Better Balance?

Gil was out of town last week and happened upon one of the latest health gimmicks... balance bands. We've talked about it before, especially since they also tout back and joint pain benefits. We both suffer low back pain... Gil from his Army days and me from cliff-jumping into the river. I had a different one in mind from the tv ads simply because it's a bit more "feminine" and would complement my jewelry better.

This is what he brought home:
It's just like all those awareness bracelets... yellow for cancer, red for heart disease, pink for breast cancer... you know what I'm talking about. Yep, this one is just a black rubber band with a thin white line and the big letters E F X. Two little holographic dots are on the inside. Not very attractive. And it definitely doesn't complement or enhance my wedding ring!

I'm a skeptic. I'm a pessimist. I don't believe in gimmicks.

Late Friday night, after he came home, Gil had me do the balance test... stand on one leg with arms out and he pushed down on one arm... I about toppled over. I put the bracelet on and we did it again; I barely moved. I'm serious. I kept taking it off and putting it back on, having him re-test me each time. Each time it was off, I'd fall, and each time it was on, I barely moved.

I decided to give it a try. My weekends are always good test times for aches and pains. Stress of the chaotic work week catches up to me and by Saturday or Sunday and I'm usually laid up and propped up on the couch or in bed with intense low back pain and burning sciatica for at least half a day, if not a full one. (Which, in turn, makes the stress worse because I've lost a day of getting anything done!) And for the past three months, we've been remodeling so there's also been the added bonus of manual labor. I worked all through the weekend, bending with stress to my low back for hours on Saturday.

I didn't hurt more than the tiny ache I usually have every day... Saturday OR Sunday. The pain still hasn't caught up to me.

Coincidence? Or does it really work? I'm still skeptical... but I'm still wearing the band!!

Gotcha!

On this very day one year ago, we brought our children home. One year! We have been so blessed to have this time with them.

And now... we're 3 days away from finalizing our adoption and will have the promise of forever.

God is so good... even through all the bumpy (and downright stuck-in-the-mud) parts of this journey. We wouldn't be where we are now without them.

Happy Gotcha Day!

Coming home.