughter, I am blessed. I still have my mother in my life and she is fairly healthy for her age. She's stubborn, won't sit still for more than five minutes, and is a huge worry wort. She can try the patience of a saint, yet is kind and loving.
  Then there's my other Mom. She gave birth to my dear, sweet husband years ago. She is my Naomi and I am her Ruth. It is her love, teaching, guidance, and example, as well as her prayers, that shine a bright light on my walk. Like most mothers and daughters in law we haven't always seen eye to eye on everything, but there is always a connection. I don't tell either of these ladies enough how much I love and appreciate them.
   During times when I was away from home, God saw fit to place other mothers in my life to help guide me along the way. Two who come quickly to mind have both passed on from this life: Glenda Gardipee Williamsen and Frances Perry. Glenda was a deeply religious woman with a strong sense of family. Unable to have children of her own, she brought in others and taught us all well. And Mrs. Frances was a quiet, darling woman of strength. She and her husband Charles befriended my little family and became additional grandparents for our two boys, then a toddler and infant when we were stationed at Ft. Carson.  I miss both ladies very much.
    Today, we started off in the emergency room getting J's wrist stitched up once again and taken care of. This time however, I let The Hubby take him to the back room. I sat in the waiting room and talked --mostly listened--to first one then another mother who came in needing attention themselves. I was blessed to be part of their day and just listen and pray silently and give a little comfort, I hope. I pray that both received the care they needed today.  The rest of the day, I spent with my darling J and The Hubby. It's been a very good day, bumps and all. 
  Happy Mother's Day to all. Go hug your mother, call her, or remember her fondly. Then please go encourage another mother.     

Lessons Learned

 In the four weeks or so that I've been on a journey to health --and actually being serious about enough to try and change this time around -- I've learned a few things about myself.

• Water isn't all that bad. Granted, I rarely drink it "straight" unless its from a bottle.  I tend to doctor it up with lemons or lemon juice. I've also used other fruits at times.
•  I'm competitive and impatient, not always good things. This has also led me to realize that each person's journey to health is different. This is one instance where it's okay to take different roads and still end up (hopefully) at the same destination. I may not agree with some of the paths I've seen people on, but all I can do is express concern and move on. I suppose this can also be said of our spiritual path as well. Hear me out on this part, because I know what you're thinking and you're right. The bible tells us that there is one path to God, and it's a straight and narrow one. But, I'm realizing there are side roads that get to that point. You have to start somewhere. And we all know there are detours that sidetrack us but prayerfully we find our way back to the right path. But that's a blog post for another time.  As far as the competition goes, a journey to health is not a race. It's a lifetime of changes and tweaks. Same for the impatience. The weight didn't get piled on overnight, and it won't (shouldn't) come off overnight. What works for one may not  work for another.
• I eat semi clean and I'm okay with that. For now. I try to eat a whole foods diet, which horrifies some. I drink whole milk and I wish I could get it raw. I try to stay away from processed foods when I cook at home. But I'm at a point where fast food is going to be part of my life at the very least a few times a month due to scheduling, lack of planning, and the occasional craving.  I'm not quite ready to make my own bread or my own cheese. Will i ever be? Don't know, but I'm leaving the possibility open for now. The main point is, no matter what or where or when I eat, I need to be responsible enough to make good choices. Whether that be choosing more locally grown food, organic over conventional, or a simple cheeseburger versus a deep fried fish sandwich, it's up to me. It should always be that way. 
• The most surprising lesson learned? I like to exercise. Right now I walk twice a day most days. In the morning is my alone time. It gets me in a better mood and I can think better. Night time is family time. I enjoy the slower pace with my two men. It's a way to connect. I want to add more exercises but an injury prevents that at this time. It will happen though. I'm in this for the long haul.

The Family That Walks/Runs together

   At twilight, just before it gets too dark to see, a crazy giggle pierces the quiet. That would be my son. Hubby, Son and I are on our nightly walk and J is excited to be out of the house, having fun. For those who do not know J, he's twenty years old and has moderate to severe autism.
  We've been walking nightly together for several days now. I walk in the mornings alone; a brisk walk that I'm slowly trying to build up in time and distance. At night, the pace is varied but the route has been pretty much the same.
  J isn't a huge fan of exercise so when we first started walking each night, he was angry at the end. Jr, our tom cat, chose to become an outdoor cat that night. But J fairly quickly got used to the routine. He no longer looks longingly at the car when we step out onto the porch each evening. He's ready to get moving.
 J starts out a few steps behind us, because he likes the feeling of independence. Because we live in a fairly safe neighborhood, either Hubby or I walk backwards for a time (the other still faces forward since we're walking on the street) and encourage J to catch up, guiding him back to the grass when needed. All of this causes J to giggle, and he begins to run in his own awkward gait. Just for short bursts that catch him up to us. Lately, though, like last night, the goal of the run is to pass me and catch up with Dad. They are a team, running together and giggling. Sometimes I jog to catch up, too.
It must be a crazy sight sometimes. A man, who has been roped into the walk by his wife and tends to walk faster, yet turns and wagon wheels around his little family or marches backwards to us. A young man with the innocence of a child, hanging back, kicking sand and ant hills then running to catch up. And me. I go at a slightly slower pace at first, do backwards walking for a bit, do a few side steps, and jog for short bursts. The goal of the night time walk isn't to see how far I can go, it's just a time of family togetherness that gets us off of the laptops, burns a little excess energy, and gets us all into the fresh air.
I'm so thankful to God for this spring which has actually been springlike in temperature rather than extended summer so far. I'm also thankful for the bursitis that has sidelined me from other exercise right now. It seems a little strange to say that but since beginning this journey to health, I've been more active. It was the restlessness of not being able to do much else that spurred me to get the guys walking with me at night. Safe neighborhood or not, my eyesight isn't the greatest in the daytime and it can be worse at night, plus I feel safer. Most importantly, we all enjoy this time together.  I hope it continues.