My JourKNEE Back

My past three blogs have been about relationships in some way. It's time to get back on track (pun intended) and talk about running. On January 4th, I wrote that "February is the New January." I had planned to set my goals for 2026 and put them in writing in this blog post, the first one in February. I had no idea what was going to happen the very next day, on January 5th, while out on my run. Breaking my hand certainly was unexpected and has set me back. While I don't think I'm beginning all over like after my knee surgery, I definitely feel like progress has been lost. You would think I had plenty of time to plan and reflect during my downtime in January and, while it was on my mind, I haven't come to any concrete conclusions. Yet here it is, the first Sunday in February, and I need to put goals in writing. I will break it down into four categories as I did for 2025: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, and my Blog. Isaiah 29:24 (CSB), "Those who are confuse...

This week, I had lunch with a friend who is a mother of six. She said everyone talks about how hard it is to parent a toddler, but no one talks about how hard it is to parent an adult child. You hear about the terrible twos, which in my case I found the threes to be even more terrible, but that's another topic of discussion. No one ever talks about the difficulties that come with parenting an adult child. She said someone once told her "Little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems." When they're little, if they fall and scrape a knee, it's easy to scoop them up, give them a hug and kiss and make it all better. If someone calls them a name, yes, it's hurtful but they can run home into your arms and still feel safe and loved. The older they get, the more outside opinions begin to form the way they think about themselves. When you are their world, you can somewhat shield them from the ugliness of this world, but when they're fully out in it, they begi...

  As I was writing my blog last week, stating how my friends and family have shown up for me, I couldn't help but bring to mind one group that describes itself as "family" that I haven't heard from. My church "family."  If I'm honest, this subject has actually been on my mind off and on for several years.  Most recently, there was an issue that arose in our local church, and I haven't been able to come to a conclusion in my own mind. I have been praying about it and trying to redirect the thoughts that I know are not in line with what the Bible teaches. Humanly, and having felt this way before, I'm having trouble working through the purpose of gathering with a large congregation.  A friend shared the following quote on Facebook this week, "Thinking you can be a Christian without being part of a local church is like thinking you can be a soldier without being part of an army. We need the accountability and fellowship of other believers."...

    My friends and family have really stepped up over these past two weeks, since falling and breaking my hand. I am reminded that it doesn't take much to show your care and concern for someone. If you want to let someone know you care but don't know what to do for them, even a little gesture can say a lot. I've been so blessed by the love and kindness of my friends. I had a friend randomly show up with flowers. Another friend delivered brownies and a card to my front door. One friend brought dinner for my family on the day of surgery and another stopped by with a fountain soda and just to talk. The texts that randomly came in while I was waiting in the emergency room, letting me know that someone was thinking of and praying for me brought warmth to my heart. Even the little texts that were sent over the past two weeks, asking if there was anything they could do to help or simply meant to make me laugh has made me feel valued.  I was reminded of how grateful I am for the ...

  I don't always pick a word of the year, but I have off and on over the past few years. Sometimes I don't give them much thought and sometimes I don't even remember what word I've picked by the end of the year. For 2026, my word of the year is "resilient." " resilient adjective : characterized or marked by resilience: such as     a. : capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture     b : tending to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change           as defined by Merriam-Webster With the way the year started out, I think I will remember this one. I went out for a solo run on Monday. I was running on a narrow road with cars parked on either side and since it was dark, I thought it would be a good idea to get up on the sidewalk in case a car came. I do run with my Noxgear lights, but sometimes it's still hard for oncoming cars to see me hidden behind the parked cars.   As I stepped up on the ...

Happy 2026 readers! With this first post in the new year, I feel like I need to come up with something inspirational. What words of wisdom can I provide you that will motivate you to achieve all you want in this brand-new year of opportunity? Well, to be honest, I have been thinking about what to write for the past few days and I haven't come up with anything. I've been very uninspired. My husband said earlier this week, "It's really not fair. We arrive at Thanksgiving, and before we know it, we are hit with Christmas and New Years. Then all of the sudden we are expected to pull our life together and start accomplishing new goals. I'm just trying to get through this week!" It's true! No one knows what time or even what day it is during that week between Christmas and New Years. Most people's work schedules are thrown off which can throw off your sleep schedule. Mix in all the holiday meals and goodies, throwing off your usual eating routine, and you ha...