Running from crazy

I run. I'm not sure I consider myself a "runner," but I run. And, I'm pretty sure anyone other than the novice runner would classify the category of a jog.

Never the less, over the last couple of years, I have learned to love something that I once hated. Always, athletic I knew the joy received from a good workout and the exhilaration of accomplishing goals set for myself, but I never found any happiness in running. It was merely a conditioning exercise used to enhance my other athletic performances.

And when I decided to embark on the adventure of running a few years ago, it was exactly that. A means to an end. An endurance exercise to help me reach a goal. A distractor of sorts.

But, now. Now, it is something entirely different.

I run for many different reasons:

to stay heart healthy,

to counter the calorie consumption in my favorite pasta dishes and chocolate,

to chat with the Lord,

to chat with myself,

to let the Lord chat with me,

to listen to good music like New Edition's Candy Girl,

to dance...you lookin' kinda cute in that polka dot bikini giiiiiirl,

to get out my anger and frustration,

to mourn,

to be thankful,

to feel (because sometimes I just get in a rut and cannot feel things),

to get away from crazy,
because I am crazy!

My love-hate relationship has turned a corner. How do I know? Because...

1. I look forward to an almost daily run.
2. My morning routine involves determining exactly when I am going to fit that run into my schedule.
3. My evening routine includes updating a mileage and training schedule.
4. I've committed to running a distance longer than a 5K.
5. As much as I abhor the treadmill, I have learned to tolerate it when it's cold or rainy. Which has been a LOT lately.
6. I am now doing an extra load of laundry mid-week to accomodate my shortage of sports bras. Sad, but true.

As addressed in numero cinco above,  I have committed to running this innaugural event held in my hometown on May 1st.

I'm a sucker for sentimentality. Is that a word? It was the hometown thing that clenched the deal for me here, but the focus of the non-profit hosting the event is raising funds and awareness for children's health and fitness. There is nothing that pierces my soul more than sickly and unhealthy children. It was a winning combination from the start!

Have you ever seen this program? Oh the possibilities of teaching young girls the importance of healthy living and self respect! My heart melts every time I come across this organization. No offense to you boys out there. You're very much appreciated too, just in a different sort of way.

I stumbled across it on the web about a year ago and it has come up in no less that 2,456,789 searches that I have done since then. You think it could be a subtle hint? I'm praying about it.

After heading down several rabbit trails, I better escape this blog world and get back to reality.

Happy Runnning my friends or whatever your activity of choice is (even if that is just chasing after kids all day long),

Twilight Zone

Morning Dialogue.

G: Mom, I want to see if we can make a deal. Are you up for that this morning? Making a deal?

M: Ummm...whatdayawant?

G: Never mind. (Slowly turns and shrugs his shoulders to walk away)

M: (Overwhelmed by guilt from cutting him off before he could even get his request out. Discouraged because this ultimately will impact future communications down the road. Quickly and humbly grovel and conceed to hear the terms of the deal, knowing full well the answer will be "no.") Ohhh, come back here. What is this "deal" you want to make?

G: (Ever so enthusiastically) If I could just get right on all my chores for the week since I am up and already dressed, can I play Hookie from school today? Please?

M: Really? Really? Did you just ask me to skip school? Nah, I don't think it's a good idea. No deal, little friend.

G: But..

M: I said, N-O. (And launch into some long, boring monologue that only a parent can deliver about how education is a priviledge and there are children all over the world who can only dream of going to school  because in stead they have to work in the fields and factories all day so their families can eat. You know that speech that is supposed to instill guilt but only comes across as mwah, mwah, mwah.)

Parenting-by-guilt? What the heck is that? After scooting him out the door to catch the bus and heading out to the much dreaded office, I began to rethink this whole encounter. Especially the part about having a clean house. That is a fairly tempting deal.

I'm fairly certain the next time he wants to make a deal; I'll take it as an opportunity to practice his negotiation skills. Heck, I could possibly get a clean house, clean laundry, cleaned garage, clean attick, mowed yard and who knows what else out of the deal. A person can get a lot of work done in an 8 hour day. Especially a young, spry lad as himself.

Happy Mid-Week Friends!

A Public Service Announcement

Well...it should be.

Endless Needs

"The sun is about to come up. The aftershocks continue. Some more noticeable than others. There is no way to even begin to share the things we’ve heard and seen since 5pm yesterday. To do so would take hours that we don’t have to give right now. Some of them feel wrong to tell. Like only God should know these personal horrible tragedies. "

From a missionary family serving in Haiti. Read more here.

These days are full of needs beyond most of our comprehension. The horrific situation over in Haiti weighs heavily on my heart right now. As help has begun to trickle in the last 24 hours, more and more images are flooding the media. Splashed across television, the internet, newspapers, and everywhere in between Haiti's desperation is being forced into our living rooms.

This one brings tears to my eyes of both joy and sadness. What appears to be a rescued child, may now be an orphan.

I'm praying for this community. The people. The rescue workers and first responders. The physicians and politicians. The children and their teachers. The parents, siblings, sons, and daughters. The family's of those lost and those found.

