I'm Marching with my Commander's Cadence

It’s another glorious morning. I’m owning it. With one air-bud in and the other ear listening to God’s creation greet me with a cheerful “Good morning”, I know I’m on point. With that one ear open to the sounds around me, I hear the cadence of my walking. It was almost like I was marching – 1-2-3-4.

A memory flashed through my mind of my oldest grandson at the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, TX and our visit down to see him. It was during such a painful time for my husband who, in the next month, would be diagnosed with kidney cancer, and a few months later, pass on. But oh the pride and joy Papa had this day when he saw his oldest grandson in his regal march and cadence with his fellow cadets.

I know there’s something to be said for a great military cadence! I read that besides physiological effects, cadences produce significant physical effects. Singing a cadence while running or marching helps soldiers keep their heads up, take deeper breaths and exhale more forcefully. All that increases oxygen to the lungs and gives the body more energy, which makes their unit healthier and better prepared for the physical feats and tests they had to take. Maybe, I'm feeling some of that today!

To even compare my little walking steps to a military cadence is ridiculous, but on the other hand – in the light of my purposeful listening for my Commander’s voice, maybe not so much. The military listens for their Commander’s voice and so do I. They are “at ease” or are “forward marching” and so am I. I’m either in a “be still and know” stance or I’m moving on with the next task my Commander gives me.

This morning I hear the words “march on”. Usually, I’m power-walking, but this day my march becomes a stroll as I see this dear lady, using her walker, coming toward me as she has many times. In my community, social distancing is a really big deal. We are supposed to stay 6-feet away from each other on our walking paths, so, we always kept our distance.

Typically, Helen (I ask her name this morning), and I just nod at each other with a “Good morning” greeting. But this morning I know I must stop and intentionally speak to her. I ask if she has had surgery and she says: “No, I’ve had a form of muscular dystrophy and couldn’t walk at all, but I’ve purposed to not settle for that, so I walk. Before I could just barely walk in my home with my walker but I didn’t want to stop there. Now I do what I can outside." I tell Helen she blessed me with her courage.

I’m so glad I listened to my Commander when He said to me “At ease”! I get it. Sometimes He wants me to slow down to speak a good word to a neighbor and sometimes He wants me to get on with my day. Oh, how I desire to ebb and flow with Him – in q cadence of the stillness, the easy-does-it times of a slow pace and the forward march times.

March On

I know DSW Shoes was making a play on words with their email advertisement yesterday. After all, we are in the month of MARCH and it's time to MARCH ON. Here are lines from their ad:

*****OK, IT’S TIME: TIME TO FINALLY REALIZE “I WILL” WALKS ALL OVER “I CAN’T.”
*****IT'S TIME: TO CONFRONT EACH NEW CHALLENGE, AND DECIDE WHETHER TO GIVE UP, GIVE IN, OR GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT.
*****WAKE UP. PUT ON YOUR SHOES……MARCH ON.

Their ad worked. Here I am passing it on because it said something. The fact is life happens, stuff happens and we can decide whether to give up, give in or give it all we've got.

The first photo here was of my grandson's Army platoon marching for their Ft. Benning, GA Ranger graduation ceremonies. Notice they were FORWARD marching NOT backward marching. Whether soldiers are at their home base moving from one post to another, or are on the battlefield….they are on assignment and they will not cease until their mission has been accomplished. Paul said in Philippians 3:13,14: “…..but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining FORWARD to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” MARCH ON.

For over 44 years, my assignment included a partnership with a beautiful man and we accomplished a great deal during those years. Though Heaven called his name and his earth assignments ended, Heaven hasn’t called my name. I’m still here!!!! And, because I’m still here, there’s work for me to do, places for me to go and assignments I must complete. I take my “single” life on with fervor and with great ambition. I embrace the life God has given me and I purpose to make the most of every day. That’s God’s gift to me, and my gift back to Him is my attitude of “winning, conquering, celebrating and overcoming”, because He promised that to me. Jesus said, “I am come that you may have life, and have it in abundance”. (John 10:10). So I MARCH ON!

Don’t think for a moment that I don’t appreciate the beautiful life that I shared with my Sweetheart. I often think about those sweet years. And, I could “sit there” in my thoughts for hours on end, and if I stayed “there”, momentum in accomplishing my assignments would be stalled. But, I’ve determined to not “stay there”. It gets me nowhere! If I stayed there, I would be like a soldier gone AWOL (absent without leave). My precious Mom passed away at age 94. When she was still here, she would ask, “Why doesn’t God take me home? I’m ready to go!” And I would always tell her, “He’s not finished with you here, yet! Keep sharing your love with others, pray, and be here for us! That’s your assignment until you get called home!” You and I are still here and we, too, must complete our God-given assignments. We MARCH ON!

What are the assignments that God has given you? What are you going to accomplish with YOU? Life is worth LIVING. We’re still here and we’re “on assignment” – let’s get our MARCH-ing orders – our MISSION is possible! So we, MARCH ON!