Give Thanks to the Holy One

Hello =). How are you today?

It is a treat to tell you how I am this time: Today is the first day in quite a while that my body has felt solid, like I won't just keel over at the drop of a hat. I had gotten used to feeling severely hollowed out to the point where it was getting hard to remember feeling anything else. Praise God for this reprieve!

Yesterday I had the initial doses of the recommended medicines for the new hormone imbalance. It is a delightful surprise to find them working well this quickly! My body still hurts but it no longer feels like each next step or breath may be more than I can manage. It feels so much better, in fact, that I went on a short walk this afternoon! It was a few blocks - less than a quarter of a mile - but it felt perfectly heavenly. I was excited enough that I had to work at not darting ahead too quickly to catch my breath.

As grand as my body feels today compared to most of the past two weeks, everything has a cost. The new medicines are already aggravating the rash on my hands. Also my body was tired enough after my walk that it seemed best to skip dance class today. If I had gone I certainly would have not been able to move much. I promise you, though, that I would have celebrated each moment that my body was able to stand on its own two feet.

I haven't always been able to stand on these two feet God gave me - not for years as a child, and not for seasons as an adult. When I was living in Colorado there were times when I would weep in church from the fatigue and pain, and from the hurt of being physically unable to stand to sing praises to the Lord. I would rock back and forth in my seat on those days. It didn't seem like there was hope of getting better this side of heaven.

And then God did what God does. He answered prayers in unpredictable and unexpected ways. Eventually He brought me to Portland. Here He surprised me by allowing my body to walk for miles on end during the three visits I made before my move. The sheer pleasure of those walks was almost indescribable! The vitality of all that movement was such a welcome, breathtaking contrast from life at the Rocky Mountain foothills. I prayed to Abba often that upon my move here He would allow me to walk here "every day no matter what."

Of course you know that hasn't happened. I truly treasure the memory of each of those early Portland walks, though. And I haven't given up praying that prayer. God is still God and He still does what He will. I work at keeping mindful of the fact that any day may be *the day* when Abba allows me to start walking here "every day no matter what."

And in the meantime I keep on singing:

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, his Son.


And now let the weak say "I am strong,"
Let the poor say "I am rich,"
Because of what the Lord has done for us.

Give thanks.

What about you? What are you thankful for today? I would love to celebrate with you!