Thank you, Lord, for my messed up knee!

All things work together for good for those who love the Lord.

Today I'm thanking the Lord that I have a knee that often gives me problems.  The one thing that really helps my knee a lot is biking.  In fact, last summer it took the pain away completely.

After 25 years of living in the same location I finally came to the conclusion that it's not too far to ride my bike to the park pictured below.

It's about 4 miles to get there, I think.  Then maybe another half mile or so to ride around the pond.  This is Gallop Park, for those of you who live near here.  Not only is it not that far, but after the first half mile or so the whole route is designated bike path.  The entire round trip is about 55 minutes.

It's a wonderfully scenic ride.  And the park itself is so beautiful.

I did post these pictures once before.  But I just had to write about it again.  I saw 6 or 7 robins today.  I know, I know, the robins have been around for a while.  But Spring has not!!  And so the robins were a nice reminder that one of these days, sometime soon, the weather in Michigan will finally catch up to the calendar and we will, WE WILL, have Spring.

The weather is gorgeous today.  It's sunny with blue skies.  OK, the temperature was only about 45 degrees, but when biking that really is just pleasantly cool.  I only wore a fleece and leather gloves and I was very comfortable despite the fact that there was enough wind to blow up little whitecaps on the Huron River.  It was lovely.

There were only a handful of people at the park.  There were one or two bikers, a woman pushing a stroller, and a few people walking dogs.  To each person I gave a big smile which was returned.  I know what they were all thinking.  What a great day to be here.

Geese, swans, birds singing, ducks....it was just lovely.  I took my five minute water break at one of the benches on the water's edge.  Swinging my leg carefully and slowly off the bike, I was reminded of the time I slightly tore some cartilage in my knee while a little too energetically swinging my leg over a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs.  I could hardly walk for a couple days....Could that have contributed to the problem I'm having now?  I'm sure it could.  Then there was the rather more serious knee injury I sustained at age four.  An injury at age four?  Back to haunt me fifty some years later?  Who knows.

In any event, I'm thanking God for the pain in my knee because I need to be able to walk.  I need to do whatever it takes to keep my knee in workable shape.  And it is just that reality that tips the scales to justify in my mind the 55 minutes it takes for this bike ride.  Yes, it could also be justified for heart health, brain health, and emotional well-being.  But the nearly ever present knee pain reminds me to get out there and do it.  And I reap all those other benefits besides.

Glory to God.  Praise him for the beauty of his magnificent creation and for the unfolding of His will.  He is good.  All the time.