Heart Choices: 2008-10-26 -->

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Thankful Thursday - Words of Comfort


October is breast cancer awareness month. As far as I knew, there had been no history of breast cancer in my family ...until my aunt was diagnosed this past month. She had her surgery less than two weeks ago and thankfully is doing well and recuperating nicely.

I spoke with her yesterday and she shared the words to a song written by Gloria Gaither that had provided such comfort to her.

When I saw what lay before me, Lord, I cried, what will I do?
I thought He would just remove it, but He gently led me through.
Without fire there's no refining; without pain, no relief.
Without flood there's no rescue; without testing, no belief.
Through the fire, through the flood; through the water,
Through the blood, through the dry and barren places,
Through life's dense and maddening mazes;
Through the pain and through the glory,
"Through" will always tell the story of a God
Whose power and mercy will not fail to take us through.

On this Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for words of comfort. They may come through the lyrics of a song, a poem or a story. They may be words of comfort offered by a friend. Or the words of a Psalm. Or a prayer.

It can be hard to understand all of the "whys" in life. Despite our personal struggles and challenges in life, we can make the choice to focus on what we are thankful for.

What about you? Is there a song, a poem or a verse that provides you with comfort?

And don't forget to visit Iris' Thankful Thursday blog for more opportunities to visit other thankful blogs today.

QuickEdit

Save Money on Exercise Equipment


Have you spent money on exercise equipment and then hardly ever used it? The stationary bike that you were going to use every day… now sits accumulating dust.

How about those infomercials that entice you to buy the exercise DVDs, promising to get you in the best shape? I’ve picked up my phone or ordered them online many times. Check out the evidence in this picture.

Now, I’m not saying that if you use them, they won’t work …because they do work. But the problem is; you have to use them.

Take a look at my garage. I have a mountain bike, an electric bike (I used to use this in Flagstaff when I had a hard time keeping up with Greg on the hills), and a regular 10 speed bike. I hardly ever use any of them now.

I hate to even mention the inline skates that are in the storage cabinet. I did roller blade for a time ... but haven’t done that type of exercise in quite a while.

My snow skis are also stored away. I think the last time I went skiing was on my honeymoon and that was 24 years ago!

I’ve found that the majority of the time I stick with two types of exercise. My treadmill is my standby. It makes no difference what the weather is like outside. I have no excuses because it’s convenient and I can distract myself by watching TV. (If you look closely at the TV screen, you’ll see I’m watching the cable Fox News channel.)

My other favorite exercise is hiking. However, I can’t hike in Phoenix all year round. The summer is too hot, unless I get outside at 4 in the morning and then it’s too dark. But during our mild winters, I love to get outdoors and hike.

So, what’s my point?

Don’t spend a bunch of money on exercise equipment you’ll never use.
  • Try a dance class first before signing up for a year.

  • Share your exercise videos with your friends to try them out first.

  • If you think biking will become your passion, buy a used bike so you can test the waters before spending lots of money on a more equipped model.

Come on, I know you must have some stories of your own. What's collecting dust in your house? Or was there some exercise equipment that you purchased and are using on a consistent basis?

QuickEdit

Don't Give Up!



Giving up is not an option. I want to learn that lesson ... and I want to learn it well so I don't forget.

Last week, I had a slight injury. I fell down the stairs. Or I should say ... I slipped down the stairs. My husband Greg is always warning me to hold the rail because he sees how I tend to move quickly and I'm usually doing several things at once. Like carrying things with both hands and not holding the railing. I've had a few near slips but this time ...I did it. I landed on my bottom and my camera and papers went flying. My elbow, leg and groin were hurting, along with my pride.

Take a look at these stairs. They are wood and very hard!

I learned several valuable lessons through this ordeal. Because I had to take a few days off from my regular exercise routine, I realized how easy it would be to ... just not do it. After all, exercising takes time and energy and when I took a break I had more time for other things.

Although I'm pretty consistent and have developed exercise as a habit, I don't want to take this for granted. It really is a daily choice.

The other lesson I learned is to hold the rail.

How about you? Have you made exercise a choice in your life? Have you had to come back after an injury and found it hard? I'd love to hear from you.
QuickEdit
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