Strength

Strength is measured in so many different ways. One persons strength is not comparable to anothers, largely in part because our lives and situations vary so greatly. This is a good time in this post to point out the obvious, any strength we have is from Jehovah, especially in our lowest moments. Which brings me to 1 week ago, today.

Last Tuesday I received word from a friend that she has breast cancer. It was her first day back to work after finding out, the day she was letting her co-workers know, and those of us who live a ways away. I could sense that while she was getting through her day, it was taking a great deal of strength to do so. I couldn't help but think that her jouney has just begun, and she's already finding inner strength she didn't know she had a month, week, day before she found herself at work in this situation. I have no idea how long a journey she is in for, but I know she will be amazed when its all over and she looks back at how strong she was along the way.

My friend is an amazingly stong woman. I have no doubt about the amount of strength, fight, and determination she will face this with. One of the things i have learned over the past 2ish years is that we have no idea how strong we are until we push ourselves beyond what we thought our limits were. When we hit our limit and we have no strength left,when we are drained mentally and physically.... and we refuse to quit, that is when we really find out who we are, what we are made of, and how strong we are. For some, this comes at the hands of circumstances beyond our control. For others, we choose to push our limits and see what happens when we don't think we can keep going. (see pic above of mile 26) I have also found out that strength is 90% mental, 10% physical. It's believing you can do something and convincing yourself to try even when you don't know what the outcome will be.

My immediate coping mechanism was to find my Alicia Keys CD and head to the garage to face my own nemesis, the treadmill. I can run for hours in real life, but to do 30 minutes on the treadmill nearly does me in. Today, it didn't seem like such a huge problem, all things considered. After the first 2 songs, a whole 10 minutes, I was about to be done. Then, 'I Am Super Woman' came on. Considering how i felt, I laughed, then as I listened to the lyrics, I cried.

Laugh, cry, repeat song....I ran my heart out on that stinking treadmill for an hour and a half, longer than ever before. (I would find out 2 days later, last Thursday, my Aunt has Multiple Myeloma and repeat a similar routine in the garage)

As I was running, I was thinking not just of my friend, but of all the Super Women I have in my life, all dealing with their own struggles of one sort of another. For some it is cancer, for some it is chronic pain, some have watched their children battle terrible disease, some have had their lives impacted by injuries and don't know 100% how it will effect their future, some deal with depression, emotional issues, loneliness. For some it is the smaller battles....pizza, pasta, ice cream, consistency in working out, getting and staying on track, bills, family, mile 26, ect....for all the 'Super Women' in my life, you amaze and inspire me and help me find strength when I need it, even though you may never know it! So, I thank you, and post for you the wonderful lyrics of Miss Keys.

Everywhere I'm turning
Nothing seems complete
I stand up and I'm searching
For the better part of me
I hang my head from sorrow
Slave to humanity
I wear it on my shoulders
Gotta find the strength in me

Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am
Yes she is
Even when I'm a mess
I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes
I'm a Superwoman

For all the mothers fighting
For better days to come
And all my women, all my women sitting here trying
To come home before the sun
And all my sisters
Coming together
Say yes I will
Yes I can

Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am
Yes she is
Even when I'm a mess
I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes
I'm a Superwoman

When I'm breaking down
And I can't be found
And I start to get weak
Cause no one knows
Me underneath these clothes
But I can fly
We can fly, Oooohh

Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am
Yes she is
Even when I'm a mess
I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes
I'm a Superwoman