Darkness and Light

As I was walking back to my apartment from the gym this morning, I came across this leaf. Now to many people (myself included) this would appear to be a normal leaf, but on this crisp morning I felt drawn to take a closer look. There was something special about the light.

Staring at the green leaf before me, I heard within my spirit, "Where there is darkness, there too shall be light." I felt reminded that though we may face difficult times in life (darkness as seen on part of the leaf), God is our light and He is with us and will not let us be overcome.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it. - John 1:5

What a beautiful reminder of God's love for us. Hold tight that even in the shadows, there is light.

Be open to hearing the Holy Spirit... He speaks to us in many different and mysterious ways, even through a leaf in the shadows. ♥

Find a Way.

If you've never heard of Diana Nyad then you are in for a big surprise. This incredible woman, at the age of 64, on her fifth attempt, swam over 100 miles from Cuba to Florida... nearly 3 days... and without a shark cage. A goal never reached by anyone before. Not only is her athletic feat an inspiration but her sheer drive and determination to never, ever give up is what I find most motivating. Her mantra, "find a way"  is true for each and everyone of us. No matter what you are facing, you must find a way to never give up -- through the pain, through the disappointment, through the hard times, through anything, - a challenging setback, a hard day -- you cannot give up. You have to FIND A WAY.

 

I believe one of the ways I made it through the last four years with my injury was through my determination and perseverance to find a way to have a better quality of life. It was that goal that motivated me each day to never give up and it is that same mentality that keeps me going. My hope for you is that when you face hard times, you remember to look within and somehow find a way to keep going.

 

"All of us suffer heartache. All of us suffer difficulties in our lives. And if you say to yourself 'FIND A WAY' you'll make it through". - Diana Nyad

 

#findaway #nevergiveup





the good fight.

Today was my first day back in the gym in a couple weeks. I had taken some time off with the holidays and also wanted to give my body a break as I've been pushing it pretty hard for the last few months. However, this morning (bright and early at 430am) I was pumped to get back in my workout routine! As I searched for some inspiring music on my iPhone, I tapped my iHeartRadio app and tuned into the Christian Hits station (aka my favorite station!). About halfway through my workout, a song came on by the band Unspoken called "Good Fight". As I listened to the lyrics I felt empowered to face the day ahead. The message was about how no matter what you face in life, you have to keep fighting the good fight and letting your light shine. This song really spoke to my heart because for the last four years of my ankle injury, I've felt like I truly have been fighting the good fight - even through the hard times and the long days of pain and I've tried to keep my light shining. Even during the times when I've felt like I was all alone, God was there to say, "You're going to make it" and that's exactly what this song is about. Sometimes, I'll admit, I do get a little overwhelmed when I think about how I will manage with my ankle injury for the rest of my life, but when thoughts like this come, I remind myself that He has seen me through the difficult times before and He will see me through this too. I am often asked, "How are you able to accept that this is a lifelong injury? How do you remain so positive despite your circumstances?" My answer to this is that honestly, my faith rests in God alone. He has lead me on this journey and continues to strengthen me and I know that as long as I keep my light shining and fighting the good fight, he will see me through. I remain positive because my hope rests in God's faithfulness. I know He has me in the palm of His hand and I have managed to keep my light inside alive because I know I'm going to make it. Maybe it's a different path than I saw for my life, but not my will but His will be done. I trust Him to lead me and I remain hopeful and that is how I have kept my smile :)

My message today is that even when all seems up against you and your back is against the wall, know in your heart God is with you and He is going to see you through. Keep the good fight and always let your light shine. God gave us a cheerful heart for a reason; don't let life's circumstances beat you down. Keep your light. Keep your smile. And most importantly, keep your faith. 

PS - don't forget to check out the song below - just click on the title. You will love it!

"Good Fight" 
Until you stop breathing
Until you stop bleeding
Until your heart stops kick-drum beating
When it's hard times
When it's long days
And the enemy is right up in your face
When your back's against the ropes and you're feeling all alone

Keep fighting the good fight (Never give up, never give up)
Keep letting your light shine (Holding it high as long as you live)
'Cause I'm never gonna leave you
Always gonna see you through to the other side
Keep fighting the good fight, fighting the good, fighting the good fight, good fight

Even in the road blocks (yeah)
Even through the rough spots
When you're feeling you've given all that you've got
I'm with you in the next step
Giving you in the next breath
I'll be the voice saying "You're gonna make it"
When you're out there on your own
You are never alone

You light up the sky to show me you are with me.

As I waited to take off on the runway for my flight home for Christmas yesterday, I was amazed by the most beautiful combination of my favorite pastel colors in the sky. It was truly incredible and I thought to myself it can't get much better than this. Not more than 10 minutes later, I glanced out the window again and was overwhelmed by an even more beautiful skyline. Probably one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen and I heard a voice within me say, "My child, just like the sunsets, even when you think you have seen the most perfect sky or reached your best of days, I have greater things than you can imagine yet to come."

Friends, we never know what tomorrow will bring, but we can rest assured that there will always be greater things yet to come. Keep the faith. God is with you and just as he paints the sky more beautiful with each day, so shall he do with your life. It won't always be rainbows and sunshine but the dark days make the beautiful ones that much brighter.



