10,000 Steps

Memorial Day weekend, May 30, 2010. It is a holiday set apart to honor those who have gone before. First and foremost are those that gave their lives for the freedoms we usually take for granted in America. I was probably in junior high school, but I still remember the day we received word that cousin Renee's husband had been killed in Vietnam. It was a tragic time. In our country's short life, millions have lost the battle in our defense. Millions have fought and returned home safely. In my ward lives a man who serves in the military. Each Memorial Day, 4th of July, Veterans Day, and any other patriotic holiday, he wears his uniform to church. It is an awesome sight. I appreciate his constant reminder of how blessed we are to be living here in the United States...problems and all. I remember a thought that is inscribed on a memorial at the Utah State Capitol Building. "For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know."

Second, we honor our pioneer heritage. Our entire Singleton/Bennett ancestry came to Utah as Mormon pioneers. Some came by ship from England. Others migrated west from New England and Canada. A few encountered tragic situations as they came across the Midwest plains. But for the most part, their trek was uneventful. My mind reflects on the words to our Primary song. "Pioneer children sang as they walked, and walked, and walked...and walked." The same routine day after day; the same scenery; the same food, the same people, the same tiredness when the sun set. I would wager that many of our great-great grandparents complained about the journey and the monotony of each day. They were just human like you and me. But they also kept going with "faith in every footstep".

That's my focus today: footsteps. With a year and a half of cancer treatments and recovery, I haven't been diligent in keeping up a physical fitness program. I decided NOW was the time to start over. I bought a pedometer and challenged myself to walk 10,000 steps a day. The first day was embarrassing. Let's see. It's about ten steps to the copy machine and twenty steps to the ladies' room. Another fifty steps in and out of the office building and maybe twenty five steps in and around the kitchen for dinner. I was lucky to have recorded over 200 steps. So my goal of walking 10,000 steps a day seemed as daunting as crossing Nebraska for James Bennett. This last week I made a conscientious effort to go the "extra mile". I went out walking in the mornings (weather permitting) and spent time on the treadmill at night. The highest recorded number reached 8,500...until yesterday.

Saturday was a good day. I clocked 4,000 steps on my morning walk; another 1,000 at the grocery story; about 3,000 mowing the lawn and doing yard work. The remaining 2,000 came with chores, errands and activities of the day. I celebrated my first day of reaching the goal of 10,000 steps. Hurray!

I acknowledge the blessing of being able to walk. I humbly recognize that some people cannot. Some of us take baby steps. Some steps are slower than in years before. Some steps are painful and are limited. But regardless of the number of steps we take each day, Great-Grandma Phoebe showed us that it is the amount of faith in each one that matters and the direction we are going.

So this Memorial Day as we honor the footsteps of those tramping on the muddy battlefields or along the dusty Mormon Trail, I hope the footsteps of today are lasting legacies for generations to come. One day Chloe, Daxsen and McKean will relate to their grandchildren the tales of how we "sang as we walked, and walked, and walked....and walked" in faith.