Moving Down Memory Lane

This week Luke and I brought our daughter down to Valdosta, GA to spend time with my family and celebrate Thanksgiving. It was my mom's favorite holiday and is full of traditions for our family. When you have happy memories to look back on it makes traditions feel important and special. Traditions remind us of those good times together, of family and friends who are no longer with us, and help us feel connected to one another through the special times we have shared. Most of our family traditions involve food. Thanksgiving is an obvious food focused holiday, but we can pretty much make any celebration revolve around food: Chili and guacamole on Super Bowl Sunday, sugar cookies for Christmas, Mexican food for many special occasions, and Krispy Kreme donuts anytime the sign says they're hot! It's a good thing my dad has instilled the tradition of running into our family!

Cooking squash casserole from mom's recipe.

My brother makes whipping up all of our favorite 
Thanksgiving foods look easy!

To work up our appetites we often participate in a Turkey Trot 5K or when we were young we would watch dad run the Atlanta Thanksgiving Half Marathon. This year I wasn't able to run, but Luke joined the Jackson family runners.

Dad, Bryce, Luke, Sydney, Landon, and Parker 2016 Turkey Trot

Dad taught me to run. I started my miles in Clarkston, GA, running through the neighborhood or on the PATH trails in Atlanta. The purpose of those miles culminated in the ultimate annual event of the Peachtree Road Race every July 4th. The Peachtree is one of my favorite family traditions. We watched dad run every year. His first year running it was in 1976. My first year running the Peachtree was in 1994 for the 25th anniversary.

My brother Mark greeting dad at the finish line in 1977.

Ryan, Mollie, and I congratulate dad after he finished the Atlanta Thanksgiving Half Marathon in 1993.

Luke and I celebrate our one month wedding anniversary July 4th 2006.

Showing off our t-shirts after the 2006 Peachtree.

Dad has run countless miles in marathons, 10Ks, and 5Ks. He is still running around Dasher, GA everyday, and after having knee surgery added bicycle riding to his routine. This man is my inspiration and has never made me doubt that I could do anything I put my mind to. I was never a particularly athletic child. I attempted playing various sports, but fell short in my abilities for team sports. Dad never stopped encouraging me to get out and play! I finally found my groove in running and have attempted to follow in dad's footsteps mile after mile. 

Dad at the finish of a triathlon with his best cheerleader.

Joining dad for the BRAG: Bicycle Ride Across Georgia.

Dad took me with him on the final leg of the BRAG: Bicycle Ride Across Georgia in 2003. I never would have thought I could bike 60+ miles in one day, but dad taught me how to ride and motivated me mile after mile to the finish line in St. Marys, GA. In 2012 I was able to join dad for the Atlanta Thanksgiving Half Marathon. No longer just a spectator, I was able to participate in this annual tradition with him.

Atlanta Thanksgiving Half Marathon

Taking Cody for a run in Dasher a few years ago.

Dad walked with me on my first walks after surgery. Hopefully he will join us when we travel to Germany to run my marathon! I'll need my first running partner and coach there to cheer me on. Today he took my brother and Luke out on Luke's first bike ride on the road since his wreck.

First road bike ride since the wreck!

My dad inspires me to keep moving. He taught me the love that is running and the life lessons that go along with it. Just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. I love the quote below that hangs up in my Physical Therapy office.

Keep moving one day at a time, one step at a time.

Running back and forth to Nashville

Taken from Results Physiotherapy website: The girl in the picture looks like she just finished a run! :)

I started Physical Therapy three weeks ago at Results Physiotherapy in Nashville. They have a pelvic health specialty clinic there, and while I'm truly thankful it is nearby, running back and forth to Nashville three times a week is not the kind of running I would like to be doing!

My very awesome physical therapist, Beth, is not allowing me to run at this point. I still say she is awesome because the woman is working magic in helping me. I confess that I really enjoy physical therapy. It is worth the 53 minute drive. My main issue is that most of my muscles are very tense and tight from the trauma of surgery. This means that the majority of my PT consists of massage, stretches, applying heat and some kind of awesome electric "Stim" pulses on my ab and back muscles, and basically learning to relax and take deep breaths. Sounds awful, huh?   

Yesterday, Beth told me I can finally start doing yoga again! I can do "restorative" yoga twice a week. Here is my go-to yoga gal: 

 

Yoga with Adriene Adriene doesn't take herself too seriously. She knows what she's doing and keeps things fun. Plus she's from Austin, so she's weird and awesome. She has great instructional videos for individual poses, plus different challenges, such as 30 days of yoga. If you are looking for something specific, she probably has a video for it. Go to her YouTube site at the link above and search for any topic you're looking for: back pain, for bedtime, for runners, relaxation, stress relief, tired legs, morning sequence, strength and focus, the list goes on...
 

Lots of walks with this guy

Right now the exercises I'm doing are nice and easy. I'm going on walks, which makes Cody very happy, but I'm not doing anything too strenuous. The goal is to reduce pain. I've been thinking about our bodies natural reaction to avoid pain. It is probably what keeps many people from sticking with exercise programs. Exercise is difficult, sometimes it hurts, and we have to push ourselves through feelings that we don't really enjoy. I'm a strong believer in finding exercise that you love and enjoy, but any time you are working your muscles, there is going to be some level of discomfort involved. Your muscles are basically being injured while you exercise, they are ripping apart and then, when you rest, are being built back together, to become even stronger. 



The same thing happens when we encounter a difficult situation in life. We do our best to avoid the discomfort. For me, I avoid things that I am afraid will be too much responsibility. I think it is a natural thing to do, but it isn't what God tells us to do as Christians. He often asks us to go into situations outside of our comfort zone. 

