Memorial Day 2014 vs. Memorial Day 2012

By
Today is Memorial Day 2014.  On my way home from team-teaching a Bodypump class this morning, it occurred to me that exactly two years ago today this is what I looked like.

 

The photo above was taken on Memorial Day 2012. This is what I look like today, Memorial Day 2014.

 

I've been singing to the Lord all day today, keeping the worship music loud while I have been cleaning house, thanking Him for all He has done to restore my body in just two years.

Not that my body is so perfect now or anything.  I just see the picture at the top and remember how heavy and tender I was the day that photo was taken. My legs were so weak. My core was totally shot. I'm not sure, but I think I was carrying eighty more pounds than I am now and I was still recovering from a difficult pregnancy and an intense natural birth.

Thanks be to God, I am so much healthier and stronger than I was two years ago. If you are interested, you can read about my weight-loss journey here.

Don't misunderstand me. I am not much ashamed by my body in first picture.  I just use the photos to mark the difference in my health and wellness (and strength) and thank God.

When I look at the first picture, I mostly just see the tiny, beautiful baby in my arms. She was so little her legs still curled up on themselves. She looks like this now.


I also notice how much my two other daughters have grown up in two years, too. Here are recent photos of them.





That's two years of laughter, peace, health, some shrinking, yes, but mostly, two years of growing. We've all grown so much in so many ways since then.  I have much to be thankful for. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

By
Image
"...the child should have a set time everyday to read for fun. Begin with half an hour for first graders, and build up to an hour of reading time daily... This is an important part of the child's education: it improves his reading skills, teaches him the habit of sitting still with a book, and reminds him that reading is fun... free reading ought to be spent on literature at or slightly below the child's present reading level so that he can simply enjoy himself. The easier reading will help him increase his speed." The Well Trained Mind: The Guide to Classical Education at Home by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
Read more

Andrew Peterson's Songs That Celebrate Marriage and Family

By
Recently, I got to go to an Andrew Peterson concert at the Community Coffehouse in Danbury, CT. My dear friend and I didn't realize the show was sold out when we arrived.  But luckily, the lady at the door showed us pity, let us pay for tickets that didn't exist, and go in. We were willing to stand at the back, but we were able to find space on a bench at the back of the hall. I knew a few of the songs he sang that evening, but many of them were new to me because I have a hard time with new music.  I'd rather sing a song I already know by heart a hundred more times than hear a new song through even once. I know it is a problem that I need to work on if for no other reason than for the sake of my poor husband and daughters who have to hear the same albums everyday for a year. No, really. A year. At least. I have been giving myself permission to buy new music for this reason. So I came home that evening or maybe it was the next day and I purchased three of hi
Read more

Astronomer Shoe Boxes for Challenge B

By
Image
  Avril finished her astronomer shoeboxes for Challenge B.   The Challenge B students have all done research and projects on astronomers throughout this first semester.  Now, students choose two (or more) astronomers in secret and provide clues to the astronomers' identities in their shoeboxes.   For instance, if an astronomer made telescopes, sang opera, played piano, discovered binary stars or Uranus, studied eclipses, lived in a simple, log cabin, or made a map of Washington D.C., you might include some of those items to your shoe boxes as hints.  Student bring in their shoeboxes, and classmates get a chance to guess who the astronomers are based on what's inside the boxes.  Can you guess who Avril's astronomers are based on the pictures above?  Hint: Her two boxes actually represent three astronomers total.  
Read more