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Saturday, June 14, 2008

Running


Last night I put the baby in bed early-- while it was still light outside-- because she had not had a nap and was just short of evil to be around. My oldest son was at the play he is in. Two others were camping out in our backyard and were occupied out there. Then my husband announced he was going to take the younger two to the pool, which left me sitting in an empty house-- oh, the decadence!

I sat there for a few minutes, mentally running over the things I could do at that moment but was too tired to do. To be honest, had there been a Law and Order on any channel, I would have found my entertainment-- but it was not to be. So, I sat there and watched a few minutes of Cheaper By The Dozen 2 and thought, "This is a big fat waste of time." And then suddenly, an idea seized me. I could go for a walk! I had not been on a walk since I broke my foot in March. As I thought about it, I realized that my foot had not been hurting me at all and I could give it a try.

And so, I asked my oldest daughter and her friend to come in from the yard and watch Cheaper by The Dozen 2 (and yes, I did call it "Cheaper By The Half Dozen" by mistake, which made my daughter and her friend laugh at me) and listen out for the baby. I got all suited up, put on my Ipod and headed out the door in the falling light. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed doing this. I walked half of my normal route and realized that my foot wasn't giving me the least bit of trouble, so I decided to try running on it. I ran a good long stretch and only quit because I ran out of steam-- not because my foot hurt. This was quite a victory! About halfway through my run I realized the date: June 13. Exactly three months after I broke my foot I was running on it. The doctor had told me four to six months before I could run. I thanked God for giving me this gift back as I ran, treasuring something I used to take for granted and even complain about.

As I was cooling down, walking in front of our house, Curt and the kids pulled up from swimming. He rolled the window down and asked me suspiciously, "What are you doing?"
I grinned back at him, triumphant. "I ran!" I said. He shook his head and smiled. He knew what a huge moment that was for me.
"And you're okay?" he countered. I assured him my foot had not hurt at all. My doctor had told me in regards to running-- only do what your foot tells you you can. If you feel pain, stop. I felt no pain at all!

So, I just wanted to share this little victory and challenge those of you who experience the blessing of being able to walk-- and even run-- to thank God for that ability today. I hope I never take it for granted again.
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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!

Rachel said...

That is so amazing! One of the young girls had injured her ankle playing netball and God's healing hand was upon her Friday night and was healed! Praise God for His victories!

Lisa B @ simply His said...

This is awesome! Congratulations!

I need to send this to my friend -- she broke her foot playing church softball Thursday night. As I held ice on her neck to try and keep her cool, it was a sight to see both teams circle around holding hands and praying. I know she was in tremendous pain, but I know God took some of that pain away until the ambulance could get there! (and how very slow they were!!!)

She loves to play softball and always plays hard. I'm sure she's going to miss it much like you have running. Thanks for the encouraging note that it might not take as long as the doctors say :)

Smileyface said...

Yeah for walking and running! Thank you for the reminder to be thankful for such things.
How are things going with finding a house and moving?

Holly said...

Yea!! praise the Lord! I am so glad to hear your foot is better!! miss you!!

Heather Conrad said...

Marybeth - how wonderful! I actually enjoy running as well, in fact, the Lord trined me for a marathon last fall, I had an injury just three weeks before the race and in his grace and mercy chose to heal me from it, so I understand your gratitude. In fact, you're encouraging me to go right now. I will be praying for She Speaks coming up, it simply changed my life last year. Go BIG!