Mom and daughter stretchin' in the Rose Garden!

So, I was never the biggest fan of running though Brian is the running man! After our May 16th virtual 6k I thought I was done with all the cardio training. Yet, here I am again in the month of July slowly training again for a virtual charity run that's even closer to my heart. The fight against cancer. Sometimes things happen in life that shatters your heart. Finding out my niece Sarah has a rare type of bone cancer, Osteosarcoma, during shelter-in-place, was one of those moments as a Mom that makes it difficult to pick up the pieces of your heart as you pray for her, her Mom, Dad, sister and family. I began to be determined after taking my break from running training, to slowly work back to up a gradual cardiovascular strength. Weeks before the May 16th 6k, I was doing indoor biking and elliptical practice that was about 30-45 minutes in length with intervals of increasing intensity. After that 6k outside where I ran my heart out for Sarah and the charity, I took a week or two off of the cardio training, and found, I had lost a lot of endurance I had built up from daily practicing, five days a week! Ack! So in the month of July, I decided to combine my prayer and worship life with my cardio training. I didn't feel I had the time time to devote 30 minutes to an hour of cardio training a day, since I had others things piling up on my plate, but I decided to start again by doing cardio training for the first week of July to a favorite worship song. And to pray for others for the duration of that song. It could be anyone during this pandemic, and family members, there are so many things to pray about! This week, I found I could increase my daily cardio to two favorite worship songs, and still keep up with my todo list. And this is what I have found is the cure to a shattered heart. I pray my heart out to God while I exercise, this could be skating, ballet, dancing, cardio, and I somehow find that He puts all the shattered pieces back together into this beautiful mosaic that reflects his unfailing love for us when we were falling apart. The next time you see a beautiful ice skating routine, remember that mosaic of God's unconditional love and you will understand more why some people love ice skating so much! God bless! Anita