Before-bed read

When Diane Stark began taking morning walks with her mother-in-law, Judy, her goal was to help Judy improve her stamina for an upcoming family trip. But they soon discovered their together-time had an even sweeter side effect

After my mother-in-law, Judy, said she’d love to go to Israel with us, my husband, Eric, had to warn her. “This trip requires a lot of walking. To see everything, you’ll need to be able to walk several miles each day.” Eric paused, trying to be sensitive. “We’re concerned about you being able to fully enjoy the trip.”

I stepped in. “Judy, we’re going to start training to get in shape for the trip. I need to start exercising, too, so we’re going to do it together. Let’s make a walking schedule.”

We decided to walk three mornings a week. My sister-in-law Lori planned to join us. She and Eric’s brother, Jeff, were going on the trip as well.

That first morning, I laced up my Nikes and clipped the leash on our dog, Piper. The two of us walked across the street to Judy’s house. She and Lori, along with Judy’s dogs, met us in the driveway, and we started walking. We planned to start off slowly, walking just to the end of our road and back.

As we walked, we talked mostly about nothing—the dogs checking each other out, what we planned to make for dinner that night, even the weather. As Judy spoke, I listened carefully to her breathing. She was in her seventies, and she hadn’t exercised for several years. I didn’t want her to get

too winded, but I was pleasantly surprised by her stamina.

Just a few weeks into our training, I knew it was time to tackle the big hill not far from our homes. When Lori and I suggested it, Judy balked.

“In Israel, the land isn’t flat,” we said. “You’ll need to be able to manage stairs and hills in order to see everything.”

Judy nodded with determination and headed toward the big hill. As we climbed it, Lori and I encouraged Judy to take breaks when needed. When she stopped to rest, I was secretly relieved. I could use the breather, too.

As our trip to Israel inched closer, Judy’s endurance improved noticeably. So did our conversations. We talked about marriage and family, matters of faith, and how much we were looking forward to our upcoming trip.

I loved our walks. They were designed to train our bodies for all the walking we’d be doing in Israel, but I realized they were also good for my spirit. I’d always been close to my husband’s family, and the time we spent walking reminded me how blessed I was to have married into such a special group of people.

We talked about Larry, my fatherin-law, who’d passed away the previous summer. He’d suffered several incapacitating strokes during his last two years of life, and Judy had been his primary caregiver. It had been so hard, and I knew she missed him. We all did. But we also knew how happy he’d be that Judy was getting to take such a special trip.

The walks were good for all three of us—not just for our bodies but for our emotions. It was a double blessing.

We walked a bit farther each time, and by the week before our trip, even the big hill wasn’t as daunting as it once was. The first time we made it to the top without stopping, we felt like throwing a party.

I grinned, so proud of the progress Judy had made over the past few months. Her stamina had increased. She looked younger, and I’m sure she felt younger, too. Honestly, I was proud of all three of us. I’d lost a few pounds, and I could tell my calf muscles were more toned from all those mornings of walking up the big hill. I just felt better on the days we walked than on the ones we didn’t.

When our plane finally touched down in Israel, I was so excited that I could hardly sit still. I couldn’t wait to walk up and down the streets of Jerusalem, visit the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, and see all of the sights I’d spent my whole life reading about.

I smiled at Lori and Judy, knowing that we were ready to experience it all. For months, we’d been putting in the work, and now nothing would stop us from having the trip of a lifetime.

—Diane Stark

“Our walks were designed to train our bodies…but I realized they were also good for my spirit. It was a double blessing”