Wonderful Wednesday: Random Gratitude

There are many things I’m grateful for this week. Here’s my list:

1. Recovery. After running the Whidbey Island half marathon on Sunday, I was hobbling around like a 98 year old! Today, while still a bit sore, I’m feeling more like myself.

2. Workout Accountability Working out gets done when there is accountability. I am so grateful for my sister and my neighbor who are committed to working out and making it fun!

3. Our Digs:  I am loving this place we get to call home. There are TONS of kids, lots of trails, beaches galore (granted, they are rocky – but great for exploring and throwing things into the water!) and this past week has been a nice glimpse into spring and summer!

This is right down the road from our house!

4. Hannah Riding  She’s happy to ride her bike. She does amazingly well for only 2 and loves to keep up with her brother! It makes exploring so much more fun for her as opposed to always being in the trailer or a stroller.

5. The Ocean It’s vast, beautiful, and any other words I attempt to use in defining why I adore the ocean will just fail miserably. The ocean is where I feel the most peace, the most content, and the closest to God.

6. “I don’t need help” I love that my kids are learning independence. They want to do things on their own. Even when it makes my stomach do flip flops!

7. Playing Together While not always pretty, they do play well together most of the time. They love exploring and “going on adventures” even if it is just to the playground. I pray they stay close into adulthood.

8. Unity First, with the Boston tragedy, I’m reminded of the amount of good. While evil had its moment, good people rushed in to help those injured. Runners, after running a marathon, volunteered to give blood. I read one account of a finisher giving his medal to another runner who’s opportunity to cross the finish line was taken away. (Even as I type that, I’m tearing up.)

Secondly, I’ve seen unity in an amazing way, albeit from a distance. A group I was fortunate enough to be a part of and what kick-started my health and fitness journey has been (temporarily) shut down. I’ve watched these women and men who work out so hard, fight, pray and rally around the group’s founder as they work to find a way to bring the program back. It’s a program that works, and works well. I was blessed to be a part of the program while living on Oahu. With a waiting list of over 90 people, it is needed. Desperately. Even amidst the adversity and the lack of childcare, I’m watching these amazing people offer up their homes, offer their time to watch others’ kids while they workout, offer kind words of support, and so much more.

I’m thankful I get to call many of these people my friends.