My mom and I have been walking for the past week. We go about two miles a day and so far the weather and my muscles have cooperated beautifully!
We decided to take a break over the weekend because by Friday my legs were a little stiff (still haven't made time to go get those new shoes that I need!)
Last Sunday I began a 54 day Rosary novena. www.prayerflowers.com This is a 27 days of petition, 27 days of thanksgiving prayer. It has a few extra prayers, and a meditation between each decade about the mystery one is going to pray. It is beautiful. Since it was early, and I was feeling chipper, I decided to kneel to pray.
With the extra prayers and meditations the novena takes about a half an hour to accomplish. When I got off my knees, I was starting to hurt a bit. My already stiff muscles were tightening and starting to cramp. Within a few minutes, the cramping had moved from the muscles around my sciatic nerve, up my back to my shoulder blade, and into my shoulder so that moving my head was very painful.
Today was my Dominican day. I was determined not to miss the meeting but after taking one Aleve and driving to Mass, I was pretty sure driving all the way to my meeting (35 minutes away) was probably not a great idea. I hemmed and hawed with the idea of staying home but was determined to get there.
I took another Aleve and my dear one used a rolling pin to loosen my thigh muscles, and then rubbed my shoulder and back so I could move a little better. He then said he would drive me to my meeting. What a great guy I have!
On the way to the meeting, I quickly re-read the email that our formation director had sent to us. I misread the location of the meeting. I thought our meeting was changed to the church that is about 3 miles from the school where we usually meet. So, I had Wayne drop me off there. By the time I realized my mistake, Wayne was on his way home. So, I decided I was going to walk, and called Gwen to see if she would send someone to come and get me.
Obviously, she was running the meeting and not going to answer her phone but I was persistent. To no avail.
I knew it was a long walk so I took it at a peaceful pace and just left it up to God to get me there.
About a 1/2 an hour into the hour that it took me, I was getting tired and a little discouraged. I decided to think about Christ's walk to Calvary. Lent being in the not too distant past, and Stations of the Cross still pretty fresh in my mind, I contemplated what our Lord went through.
I came up with all they ways I was blessed that my walk was so much different:
- I was wearing shoes
- My skin was intact
- I was not wearing a crown of thorns
- I was not carrying a heavy cross
- No one was spitting on me
- No one was whipping me and yelling at me to get up and keep moving
- I was fed
- I was not thirsty
- I had had a good night's sleep
- I was not cold
- I was not hot
- It was not raining or snowing
- And the most important difference: I was not going to be nailed to a cross when I reached my final destination.
When I talked to Gwen about all that had happened, she had a pretty profound insight. She said that once we make a decision for Christ and follow where He is leading us, we will come up against opposition from Satan. I was grateful that I had chosen to be peaceful about the situation and keep Christ in mind during this trial.
A few weeks ago, my mom gave me a copy of an inspirational quote she has taped to her bathroom mirror. I have mine tucked behind my crucifix. It reads:
"God has a purpose for your pain, a reason for your struggle, and a gift for your faithfulness. Don't give up!"
Maybe this was supposed to be a deterrent from the evil one, or maybe it was a test of my faithfulness.
I'm not sure.
I know this; since I'm pretty sure the Aleve wore off hours ago, and since I only have a tiny little bit of tightness still in my back so I can't turn my head as far as I normally can, and I don't hurt anywhere else, that God did give me a gift for my faithfulness.
Plus, I got to my meeting eventually and that was a great gift as well.
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