not exactly what i was thinking.

well, it's been 9 days since my last post. 9 days since i last laced them up and tried hit the trail, only to be sidelined. unfortunately, it hasn't been 9 days of healing. it seems that even without running, my shin and knee pain have continued (mostly my shin) with the last couple of days resulting in swelling on my lower shin. it basically throbs all day and even hurts when i don't have any pressure on it. the few times i've taken a quick step or landed harder than usual, it has shot a pretty sharp pain up my leg. so, i guess it's time to get to the doctor. i guess i'll try to get in and see somebody in the next few days. i don't really know what to figure that it is so i won't speculate. hopefully, the diagnosis will be another week off and then a slow mileage build back. wishful thinking maybe...we'll see.

as far as the rest of things go, i guess life is pretty ok. the bankruptcy continues to move toward a 12/31 finish which hopefully means that the uncertainty of employment can go away. you know, it's funny, in spite of the situation we are in, i really have yet to contemplate whether or not this will work out or not. i think i have just been working off the assumption that it would as the alternative would be a bit life changing. as i think about this now, i guess i should have probably been working on a backup plan all this time. but then again, it has been bathed in prayer and so maybe it is not all that uncertain after all.

there is still no doubt that God is doing some really neat things around me. many of the circles that i move in and around have been a real blessing in my life lately. through church, sunday school, my Man Time group, God has been taking us in a direction of being much more aware of His desire for our lives and certainly the accountability that he wants for us. as a family, we are moving into some interesting times where the kids are growing up and being faced with their first run ins with peer pressure and learning that it is ok to be different, to go against the grain. i'm scared out of my wits as my girls get older (12 & 10 now) and ed, jr (8) begins to reveal more of himself and the character that he has developed so far. it seems that we are already running out time when it comes to that parental fingerprint that we would like to leave with them. mostly, i wonder with the time that we have left, what is needed to ensure that they understand how important it is to know Jesus? to know right from wrong? to be confident enough not to be persuaded by to do something stupid by the logic the world will throw at them? man, it's overwhelming! but God is good and He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever! Lord help me translate that into a vibrant relationship for my children with you.