My JourKNEE Back

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34 (CSB) As this Thanksgiving week comes to an end, it got me thinking about the difference between being grateful and being thankful.  According to the Miriam-Webster dictionary, they are defined as follows: Grateful: 1. a. "appreciative of benefits received; feeling or showing thanks" b. "expressing gratitude" 2. a. "affording pleasure or contentment; pleasing" b. "pleasing by reason of comfort supplied or discomfort alleviated"  Thankful: 1. "conscious of benefit received" 2. "expressive of thanks" 3. "well pleased; glad" After doing a Google search, I found this answer, "The main difference is that thankfulness if often an outward expression of appreciation for a specific benefit, while gratitude is a deeper, more profound and internal state of appreciation for life's experiences." (AI Overview) W...

             PC 📷: Kaylee Geesey I'm having a hard time getting started with writing this week. There are so many ideas swirling around in my head, but nothing is forming together into an organized thought. Sometimes my mind feels like a disorganized pile of words. Even if I can gather thoughts and put them together in a paragraph that makes sense, will the reader truly understand what my heart is trying to share? With nothing significant coming to mind, today I am going to keep it simple.  I met "J" for an afternoon run this week which is out of our normal routine. Her and I usually meet for pre-dawn runs but, this week, she worked her overnight shift six days in a row which meant we were not able to run in the morning. I would either have to meet her for her afternoon run or not see her for a week. I have been pretty comfortable with my runs lately. This day, however, I found myself feeling anxious. We met at a trail. Any trail runners would la...

My kids, ages 23 and 19, and I were discussing how social media has ruined everything. I know there are some positives, but there are so many downsides to its use. Yet, I sit and scroll my phone browsing Instagram and Facebook for the latest news about family, friends and even strangers posing as friends. The song "Image of God" by We Are Messengers starts with the verse, "I woke up with a broken heart in my chest. I couldn't sleep, couldn't get no rest. Weighted down by the heaviness of life, and I, try to shake it flipping through my phone but all it does is make me feel all alone. How could anything that feels so wrong be right?".  I feel like the use of social media, meant to bring us together, only makes us feel more divided. Back in my day (yes, I'm old enough to use that line), before you could get opinions from everyone in the world, the only opinions you heard were from those in your local neighborhood. That doesn't mean everyone you talked ...

I knew I would be on my own today for my Saturday run because "J" had to work, and I don't feel like it's worth "K's" time to drive to meet me (even though I know she would). I planned to go for seven miles. I told no one except my husband, in case he worried why I was gone for so long. Last night I checked the weather and saw the temperature was to be 52 degrees, a perfect morning for a run. I was lying in bed when I woke up before the alarm. My first thought is always "how much time do I have before my alarm goes off? Should I go to the bathroom or wait and go back to sleep?" I picked up my phone to see there were only seventeen minutes left before my alarm would wake me anyway. I thought, "Okay, God, let's go for a run!"  I planned my run in two parts. Part one was a three-mile route that would lead me back to my house in case I needed a drink or wanted a snack. I did grab a banana and also took a potty break while I was there ...

  I went to the eye doctor on Wednesday. She asked if I was having any issues and I told her that I noticed some difficulty when trying to read things up close. I already wear contacts to correct nearsightedness but, sure enough, I now need something to help focus while reading. The eye doctor at my previous practice has been telling me from the time I turned 40 that I would soon need bifocals or progressive lenses. I celebrated the "Big 5-0" back in September, so I guess I "beat the odds." After the vision test, the eye doctor left the room. When she returned, she had a pair of contacts. "This one goes in your left eye, and this one goes in your right. (I put them in) Now what do you see?" It actually looked blurry, and I was a little concerned. I read the eye chart and she said, "That's 20/20." She gave me the little book, and I was able to read the smallest line. I said, "Huh, okay," and she smiled. I now have one contact to see ...