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 at least 6-feet away from each other on our walking paths. So, before now, we distanced ourselves.

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. So now I do what I can outside.” I tell Helen she has 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 and the forward march times.