feeling grateful

I am feeling very grateful for my body today. Most days all I can think about are the things I would like to change about how I look. Today, I am feeling blessed to have the health and strength to run the way I do, and to add all the extra workouts I enjoy on top of that.

My dad will be 70 this year and on Monday he had his left hip replaced. He has been in pain for many years but the last 6 months or so the hip has gotten more painful. He and my mom were serving a mission for our church and so he waited for it to be over to have the surgery. The mission ended in Dec, so they set the surgery up for this past Monday. He lives in Utah and it just kills me that I can't be there to visit him, to hug and kiss him, to support my mom. I have a huge family (6 sisters 2 brothers) so it's not like my parents are alone on the journey to physical free-ness (is that a word?) I love you dad..... heal up quickly so you can get back in that pool to swim laps and back on the streets taking those walks you enjoy so much.

While I was on the treadmill this morning at the Y, a man came in. He is in a wheelchair and he has had both legs amputated. I don't know him, I have never talked to him. I was making up all kinds of stories in my head about why he had to lose his legs. But then I started thinking about what an example he is to all of us. He is bound to a wheel chair day in and day out, yet here he is at the Y, hopping on and off his chair to different weight machines. I noticed that I was feeling a bit lighter and happier with each step I took. I am grateful for my body and I am even more grateful I enjoy staying active. I hope my love for physical fitness will rub off on my daughters.

I also have a few friends who are going through medical ups and downs right now. One friend, after 7 1/2 years, is being weened off her heart medicines. She is such a trooper and has come a long way. I am so proud of her and she inspires me daily. I have another friend who seems to never catch a break when it comes to medical issues for her and her family. She was given some crappy news last week about her 7 year old and also about her own health. I love these girls more then words can express, so I wont try. But they both inspire me to be a better mom, wife, and friend. Thanks for being such amazing women in my life and for being my friends. (you know who you are)

I am also very grateful for my husband. He works so hard for this family. He is always looking ahead and trying to make sure we are happy and healthy. I couldn't ask for a better husband. I am not the easiest women to live with and he sure puts up with a lot of crap. Thanks for loving me.