ad ambulandum-to walk

 

So walking today I saw a man performing Kata in the park, it was absolutely beautiful. Lately I have noticed that whenever I get up enough energy to walk I meet and see the neatest people. Young women running, folks walking their dogs, young men playing basketball, this neat guy who builds picnic tables in his yard, kids with their moms at the playground and then there was this lone man performing an ancient ritual known as Kata in the middle of all these beautiful trees today. It was so quiet and peaceful and I found myself desiring that peace. So I did some research because as you know I just love research...lol maybe this latest class is starting to have an impact on me.

The form Seiunchin (also written as Seiyunchin) is a very popular Goju kata due to its flowing moves and atheistic appearance.

. Whilst Goju is a Buddhist art emphasizing hard/soft as are other Okinawan karate styles, Hsing I is one of the three internal Taoist arts.

If it takes 10 years to master the hard /external then it will take a further 20 years to master the soft / internal

In post war practice the emphasis has predominately shifted to the hard and external. In an over simplistic analogy, hard is the development of body strength and isolated body techniques to attack the opponent i.e. leg to kick, arm to punch. Whilst the soft uses relaxation and the whole mind / body to merge with the energy of the opponent to receive, defend and attack with flowing counters.

The development of energy and vitality in Chinese is Chi Kung or 'Energy Work' in Japanese it is Kiko. Chi/Ki is the life energy that is inextricably linked with the breath, blood and circulation. Martial Ki is not just one thing but a unified synthesis of many parts. 

Three personal qualities are required to study the martial way:

Intention of the spirit
Concentration of the mind
Discipline of the body.

The five initial stages of developing Ju or Internal power require:

Centring,
Relaxed extension and contraction
Co-ordinated joint alignment
Whole body awareness
Breath control 

 Sodokan Goju Karate Association
© Mike Clark 1997-2005.

 I find this Intention of the spirit to be a universal need for anyone pursuing internal peace. And discipline whether we love it or not is required for success in almost all areas of life. Joint Alignment and an awareness of your body is good for everyones health and Breathing is of course essential and when controlled has been found to lower blood pressure and calm anxiety and is essential to life. So Buddhist principles aside I found Kata to be something worthy of pursuit and may have to find a class.  And all this research is a result of my afternoon walk - ad ambulandum
Thanks God for keeping my life interesting :)

sapientia-wisdom

I thought "Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom." But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. Job 32:7-8

So tonight I was invited into this exclusive club...lol it was a group of women who find themselves like me in the special and unique fortunes to now be called "Grandmother" or in Latin "Ovia."  I thank you Lord for these women and for this wonderful life experience which I honestly wasn't sure that I would get to participate in.  For a couple of hours I got to listen, share and pray with these wonderful women.  We all had the same desire...how can we create a legacy, how can we be godly grandmothers? We shared life experiences, laughed and gave each other advice and I was reminded that not only does God desire to be our guidance but he desires for us to lean on each other and look to one another for fellowship and a helping hand all according to our needs and abundance.  I read somewhere that our laughter can drown out the clock and if that's the case tonight was timeless and priceless. Tonight was a glimpse into the divine and I am eternally grateful for the experience.
 "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." Proverbs 16:31