The Hanger Clinic

As I sit here on the plane, returning home from a week at the Hanger Clinic in Gig Harbor, Washington, I am reminded of how fortunate I truly am. It was an incredible week - not only did I receive my backup IDEO device, but I met a few amazing IDEO athletes- some military, others civilians, but all with a story of strength and the will not to let their injury be the end of their story.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again, you don't meet many people like Ryan Blanck in life. Someone who truly cares about helping people and who goes above and beyond what is required of him. I've never met a more selfless person. Being at the Hanger Clinic felt like family - a place where you are not seen as different; a place where people don't tell you to slow down because you are injured, but a place where you are inspired to be the best you can be.

The Hanger Clinic is a place where you are not seen for how your injury limits you, but for how it makes you stronger.

sometimes you just have to give it all you got.

About 17 weeks ago I started training for my 100 mile Florida Keys Adventure... now only 3 weeks away. To say I am excited is an understatement :) I've learned a lot about myself in these last few months and wanted to share some advice for those embarking on a 5 month training plan.

1. Start off slow. You have a ways to go, young grasshopper. No need to kill yourself at the beginning. Remember, you have to build your base first. 

2.  Cross train, weight lift, and have at least two pairs of shoes to switch out for activities. (This is a little different for me since I wear tennis shoes 24/7, but I definitely recommend having two sets).

3. Print out your training schedule and highlight off your daily goals. This will be important as you look back over the months to see how far you have come.

4. Prepare for setbacks. They will come... Whether this is illness, shin splints, hip pain, work issues etc; be prepared mentally and physically to deal with these things. Part of endurance training is knowing when to slow down and let your body heal.

5. Never go kayaking on a river alone. You might flip over, lose your belongings, and still have 4 hours to go... Take it from me, swimming away from water mocassins and climbing brush with your kayak is not enjoyable by yourself. Also, always wear your life jacket... you never know when you might actually need it.

6. Learn to stretch... and I'm not talking about bending over to try to touch your toes. The body is more connected than we non-medical people may know (though sometimes I feel like a medical professional with all my past injury experience!). When I started developing hip pain and knee swelling I tried all the stretches I could think of... when my attempts failed, I found a sports massage therapist... and it has made all the difference.

7. Moleskin is your best friend. And a foam roller and lacrosse ball.

8. Cycle with a group. It really helps to train with a peloton to keep pace. (+ definitely get yourself real bike shorts!) You don't necessarily need clip in pedals / shoes, but I sure love mine. Also, having a cadence monitor is super helpful.

9. Sometimes it will be hard to get out there and train... but once you do, you'll be happy you did.

10. Keep your eyes on the goal (the race!) and reward yourself along the way. New socks, running shorts, t-shirt, dark chocolate... :)

11. What you put into your body, you'll get out. Fuel your body for success. H2o is your friend.

12. People will not understand your desire to train this much... and that's okay. It's not their race, it's yours.

13. Most importantly, never give up! There will be hard days for sure, but you've made it too far to throw in the towel now.

#LEARNING.

1.) Don't put honey in the refrigerator before you want to eat it. 

2.) Don't paint your nails over your favorite blanket... 

3.) Take it from me. Don't purchase in flight wifi. It doesn't work and it's not worth $16 for 90 min of wifi!

4.) Walk out of an elevator if it has a hard time getting off the first floor. You will not enjoy getting stuck in the elevator... just take the stairs.

5.) You can't check your tire pressure with your hand like you can on a bike tire... #whereisdadwhenyouneedhim

6.) Don't watch Marley & Me by yourself. It's so sad.

7.) Bring a dry pair of shorts to change into after kayaking. Biking home in wet bike shorts is NOT fun.

8.) When parking, stop your car sooner than you think so you don't run into the cement wall in the parking garage. It's closer than you think.

9.) Don't share drinks with other people - they might have mono and not know it yet. Ah!

10.) Everyone needs a black leather jacket.

11.) Don't clean your sunglasses on your blouse. They might be really dirty and leave a stain on your shirt.

12. Why are mom's always right?? What is up with that? 

Touched by an Angel.

A couple of Saturdays ago, I was out riding my bike for a 30 mile training session with a group from Richardson Bike Mart. About halfway into the ride, my leg started cramping and I fell behind the peloton. I could see everyone ahead of me and I knew I needed to stay with the group so that (a) I wouldn’t get lost and (b) I wouldn’t get stuck riding the rest of the route by myself (aka very LOST). Out of nowhere, as I pushed forward toward the upcoming hill, a thin cyclist in black uniform appeared on my left and placed his hand on my back. Never once stopping to look at me or mumor a word, he effortlessly pushed me up the hill all the way back to the peloton. As soon as his hand touched my back, I heard a voice deep in my heart say, “Stop trying so hard. I have you where I need you and I will carry you. I got you. Be still and know that I am with you.” It was a peace like no other and I knew in that very moment, without a doubt, he was an angel. As I cycled back to the group, he let go, and road ahead. I looked down to grab my water bottle and back up again and he was gone.

 

I believe God sent me that mesaage not to tell me to stop trying so hard on the ride (although we were riding ~19mph so you have to try hard!), but to stop trying so hard to figure out everything in life. What an amazing feeling to hear the voice of God and feel his overwhelming peace. Thank you cycling angel - I will never forget you :)

 

-- Be still and know that I am God. --