Please join me in these prayers.

Remember this little bit of adorableness.

Well, she needs your prayers too. She is a little sick right now. Well, actually she is a little sick all of the time, but she is a LOT sick right now. She may be heading back into the hospital this weekend. She has visited the hospital more times in her short little four years of life than any of us would care to even think about.

Yet, she still smiles like this on her good days.

Her Mommy could use some prayers too. She fulfills the role of the brave, nurturing, and patient mommy better than anyone I have ever seen. She calmly administers painful treatments to her daughter while trying to re-direct her attention with songs and happy faces. Bravely, she packs her three children into the car and faces trepid weather and cantankerous kids to visit the doctor on a more than frequent basis. Patiently, she faces many sleepless nights with the sick one.

Routinely, like most mothers she
visits the grocery store,
washes the clothes,
cleans the house,
changes diapers,
cooks dinner,
pays bills,
irons clothes,
gives baths,
washes hair,
packs bags,
unpacks bags,

and then, as if she needs more to do she

runs a business,
answering emails,
fielding phone calls,
managing people,
manageing events,
hiring and firing,
and all of the other responsibilities that come along with that.

My guess is....she's exhausted. She's broken on the inside from putting on the brave face while watching the agony of her own offspring crying in pain and desperation. She's desperate for her daughter to just have a run of the mill cold that goes away in 3-5 days.  She's in need of a kid-less day for a pedicure and a haircut, but she'd probably settle for a 2 hour nap and a day with no Dr. appointments or phone calls.

Please join me in praying for this little one and her mommy and the rest of their family.

Blessings to all,

Hope

Hope is a powerful thing.

Bernice, Bernice, Bernice knows a little about it. She watched her mom hit that skunk named Justine Mattisse over the head with a club.

 

I'm sure that left her hoping for a new little, cute and cuddly puppy for a pet with a normal name like Spot or Rover.

Possibly, Justine Mattisse was hoping that Bernice, Bernice, Bernice would vanish into thin air at that moment.

Here is the thing about hope. Hope never disappoints us. It's always there as a light shining in the distance to get us through from one stagnant, stressfull or perilous moment to the next.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Romans 5:3-5.

3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

copied from http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%205&version=NIV

What strikes me about this passage is the idea that sufferings exist. Pain is real and the fact that trials will be in our life to produce suffering doesn't go unnoticed by the Lord. Life just ain't always a bowl full of cherries and God gets that!

According to Ramona Calvert, you just get a little stink on you sometimes. But how exectly do you go about blowin' it off?

"Sufferings produce perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope"

Here is a hint. It's what's sandwiched in between: perseverance and character building. Boy, aren't those things music to your ears?! Want to know what Mr. Webster has to say about perserving? No? Too bad because I'm going to tell you anyway.

"to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement"

Oh dang! This is hitting home for me. Probably for many of you too. All four of you that stop by here.

Keep in mind though that hope follows perseverance and character building. I mean, I might have a bad day and find myself comfortably perched on my haunches on the sofa hoping a big, fat bowl of chocolate ice cream would make its way into my hands, but that my friends is a vain hope. Selfish ambition at it's finest.

Hope that follows perseverance; that's the good stuff. The genu-ine, real thing. Guess I'll persistently wade through the sea of obstacals to the fridge and fix my own bowl of chocolate ice cream now.
But, here is the key to it all friends. Don't miss this. It's big. Really Big!

"hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts"

That part makes all the difference in the world. Without that love, that stink...well, it just ain't goin' no where and I'd be willing to bet it just gets worse.

Daily Blowin' Off Stink,

The Back Burner

Ever wonder what a blog on the back burner looks like?

Well, if you have stumbled across this site once or twice recently, then your getting a first hand look my friends. It's sad really because there is so much to share.

Hopefully, you won't hold it against me that I am a bit neglectful. Please? Pretty please? I'm on my knees here.

This stint will probably last a couple of months, but I'll do my best to get in a quick post every now and again. Regular post (well as "regular" as they ever are) should resume March 1.

So, stay with me. Please? Pretty please? With sugar on top? I'll throw in a cherry too?

I want to make a deal with you. You add the substance for the blog today. I'd love to hear how you spent your weekend. Bundled by a fire during this acrtic blast? Or cooking something to warm your soul in the kitchen? Or did you do something crazy like go outdoors and risk turning into a popsicle? Tell me all the details in a comment. Please? Pretty please?

Hoping you all had swell weekends,

Manic Monday

Last night I went to bed with an overwhelming sense of panic. A list of 1,000 things ran through my head that I wanted to do before Monday morning, but alas I did not get them done. Nor did I want those things to keep me from my beauty rest. So I closed my eyes and fell promtply into a carb induced coma from everything consumed the previous week.

Now, it's Monday morning and the mental list has returned along with the panic. And the list is even longer and the panic even stronger.

So, I've decided the best thing to do is have one more cup of coffee and go over it mentally one more time before I get up and get started on it.

Off to refill my coffee cup.

Make yours a less manic Monday friends.

Peace out,