"When I quit walking..."

Today I am grateful for the hope and opportunity that arrives with a new day. I am also grateful for friends who listen.

Last weekend  when I was visiting my mom in the nursing home, we were walking and she said:

"When I quit walking, I’m not here anymore." 

I had written about this in a recent post. Still, her words struck me. Her walks up and down the halls of the nursing home, and outside around the perimeter of the building when my brother or some other visitor can take her out, are good physical exercise for her aging body.

That alone would be healthy and helpful, but there is more. These walks are for Mom's overall wellness. Her emotional, mental, and spiritual health as well. I am the same way. In motion, on a walk or run, I more fully take in my surrounding world. I more completely process the pressing thoughts and feelings on my mind and in my heart. I more readily sense the presence of a Great Spirit and other guiding forces. I feel better.

Here is a fitting picture, courtesy of my niece Katie, taken on Mother's Day last year, just days before Mom moved to the nursing home. Mom is walking toward her garden, one of her cherished places. 

I understand and respect how important it is for my mom to keep moving. It will be a sad day if she becomes bedridden.

For today, we both walk on.