Grace and Movement

I have two random thoughts. They are:

(1) Today as I was working in the yard (thank you national holidays that we're not sure why we're off work but thankful anyhow), I was thinking about my upcoming fundraising letter, and trying to figure out how to make it "pop".  I was thinking about my motivation to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society -- why was I really doing it? And my thoughts turned to things that folks do "for charity" - one example is the television show "Extreme Home Makeover." The reason I like this show SO MUCH is that it is all about grace. Most folks don't "deserve" that new house, with all those fancy things. But abundance and mercy and charity are lavished on them. I'm not saying that raising my measly $2100 is lavish, or even amazing. But the money goes towards folks who are fighting cancer and who might only get a little taste of mercy and charity through the work of LLS. As a Christian, I ought to show mercy to everyone I come into contact with - as Christ did. Raising money through TEAM in Training just puts feet on that attitude and gives me a "real and present" opportunity to be reminded of the grace I have received from God. I challenge you to find the grace in your life (what God has given you freely) and then, out of gratitude in your heart, show some mercy to someone else. It is humbling and rewarding all at the same time.

(2) Running is good for your mind. I was reading in a running book about the good running does for us can be summed up in one word: Movement. If one stays still there isn't the opportunity to move forward (this is what some might call a VERY OBVIOUS statement). Movement is not just good for your physical well-being, it is also great for your mind, for mental dexterity. When you run, your thoughts just flow and come one after the other, and they move quickly. This is mostly the case for me (unless I am at the end of my run and/or a huge hill and all my fortitude must be focused on putting one foot in front of the other). I think that any kind of exercise is a great way to work out problems, let your mind "flow",  to come to crossroads and move forward,  and make decisions; however, running doesn't have a whole lot of "other" stuff you have to focus on like your equipment or a machine, or your teammates, etc. It's just you, your thoughts and the road.  

I shouldn't write this late at night. Probably the above two paragraphs seemed like good ideas a few hours ago but now my descriptions are rather stale.

In other news, I ran today and it was humid. I counted it a "victory" because at least I WENT OUT THERE. So get out there, and get trottin'!