Trepidationem

     Just in case your Latin is weak that is Excitement and now that the 1st of August is officially here my excitement level is truly on the rise.  I will be seeing Kevin in 30 days and I couldn't be happier or prouder.  In his last letter home he told us he shot excellent on the range which is so awesome, I always knew Kev would do well in the military but to get the best is more than a mother can hope for.  Alex is doing well but due to the fact that it took so long to get all his paperwork in and some other complications it looks like he will not be entering Job Corp until sometime in late September and even possibly as late as October. So we will now have to look at enrolling him into the local high school until his number comes up.  Since we moved we are not sure where exactly that will be and are hoping Lewis & Clark will just let him attend classes there until he goes in but we shall just have to wait and see.  In case you weren't in the know over this last week I have been in and out of the hospital way too many times and seemed to be suffering from a double kidney infection which truly kicked my behind but I am slowly recovering and feeling better every day!  One of the mixed blessing of being sick was that one of my newest friends in this Marine journey was inspired to stop by on her way through Spokane to visit and it was so nice to meet Stephanie and her whole family.  Her youngest son Michael gave me a hug almost immediately bringing tears to my eyes.  I feel truly blessed to be a part of this new larger family and am getting excited for our Meet & Greet planned for the Wednesday before the graduation. A night of tears, laughs and love, can't wait!
     I have officially written for a grant from an organization called the Marine Graduation Foundation.  They help family members who can't afford to get to graduation, making it possible, so that no Marine will be standing alone on such a momentous occasion.  Whenever possible in the future I will surely support this organization and others like it.  Angela and Ben are going to head up Kevin's return party for Friday the 31st and Alanna's baby shower is tomorrow night and I am actually filled with "trepidationem" even thinking about being a grandmother.
     I have also hit another amazing milestone...I have officially been under the 300 lb mark for more than a week and this is awesome!  I have been working so hard for this goal and my nutrition, blood sugar numbers and exercise have all been in line...if I could have danced a jig this last week on the scale I surely would have.  So God all I am asking is that we have a smooth ride for the next month so that I can do all that has been set out before me...Marine Bootcamp Graduation, finish planning a wedding and continue preparing Alex for Job Corp! I am claiming this verse for the month and I pray you too can find your rest and peace in the LORD..."Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders." Deut 33:12

Check In

So things are going well thus far with boot camp mentality...getting more rest, some good reading in, definately some more exercize and my nutrition has improved greatly.  I have lost about 15lbs thus far and am in general feeling better all around. We have had a few hiccups, Alexander came home from camp with a torn hamstring and is now currently in physcial therapy and may still have to have a possible surgery and I took a lovely little spill the other night on my daily walk with Angela and pretty badly sprained my ankle and left knee.  48 hrs out the ostrich size egg that balooned on my foot that first night is slowly dwindling but now I have a lovely combination of black, blue and purple to look at. I am hoping to be back in the YMCA pool by Monday morning with Sam and Sasha, we shall see what exactly I am able to accomplish but I will give it my best effort. Kevin has been writing relatively regularly, making some friends, suffered through bronchitis, dominating with pugil sticks and loves the high obstacle course which would make most of us pee our pants...lol :)

I have moved into the one and only bedroom here and Alex is temporarily in the living room until he leaves for Job Corp which might be held up a little with this injury but should be leaving by mid August, we will keep everyone informed.  I struggle with how quiet it is most days and especially at night with a door to shut out the world. Herathea mopes around missing Kevin and I try to face reality that pretty soon it will just be me, myself and I around here.  Not that I won't have God, my amazing friends and now my new family of other Marine Parents, fiance's and loved ones of those who have chosen to serve their country.  Honestly this last group has been the most amazing new addition. We email and face book each other daily, share and swap news and letters from all the boys @ MCRD San Diego, laugh and cry together and generally support each other in every way.  One of the Moms starts us off each morning with the most beautiful prayers and we are planning a meet and greet right before Marine Graduation on the 31st of August.  Although it's been difficult emotionally I am so excited to think that in 4 days we will be at exactly the half way point...44 days in with only 44 days left. I'm working on perfecting a play that I wrote back in my play writing class senior year at Gonzaga and we are hoping to do some fundraisers this summer for the donation account. Thanks to one of the sisters at church I now have a couple of face book pages for people who want to stay connected and informed about my journey, check out my profile and you will find them. With lots of time spent in the Word I am learning to feel safe in my shepherds arms..."LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;surely I have a delightful inheritance." Psalm 16:5-6. In case you don't know one of those pleasant places is going to be the realm of grandmotherhood.  Kevin will be a father and although I never thought I would live to see this day...August 28th little David James is due to make an appearance into this crazy world. Although the circumstances surrounding this were not planned and there has been some drama, for me it is a reason to believe in mixed blessings. God is miraculous and is taking care of Mother and Baby while Kevin is out trying to not only serve his country but provide for and make a decent living for his hopeful future family. I am so proud of my oldest son and his willingness to not only step up with maturity but to turn to God in his time of repentance and grace. We have such a loving Father and I am taking comfort in one of my favorite scriptures throughout this time..."For I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer 29:11 Please be happy with me in this and know that we are getting excited as both graduation from Marine Boot Camp and the birth of David James are approaching quickly! Thank you for your love, support and encouragement every day and for caring about my journey. Remember to Carpe Spero (Seize Hope) every moment of every day!

