There are times in each of our lives when we cross paths with someone who, even in a casual conversation says something that inspires you to be a better person. Inspires you to think about your life in a different way.
Famous writers and better writers than I have written about inspiration, about war, about those who fight for our freedom. It's not a new topic, we hear about it every day on the news. And yet if you are like me it fades in and out of your realm of understanding. I don't keep up with the political issues, I get angry when people don't support those who are fighting for us in Iraq, but it doesn't really have meaning on a day to day basis.
Yesterday after my swim workout as I was getting dressed a woman in workout clothing comes out of the sauna. She sits down, red with heat, sweating. I move my things out of her way as she begins to speak.
Her son is in Iraq, he has been there for 6 months and seen things most of us will never see. She spends some time each day in the sauna praying, it is her way of honoring him. He is there where it is terribly hot and so the sauna is her way to connect to her son so that she can feel at least a bit of the heat he feels in the dessert. She is worried about him but more than that she is hurt by the people in our country who do not support the soldiers and what they are fighting for. Her son is there fighting so that others may have what we take for granted and yet people are so caullous they don't think before they speak and it breaks her heart.
This was a very short conversation and nothing I have not heard from others but this time, this woman, her words, and her prayers in the sauna, inspired me to think more about the freedoms I have and the pain she feels. I think about my own children who are her son's age. I miss them so much when they are at school, imagining them in Iraq fighting and not knowing for sure if they will come home...it's truly something I cannot comprehend.
I vow to think about this woman and her son when I decide to feel sorry for myself because of some little mishap in my life, I thank her for the inspiration she gave me, and I thank her son for fighting so that others may have a bit of what we have...I pray that he is returned home safe and sound.
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About Me
- KcandyP
- Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States
- This blog used to chronicle my running experiences, many of which are inspiring and uplifting. Some of which are frustrating. Now this blog will chronicle all of the activities I enjoy and the inspiration I find here in our Colorado home. Growing up in New Mexico the mountains have always called to me. But Texas is where we moved when we graduated college. We had, after all, to make some money! We stayed in Texas much longer than expected and it was good to us and to our children who were raised there. But the dream was always to get back to the land we love. And so in 2016 we moved from Texas to Colorado and life here has been beyond our expectations. I will try to keep up with writing, if for no other reason than to help me express my love for these mountains the activities they give us.
2 comments:
I'm convinced these kinds of meetings/conversations aren't by accident. I'm glad she was just herself yet God used her words and demeanor to leave an impact that you in turn shared through your blog.
I like how she sat in the sauna to feel connected with the heat that her son deals with everyday in Iraq.
This reminds me of a person I ran into once who, in casual conversation, told me something I'll never forget. She was a birth mom and it was during the time we were waiting forever (it seemed) for E.
I'm glad I checked out your blog today. Now YOU have inspired me as well! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your latest entries! Maybe someday I'll get the courage to blog.
Congrats on your PR! That must feel so good! Keep running:)
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