Thankful Thursdays: Gimme an H!

Last week I started a quick countdown of six things I am most thankful for, that begin with the letters of the word "THANKS".   Last week, I expressed thankfulness for Today, because it is all we can really say we have for certain.  This week, I am thankful for...

health. 

I could complain about my creaking knees, tetchy calf muscle or my periodic bouts with asthma and allergies. But truth be told, I have been blessed with an abundance of good health throughout my life.  One of my favorite passages in Isaiah is 40:31 because it offers an encouraging promise to every one of us:

"but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
   they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
   they shall walk and not faint."

There will come a day when all our physical problems and limitations are removed, and we will soar like eagles and run and not grow weary.  If you've watched a loved one, whether young or old, suffer with severe health problems, this passage holds hope and promise for them.   Some day, we will all be freed from the pains and aches of this life.

But in the here and now, I hope you'll exercise your body every chance you get, to the extent you can.  I eat better, I sleep better, I feel better physically and emotionally when I exert myself on a regular basis.

Whatever you can do, do it.

Do it today.  

If you're sore tomorrow, do it again anyway.

If you're not sore, good.

Push yourself a little harder, a little faster, a little longer.

For those of you who know me, you know I'm a fan of getting (and staying) fit and healthy.  If you're blessed with a similar outlook, I hope you'll encourage someone you care about who isn't at their healthiest.  (Don't nag, encourage.)  Take a walk with a friend - a mile is a mile whether you click it off in 10 minutes or 30 minutes.  Don't wait for the new year to begin a new resolution; give someone the gift of your time, encouragement and support to become healthier now.

Happy, healthy thanks-giving,