Boot Camp

Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)
OK so we know that a healthy goal is a good one and therefore I am going to step forward in faith tomorrow knowing that God will be by my side in this adventure...So if Kevin can endure some hardship and have some new lofty goals than so can I his mother.  Begining 2moro and until I reach my goal (maybe longer we shall just have to see) my alarm clock will awake me at the ungodly hour of O'dark thirty other wise known as 6 AM (UGH!) and I will do wall push ups, leg raises and a 20 minute mile, I have also recently  moved into the one and only bedroom within my tiny little abode and Alex is gone to camp so I will have no excuses this week not to get motivated and eat, exercise and arise and lie down at regular times.  This is the first day of many to come which shall represent my own dedication to a healthy lifestyle.  I have also pulled out my Boundaries book and Women, Food and God and plan on reading and taking notes and trying to apply some of the good principles from those hallowed pages as well as time in the Word.  Please feel free to join me, pray for me or just offer encouragement either online or in person.  If you would like to go for a walk, I would love to do that with you. let's set some time aside. I'm not exactly sure how this is going to go but it has been brought to my attention that I don't focus on myself enough so here goes my attempt to do so iin a healthy way. Because if I don't than I will never make it onto that transplant list and that just is not an option I am willing to give up. I heard it said somewhere that we can never know what heights we could soar to until we spread our wings, so here's to soaring with the eagles! 

Litterae or Poetry as Inspiration

So tonight in our Living Richly with Chronic Illness Group we of course had our normal check in time and then we ventured into poetry. I read some poems written by a child who suffered from Muscular Dystrophy and although they were simple there was such depth and perception which came across for such a young person.  Keeping it simple this child had the ability to speak even to adults about how to not only live with a pesky chronic illness but to keep his mind uplifted and enlightened even through the interminable side effects of disease. Then we  moved on to a well known poem written by William Ernest Henley in 1875, Invictus.  Upon doing a little research this week I realized that the author had struggled through his own life with chronic illness and even suffered the loss of his leg in his teenage years, yet somehow managed to live a full and complete life effecting others through his written words for years to come.  Invictus is oft quoted, used to inspire and give hope, spur one another along to victory in the face of insurmountable odds and offer up hope to our little group on Wednesday evenings.  I will end this post with the Poems words and hope that they bring you some hope, courage and motivation. 

INVICTUS

Out of the night that covers me

Black as the Pit from pole to pole

I thank whatever Gods may be

For my unconquerable soul

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced or cried aloud

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloodies but not unbowed

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the shade

And yet the menace of years

Finds, and shall find me unafraid

It matters not how strait the gate

How charged with punishments the scroll

I am the master of my fate

I am the captain of my soul

William Ernest Henley

Desire for Discussion

So recently I found this series on Netflix called Three Rivers.  I implore you to watch it so you can get a better understanding of the whole process that goes along with Transplants.  Of course it is a bit sensationalized for TV Drama sake but there are some really great topics addressed and some pretty tough subjects challenged.  So episode 7 really got me to thinking and I am hoping some of you will join in a discussion with me.  The character Jeff has ALS Lou Gherric's Disease and his quality of life has been severely hindered so he decides he wants to come off the ventilator  and donate all of his organs.  Should this be allowed, how ethical is it and who should be the judge of if this is right or wrong.  This was Jeff's choice and it made sense to him.  If death always wins, it's only a matter of when and how, quality of life is vastly important.  Some of us want to have the best death that we can possibly have and we want to be at peace.  Jeff's death would serve the greater good, 7 lives would be saved by his death.   There was another young man who needed a second heart transplant and although his parents wanted him to continue to fight he wanted to let nature take it's course.  He ended up getting a second transplant but his body immediately rejected the new heart and he died in surgery. Another young man named Kual from Africa keeps getting denied and then moves a step closer then two steps back and then back to square one and just like me he has no insurance.  His temperament is amazingly positive throughout but his story always makes me cry.  So I am asking you to share your thoughts and encourage you to watch the series and join in a dialogue with me about some of these deep theological issues.  Have a great week and see many of you on Wednesday!