Let me get my confession out of the way first, and then we'll get on with some inspiration. Most of this has gone to pot. My lofty expectations have been reduced to feeding the kids and doing just enough to make the house look fairly decent some of the time. Summer only comes once a year, right? And I'll be able to get back into my routines once school starts, right?
What have I accomplished? I've been flying through some books lately. This morning I finished "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nielson. After a plane crash left her with burns over 80% of her body, Stephanie longed to be able to do the simple things that she enjoyed before the accident... especially those tasks associated with mothering her four children-- folding laundry, buttoning her daughter's coat, making dinner, etc. As I read , I realized how I take such things for granted, (and even worse- often view such tasks as a burden or inconvenience! For shame!) If the ability to do these things was taken away from me, I know I would long to have that ability back. So reading her story has increased my desire to be grateful for all that I CAN do-- especially when it comes to serving the most important people in the world to me- my loving hubby and precious children.
Excuse a small tangent here-- in April I read the book "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. It resonated with me in a similar way as its message is to look for and recognize and be grateful for God's hand in your life. Every few pages, I was highlighting an important truth that spoke to me.
Back to Stephanie. In addition to inspiring me to be more grateful, I am feeling renewed hope in my struggle with health and fitness. If she can hike Y mountain (a familiar spot to me in Provo, Utah) one year after being rendered entirely immobile, I too can put one foot in front of the other and progress and gain strength and make my body all that it can be. Stephanie wrote about how she set intermediate goals to reach the first swithback of the hike, the third... and so on. I feel inspired to look at where I want to be in a year and set goals and milestones that can be celebrated along the way.
Thank you, Stephanie. <3
1 comment:
I loved this book and have been reading her blog for quite some time. Their life together is truly inspirational! I enjoyed reading your thoughts about the book and how it's inspired you. It definitely inspired me in a lot of the same ways.
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