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands." 2 John 1:6

When Luke and I were considering becoming foster parents we experienced this natural inclination in our human nature of self preservation. We weren't sure what we were getting into and we knew it wouldn't be easy. We avoided it and made excuses, but eventually we were convicted to be obedient to what God was asking when we heard a sermon by Josh Phillips, our pastor at Community Life Church. The message in this particular sermon was to Be Faithful, Not Fearful. 

During our foster parent training we learned that 1 in 4 girls have been sexually abused. Not 1 in 4 girls in foster care, but 1 in 4 girls, period. Many children in foster care have experienced some kind of abuse, have emotional disturbances, behavioral difficulties, and have been in the juvenile justice system. The more we learned, the more there was to fear. 

The encouragement to Be Faithful, Not Fearful, stuck with us. At a similar time we also read a blog post by Jason Johnson. There was a kid out there living in hell and we could be a safe place for them. The cost to them if we chose not to do foster care, far outweighed what it would cost us to take them in. It put our fear, inconvenience, and selfishness into perspective. 

Maybe there is something you know God is asking of you, and it scares you, or just makes you feel uncomfortable. Our human nature will try to persuade us to stay on the easy path, but let me encourage you (and myself) that putting ourselves out there in those uncomfortable situations will bless us far more than staying where things are nice and easy.

"We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5

Just as our muscles are strengthened and built through physical exercise, God molds us, refines us, toughens us, and makes us into new creatures through our obedience to him. It's worth the struggle. 

What is God asking of you that makes you uncomfortable or fearful? 

Hold onto his promises and step out in obedience. 

Getting Motivated

God is often teaching me lessons through running that carry over into my daily life. I started to write this post about motivation and ideas for getting motivated to run and workout. I'm still going to share those things, but I also realized that I needed a lesson in what motivates my life. I'm still working through that part, but I'll share what I've been given so far. 

First, how do you motivate yourself to workout? 
If you want to get in shape and think you don't have time or that it will be difficult, boring, or whatever other excuses you come up with...I can assure you that it doesn't have to be as difficult as you think. It's all about finding workouts you ENJOY! I believe it's important to find exercise you love, because otherwise, why do it? You are just going to give up if you don't really enjoy it.

Here are a few ideas if running isn't your thing: cycling, hiking, playing sports, swimming, fitness classes, boxing/kickboxing, karate or other martial arts. I'd love to hear other ideas in the comments below.  

Hiking with my man at Dunbar Cave

I also think a workout buddy goes a long way in holding you accountable and simply keeping you company and having fun together. Exercising with Luke is almost always more fun than exercising alone. If I'm walking, biking, or hiking with Luke, I'm just enjoying talking to him and not even thinking that it's a workout. Being out in God's nature helps too!

My sweet husband had his own experience with health and exercise struggles this year. In April, he was hit by an SUV while riding his bike on Memorial Drive in Clarksville, and ended up in the trauma center in Nashville, had emergency surgery, spent a few days in the hospital, and a few months unable to walk.    

A ridiculous selfie of us when he was in the trauma center. He wanted a selfie, these are my skills.

Recovering at home with the leg immobilizer and well wishes from lots of friends.

      

I enjoy cycling with him. Not as much by myself, but I did complete a 10 mile bike ride in his honor on July 4th this year. I also rode my bike BY MYSELF on Memorial Drive. This was a huge fear to face, but I believe in facing your fears. Don't let fear hold you back from living life to its fullest. When you face your fears you are experiencing faith. When you have faith, it's hard to feel hopeless.

Sango Firecracker Bike Ride for the 4th of July

Face your fears, conquer your fears...and God will remind you of the hope in which he has called you. Here is what we saw the day we drove Luke home from the hospital.  A beautiful reminder of the hope we have in God. 

A beautiful rainbow on our drive home

Hope is powerful. What gives us hope? What makes us lose hope? Why do we often have such a strong hope and confidence one day and struggle the next? I believe we have a very real enemy fighting against us, but I also believe at times, that enemy is ourselves. Today, my thoughts and feelings have been waging war on what is true. I woke up and wanted to pull the covers back over my head. I felt tired, depressed, and basically had a bad attitude. I immediately pulled out my Bible and started reading scripture because I knew I needed it. I'm still on a marathon of reading and re-reading 1 Peter, so here is some of what I read today, 

"As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:14-16

I would like to say that I immediately felt a conviction to get my act together and start acting holy. What I "felt" instead was like a child who crosses their arms, sticks out their lower lip, and starts to throw a temper tantrum.

Fortunately I kept reading...

"Since you call on a Father who judges each person's work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear." 1 Peter 1:17

Uh Oh. 

"For you know that is was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect...Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your FAITH and HOPE are in God." 1 Peter 1:18-21  

Our feelings are so fickle and even though I read these verses this morning and felt a very strong conviction to change my attitude, I've struggled with it the entire day. This kind of hopeless, uncaring attitude comes from fear. Not the reverent fear Peter was talking about, but an unhealthy fear that discourages and tears us down. Fear of failure, fear of what the future holds, fear that we aren't good enough, strong enough, or able to handle what's ahead. This kind of fear can paralyze us from moving forward. It also is a lie.

Fear is a powerful motivator, but I believe there is a fear that motivates, convicts, and encourages us to fall down on our faces before a holy and just God. Fall down so that God can lift you up.

He is our hope. No matter what we are wrestling with, whether it is a physical obstacle or our own feelings, we can remember that those circumstances and those feelings are temporary and fleeting. The hope we have in God is everlasting. 

One of my mom's favorite Bible verses was Jeremiah 29:11.

Taken from Dailyverses.net

He's got this. 
 

My perfectionist husband created this picture