Thankful....for Physical Therapy

I have recently started physical therapy for my left foot that had the bunionectomy. The main target of the surgery was my big toe or medically speaking the Great Toe. The bone was cut in two places. The toe doesn't bend. I was not able to wiggle my toes for two months.

In the past week I have been able to move the Great Toe a little bit. I hate having people touching my feet so that presented a challenge to my physical therapist. He encouraged me to touch the toe and showed me how to manipulate it at home. By doing some simple moves to the toe at home, I am able to relax enough for him to do what he needs to do during my therapy sessions.

Something that has been made very clear to me is how connected every single piece of the human body is. In the foot there are tendons and there is one main tendon that controls all five toes. Because my foot was wrapped and in a boot for eight weeks the tendon became tight and unable to move the toes. I also noticed that my ankle was extremely tight and my calf muscles were so tight my left leg felt like a wooden leg first thing in the morning. So part of my therapy is ham string exercises to relax the muscles.

I am thankful that we have excellent health insurance and that physical therapy is available to me. It can be uncomfortable and painful and at times, but I appreciate everything I am learning and thrilled to see my Great Toe wiggle a little bit.

What are you thankful for these days?

Set Me Free

Set me free to live for today. Set me free to live in gratitude. Bless my intention.

I made the word THANKFUL my focus for 2017. I think this image sums up what I am looking for by being Thankful. I look to be present in each moment of the day. It has been quite difficult this month with all the hoopla of a new president taking office and all the executive orders he has signed. His actions are no longer hypothetical, but are reality. They have very real consequences for very real people.

Quite often my mind is jumping from one task to another. I want to be intentional. This is where my planner comes in handy. If I find my mind jumping from one thought to another or coming up with a list of things I want to do, I pull out my planner and start making lists. I either just write them in the to -do boxes or I start writing them in specific days. Once I do that, my mind feels emptier (no comments from the Peanut Gallery :) ) and then I can decide what I want to focus on.

Being intentional is very important. Being thankful is very important too. I have learned to take one day at a time. And there are days I need to take it one hour at a time. So remember to be thankful for something every day. Be intentional with your words, your actions and your thoughts. If you have to write in your planner to be thankful, then do it. Think of it as a gentle reminder to be aware of your life and all that you have in it and to say THANKS.

I have reason to be thankful

Well, this past week has been quite a .......not really sure what to call it. Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States a week ago. That is still sinking in for me.  I catch my breath every time I see video of him on television now and the news reporter says, "President Trump..." How in the world did this happen? Sigh.

Anyway, as I wrote before, THANKFUL is my word for 2017. My goal is to post on this blog twice a week. One of the posts will be about something I am THANKFUL for. After the past 8 days we need to reminded of what we have to be THANKFUL for.

I am thankful for the right to freedom of speech. I can speak my mind freely without the fear of repercussion of the government. We need to remember we have that freedom and to fight to hold onto it.

I am thankful for my husband who encourages me to get involved in politics and speak my mind. He has even suggested I look more into local politics and thinks I would enjoy doing it. Maybe even running for a local office....not sure about that, but I am interested in learning more about local politics.

I am thankful for the brave and energized women who organized the Womens' March in DC and all the other organizers around the country and the world who planned marches last weekend. They have a passion and energy that cannot be dismissed or diminished.

I am thankful for my faith. I am a Christian. I make no apologies for that. I am thankful for Jesus Christ for many things among them the lessons He taught us. He taught us to care for the weak, the outcast, the hungry, the poor, the least among us. I love this scripture that illustrates this lesson perfectly. This version is from the Common English Bible (CEB), book of Matthew, Chapter 25 starting at the 34th verse.

34“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. 35I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. 36I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’37“Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? 38When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’40“Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who will receive terrible things. Go into the unending fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. 42I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink. 43I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’44"Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?’ 45 Then he will answer, ‘I assure you that when you haven’t done it for one of the least of these, you haven’t done it for me.’ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life."

For those that claim to be Christian, remember this lesson. When we help the least of our brothers and sisters, we are helping Him. The One who died for us. I am incredibly thankful for this lesson and will do my best to carry it forward.

Thankful

Have you heard of Word of the Year? There is a secular and faith based way to choose your year. One way to do it is to pick one word that represents something you want to focus on in the New Year. A faith based way is to pray to God and ask Him "What do you want me to focus on? How can I grow closer to You?" You may get an answer right away or it could take days even weeks.

Recently, I decided I wanted to have a Sacred Word to focus on in 2017. I felt it would be helpful to me for my prayer life and to help clear my mind so I can focus better. I prayed about it and the word THANKFUL came to mind.

So I make a point every day to thank God for something. Yesterday I was thankful for the persistent rain. I was thankful that my husband came home from work safely. Thankful that my daughter had a safe day at school. (The school is very safe,but with the amount of school shootings that have happened over the years, I am always thankful it hasn't happened in our school district.)

Today:

I am thankful for my husband.
I am thankful for my daughters.
I am thankful for my husband's job.
I am thankful for excellent health insurance.
I am thankful.

Do you have a word of the year? What are you thankful for?