Thankful hearts

This month has been full of ups and down. In the midst of it all, we have much to be thankful for.

What a gift to have a holiday that gives us time to not only be intentional about remembering our blessings but also to share those blessings with our friends and family and rest in awe of God's goodness.

This past week, I have been reminded to be thankful for many many things, and one in particular has been the gift of running.

The gift of running you say?

Yes, running is a gift.

It is food for my soul. Despite my frequent lack of motivation, once I am actually out the door, pounding the pavement, it lifts my spirits, renews my confidence, and even helps me sleep better at night.

SO, last weekend, I flew to San Antonio to spend some time with my family after my grandfather's sudden passing. It was an emotional and sad time, but also a good time to be together, remember the blessings of his life, and be thankful for the gift that he was.

It was also a chance for my mom and I to run the San Antonio half marathon, a little tradition of ours.

I was not prepared. I had done a long run of maybe sevenish miles about a month before the race. Beyond that, I had run two to four miles, three times a week (on a good week).

The day of the race was beautiful, a cool 40 degrees, slightly overcast. In my mind, perfection. The race was fun, our pace was easy, it was a good time to be with my mom.

Then mile nine hit.

My body was tired, hurting, pretty much done.  My running inspiration and joy was fading fast. I made it to mile ten and knew the last three miles were going to be very hard. Complaints, despair, and maybe a few bad words filled my thoughts.

My attitude was just plain bad.

Then, we saw two runners up ahead. A man and a woman running side by side.  The sea of runners parted around this special pair which is highly unusual during a race. Normally runners are on a hell bent mission for the finish and careless of who they run through or trample over to get there.

What was going on?

Then we realized some runners were also talking to the man. A few patting him on the shoulder in encouragement. What? Now this is really strange. Talking and unnecessary movement is kept to a minimum, especially at mile ten when breath is hard to catch and tired lungs are burning.

What were they saying?

At last, I caught it.

"Good job, solder"

"You can do it"

"Thank you for your service"

"Thank you"

As we got closer, we could see too and we, along with the rest of the crowd, couldn't stop the tears.

The young man was running strong, almost at the end of a half marathon.

And he was doing it on one foot and on one prosthetic.

The braveness, courage, and perseverance of this young man, this soldier, brought the entire crowd of tired runners out of ourselves. No longer did we feel the pain of running, the tiredness and aches. Our minds were no longer filled with complaints.

We were inspired. Inspired by his sacrifice for us. Inspired by his determination that life will continue and be full, that his injury would not stop him from living, success, and victory. His example motivated all of us to finish strong and be thankful for our healthy bodies.

It was a timely reminder of how much gratitude we owe our veterans. My heart is full of thanks for our soldiers, veterans, and their families.

Thank you Lord, for healthy bodies and legs that can run. May we never take it for granted!