The past couple of months have been full. Filled with writing a blog, my husband’s illness, a full-time teaching job and keeping up with my resolutions. All of these bits of my life have helped me grow.
My resolutions were to keep up with the healthy lifestyle and spiritual growth I started just after my cancer diagnosis in 2009. Well, I have been able to do both. I have continued walking 4-5 times a week and even added a longer walk on one of the weekend days. I continue to follow Weight Watchers online. I was playing golf but had taken a break from that during my husband’s illness. This past weekend we both went back to the golf course. He set up a couple of lessons for me while I practiced putting, chipping and driving a few golf balls. And the bonus is that my husband is healthy enough to be out of the house again.
Keeping up with spiritual practices like my Daily Guideposts, listening to a Christian radio station or Christian music on the way to work, prayer and worship was easy enough, or so I thought, until my husband got ill. This is where the expert advice becomes significant. I spoke of forgiving people in my life who are supposed to be supportive. This happened during my husband’s illness. I loved when Chris Brauns said, “Think, whatever someone has done to offend me, that pales in comparison to what I’ve done to offend God.” This really struck a cord with me. How could I be so offended by what was done to me when I have done that and more to God?
As for the future I will continue with my resolutions for sure, but “meeting” the two other women writing resolution blog posts has inspired me to add two other resolutions. First, having more meals at the dinner table instead of in front of the TV came from reading about Deborah’s resolution to have more family meals. Second, I have this colleague who is so forgiving of me when I try to listen to her while working at the same time. And usually neither gets done well. So when reading about Robin’s resolution to listen more I thought if I just listened more to one person, this one person I work with, then I have done something good—and something good for me.
Writing this blog for Guideposts.org was an unexpected blessing from God. Gracious God, thank you…
—Carm Russell
