Spring in my step...

This morning as I finished getting ready for work, I heard my phone ring. It was Hubby calling to say it was a "winter wonderland" outside (he had just left for work). Well, he was being just a touch sarcastic as there was only about an eighth of an inch of snow and it really was only on the pavement, not covering the grass. However, it was nice to see a little bit of winter rather than just feeling it in the air. Of course it was all gone by the time I came back home from work, but here's a pic I took outside the condo this morning:

I've got some exercise plans. The execution of those plans has begun with a new work-out schedule. It's more intense than any schedule I've ever had and I'm pretty excited about it. However, my sneakers were not so excited. The treads were beginning to fall off and they were all of a sudden starting to stink... no seriously, they didn't stink and then they did. It was sudden. And with the fitness goals I have in mind, tired shoes just weren't going to cut it. So Tuesday night I went and bought some new sneaks (seen below). They are a style that is being replaced by the updated version, so I got them for a good price (which I always appreciate). They are much lighter than their predecessor (hence the sensation of springs in my steps!) and are great so far. I'm thankful to be able to replace old shoes and can't wait to bust my butt in the gym and wear these out too!

Speaking of being thankful, I know I said I wasn't going to be long-winded anymore (or did I just think that in my head?), but I have a story: This morning, before lunch, a man came in to get his fingerprints done. At first I was a bit frustrated with him because I wasn't sure he should be getting them done by us because his work address and license (home) addresses weren't within the city- a "requirement" for using our fingerprint services. He finally explained to me that his license address was not up to date and that he was currently living out of the homeless shelter- he had recently lost his job and subsequently was evicted from his home.

With that settled, we moved on to the fact he wanted to pay with a money order, but it was for too much and I am not able to give change from a money order. I explained this to him, and he nicely said that was fine and he would just go cash it and come back.

He came back and he was telling me a bit of his life story, which I don't mind because I like providing kindness through listening. This man had been taking care of his mother and step-father. The step-father died of cancer and the guy then had to put his mother, who had Alzheimer's, into a nursing home. After this he loses his job and then his home. They (him and his wife) move to the homeless shelter and then his wife has to quit her job because they can't afford the commute.

Now he is getting his fingerprints done for a job. This job is working with elderly people and he says, it all just came together. He basically said, "I took care of my mother and step-father, then I lost the life I was living, only to gain a job I really wanted that involves working with elderly people." He's like, "it all just happens for a reason." And he was upbeat the whole time. He was happy for the losses he suffered because the outcome is looking bright.

This guy wasn't giving me a sob-story, he was giving me inspiration. We should all be as thankful for what we have as he is, no matter what struggle we go through, because God is good and He provides. We just have to stick out and have faith, the rest will come together.