My JourKNEE Back

This post is coming out a day late. I wasn't going to write anything this week because nothing was coming to mind. However, as I went about the day, one sentence kept running through my thoughts. It was a sentence that was said to us yesterday at a church we were visiting for the third time in a row. I can't even remember who said it, but we were told, "Everyone will want you in their group. The groups will be fighting to have you."  That had me thinking back to just four weeks ago. We were talking with the Pastor of the church we had been attending for the past five and a half years, explaining to him that we were beginning to look around at different churches, weighing the pros and cons of switching congregations. One of the reasons we gave him is that we haven't felt a sense of connection at the current church. He encouraged us to join a small group. We informed him that we did check the small group listing and they all appeared to be full at the time to which ...

I hope this doesn't contradict last week's post, but here are my thoughts for today. Yesterday, I was in the shower, well into my Saturday routine. I really hesitated to wake up early to get some miles in but, as I lay there, I thought maybe I'd feel better if I did get up so I decided to do so. I was tired and thought a walk after the week's run efforts would be good enough. I also thought after I did my morning tasks, I would have enough time for a little rest before leaving the house. However, here I was, still taking a shower, feeling very hungry because I had not yet eaten breakfast, knowing there was laundry in the dryer that still needed to be folded, and I was down to an hour before I had to leave. Tiredness caught up with me, and I (literally) cried out to God, "I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to live anymore. I'm tired!" Just like in a running routine, you need to make time for "rest days," however you define them;...

Wake up in the morning, go for a run, come home, shower, and eat breakfast. Leave for work, come home, eat lunch, check office duties off the list (such as invoicing for the morning's jobs), and take a little nap. Straighten up some things around the house, make dinner, spend time with the family, get ready for bed, watch TV, and go to sleep. Wake up, go for a run, come home, eat breakfast, and go to work. You get the idea. The monotonous days keep passing by and I find myself constantly looking forward to the next exciting event such as what my weekend plans may be, an upcoming holiday or planning for our summer vacation. Woohoo!  When I'm alone listening to worship music, I can get really excited as I get caught up in the emotions. When I listen to a thought-provoking, bible-teaching podcast, I can get fired up to go live in my full purpose as God intended. As soon as I step out of my private space and back into the world of people surrounding me, it's so easy to lose tha...

How do you greet someone on Memorial Day? Social media posts that begin, "Happy Memorial Day," never sit right with me. On the day a friend is burying a loved one, I wouldn't greet them with "Happy Funeral Day!" People often confuse Memorial Day with Veteran's Day. Memorial Day was first introduced on May 5, 1868, when Major General John A. Logan issued General Orders No. 11, also known as the "Memorial Day Act." This order formally established "Memorial Day" as a Decoration Day on which we, as a nation, would remember those who gave their life while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, decorating their graves as a way to honor their sacrifice. When asking Google what NOT to do on Memorial Day, the number one thing was "Don't wish someone a Happy Memorial Day." It is not a holiday to be happy but, rather, we should be somber as we remember those lives lost. It also said to not thank an active-duty service member...

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of "consistent" includes "marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity: free from variation or contradiction" and "continuing to happen or develop in the same way." According to Google, a consistent person is "someone who is reliable, steady, and predictable in their behavior, attitudes, and actions over time." I would classify myself as a generally consistent person in work, household duties, and in my relationships with family and friends. Hopefully, those around me would also place me in that category. However, my running was beginning to be all over the place. On Tuesday, May 5th, I began trying to be more consistent with my running. I had gotten into the habit of running "hard," or what felt hard to me at least, only when I met up with friends and then taking it easy on my solo runs. Taking it easy when I'm on my own is not a problem necessarily, but it started to become one w...

I was married seven years before becoming a mother. I was young and content with our family of two.  Plus, I worked at a day care. I had a classroom full of children that I cared for and "they were enough," but one day the urge hit. When it did, I wanted to be a mom so badly. After giving birth to our daughter, I didn't want to leave her side. I used to wish she'd wake up at night just so I could see her. When our first son was stillborn, I felt like I failed him. As his mother, I was the one that was supposed to keep him safe.  Along came our second son and I appreciated the gift of a child even more. I could not express the deep love I had for these new, little humans.  As the years passed, there were tears and there was laughter. There have been situations that we weren't sure how to handle and we truly did "the best we could." I felt like the best thing I did in life, what I was most successful at, was being a mom. While I still believe that to be tr...