By Weldon Tisdale, Chaplain

It has been said that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. However, that is only partially true because the distance ultimately depends on the geometric shape of the object. In life, the shortest distance between your starting point and destination is not a straight line. Though you may be able to see your destination, there may be many paths you can travel to arrive. Life is filled with uncertainty. What road do I travel? Will it be straight or filled with many twists and turns, hills and
valleys, smooth and rough patches, U-turns, circle backs, and on and on? In the end, it is important to decide to move forward knowing that, at times during the journey, moving forward may mean backtracking.

Author C.S. Lewis said, “Progress is not simply moving forward. It is moving closer to the desired destination.” Here are a few Biblical examples, which demonstrate that life is not a straight line:
• When the children of Israel were freed from bondage in Egypt, they turned an 11-day journey to the Promised Land into a 40-year expedition. Why? Primarily, because they would not follow the direction of God. Yes, they eventually arrived but not without some major struggles and several rough patches.
• Abraham received a promise from God, if he would leave his homeland, his people and his father’s household, that God would make him into a great nation and bless him. His journey took 25 years before he received the ultimate promised seed. In between, his life faced many challenges, twists and turns
before reaching his destination.
• Joseph had a dream which took 13 years of ups and downs, twists and turns before it came to fruition.
• David was anointed king but it took several years of trouble, struggles and victories before he was eventually crowned king over all of Israel.

“Progress rarely happens in a straight line. It typically unfolds in loops. Day by day, it can feel you’re spinning your wheels. If you look back on your trajectory over months or years, you can see forward movement. Major growth is the result of many seemingly minor turns. ” ~ Amy Grant

Life in each of these stories was moving forward but not in a straight line. Even though you could say that life always moves forward, forward doesn’t always mean in a straight line. Enjoy the journey ahead of you even if you need to take a detour at times.

The holiday season is upon us and if life isn’t busy enough the holidays can bring on extra stress. In order to stay on top of your health during holiday season it is important to stay on track with your health goals. If you don’t have health goals or you need some tricks to get back on track, here are a few things to remember and programs to take part in at Trinity Woods.

Practice Gratitude – Gratitude is a simple tool that is at our disposal to improve our well-being all the time. Practicing gratitude increases positive emotions and encourages you to reflect on what is good in your life. It helps you shift your mindset from the bad things going on to look and appreciate the
good in your life. “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie

Senior Fitness Test: Measure It so you can Manage It. The Senior Fitness Test (SFT) is a series of seven tests that assess the functional fitness of older adults. Taking the Senior Fitness Test helps to set physical and personal goals. Please join us on Thursday, November 18 as we shoot for 50% participation
in the 2022 Senior Fitness Test! Call Delisa Gray at 918-346- 6642 to sign up!

Maintain Don’t Gain Challenge
Just in time for the holidays, we are hosting our Annual Maintain Don’t Gain Challenge for employees and residents of Trinity Woods. This six-week challenge runs from November 21 to January 2. It encourages weight maintenance and healthy habits during the holiday season. The goal is to help you stay motivated
and on track when all of the goodies and temptations are always around during the holidays. Call Delisa Gray at 918-346-6642 to be a part of this challenge!

Veterans Day is a time to honor those who served, those who still serve and especially those who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms in our country’s wars. Military veterans have a special place in the American heart and definitely the hearts of the Trinity Woods community.

“Armistice Day” was started in 1919 as a way to commemorate the end of World War I. In 1928, Congress passed a resolution to make an annual observance. November 11 became the official date for the observance and a National Holiday in 1938. In 1954, the holiday officially became Veterans Day to celebrate the service of all veterans living and dead.

Thanking veterans for all they do and have done is a way to express our collective gratitude. The sacrifices they made deserve our recognition. America’s veterans have done everything asked of them in their mission to serve our country and it is never too late to celebrate their dedication and service. As Veterans Day approaches a quote by George S. Patton Jr. comes to mind. “It is foolish and wrong
to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”

Each year Trinity Woods takes time to celebrate and thank these very special people, both men and women who have served, with a special program. We encourage you to attend this annual service. This year’s service will be held Friday, November 11 at 2:00 p.m. in the Fleming Center.