TIme Flies

"And just like that I have finished freshman year of college," texted my #4 son to our family group this morning. What a freshman year! Some classes online. Some classes in-person. Masks. Social distancing. ("How do you meet anyone with masks on and socially distanced?" he bemoaned in August.) Covid tests. Postive covid test. Storms. Power outages. Burst pipes. Apartment flooding. Hotel for five days. Home for five days. Apartment for five days. Hotel for 30 days. TRYING to learn and focus on studies. Yikes. Not your usual first year college experience. 

Instantly, as I read #4 son's text, a comment by my #1 son -in a speech to his classmates at an awards ceremony 12 years ago- flashed into my mind, "Time flies when you are having fun!" (Everyone in the auditorium laughed because he ALWAYS talked about flying and airplanes, and had unintentionally used "flies" in his speech. )

Time flies...

And just like that...

Yesterday...

Time flies when you are having fun...It seems like just yesterday #1 son had the auditorium in stitches with his "time flies" comment. Or #1 son was born. Or #2. Or #3. Or #4.  And just like that my boys have grown up. Ouch. My Mom heart hurts. Where have the years gone? My babies have grown up so quickly! How easy it is to just hurry through life. How many times did I tell my boys to "hurry up"? 

Brenda Jank, Founder of Run Hard Rest Well, posted a wonderful article and resource on her blog about "minutes matter". I encourage you to read it https://runhardrestwell.org/5-minute-breather/#more-7825  and watch the S-L-O-W video. We all need it. Stop. Linger. Observe. Wonder.

I replied back to our family text group this morning, "WOW! Time does fly. Pause. Enjoy the moments; the people you are with; the environment around you-God's awesome creation!"

Take a moment in your life to SLOW the hurry.

Arbor Light: Mission-Minded

I am so honored to be featured in the Arbor Light magazine. Click here for the link from the magazine http://blog.cuaa.edu/mission-minded-karen-murdy/

This story first appeared in the spring 2019 issue of the Arbor Light, the official magazine of Concordia University Ann Arbor.

The best way to catch up with Karen Sue (Hinz) Murdy is by walking alongside the blogger, writer, motivational coach, wife, and busy mom of four boys. No matter what’s on her packed calendar, she always makes time for the Lord, her family, and for exercise. Oftentimes, all at once. And she uses her gifts and training to help others keep God, relationships, and movement into their own daily lives.

As a student at Concordia University Ann Arbor, Murdy took full advantage of the beautiful campus to walk out her stresses, a daily habit she learned from her parents growing up in Reese, Michigan.

“There are so many decisions to make as a college student, so I walked a lot when I was at Concordia,” says Murdy. “I prayed for guidance along the river bank and remember knowing a profound sense of peace during my time there.”

Not all of Murdy’s movements on campus were solitary, however. She laughingly recalls leading her friends in aerobic-type exercises in the ballroom of the Manor. In between dance moves, they would talk about their favorite subject, the New Testament. She didn’t know it at the time, but her impromptu “Manor-obics” would be a precursor to an impressive career as a motivational speaker who gets people moving and fired up for our Savior.

The pastor’s daughter would go on to earn her degree in exercise physiology, start a cardiac rehabilitation program, marry an internal medicine physician who shares her passion for the Lord and healthy living, and design a multidisciplinary weight management program that would help people lose weight and shift priorities in their lives. Murdy’s enthusiastic personality and positive approach to Christian wellness have helped her to become a vivacious motivational speaker.