Reflections

Here I am enjoying the last few hours of 2012, watching 2013 quickly approaching.  Actually, tomorrow is not arriving any faster than any other day, so I shall say that it seems to be increasing its speed with each passing moment.  I am trying not to panic.  It seems that I have unfinished business with 2012 - lists left unchecked, chores that remain undone, goals unreached.  What shall I do?

I'll tell you what I'll do.  I will rip off the page of the calender and start fresh tomorrow.  Tomorrow is another day just like today was another day that I looked forward to yesterday.  I will not fret over what remains undone.  I will start a new list and get to work.

My list begins with decisions - decisions of what my resolutions will be for 2013.  When I make resolutions, I am serious.  It is a good way for me to start new habits and break old ones.  Last year I made a decision, a resolution, to capture the year in pictures. (I thought it would encourage me to journal and blog.)  Every day I would take a picture.  I failed.  My first mistake was to try to blog with the picture, which meant more work than snapping a picture.  I had to email it, upload it and blog about it.  Too much.  Big mistake.  Overkill.  A set up for failure.  It's not that I didn't enjoy doing it, but rather, it did not fit well with my life.  It was not a realistic goal for me. 

I like the idea of a picture a day, so I'm going to try again.  My revision to my goal will be that it will only be a picture.  I will not blog about it.  (OK, maybe on occasion I will explain in a blog, but not every day.)  I will post my pictures on Instagram, so if you'd like to follow, you can find me on Instagram @runwithrobin.  This is my first resolution.  I shall do my best to keep it.

My running goal for the year is to train for and run the Chicago Marathon in October.  I want to train well, not just get by.  I want to do my best and I want to improve my running.  I will be more intentional with my training.  I will consistently engage in speed training and strength training.  I will try my best not to over train.

My business goal for the year is to manage my time more wisely.  This seems to be a recurring goal for me and I do continue to improve, but upon reflection, I think it is an area where I have slipped a little and I need a recharge.

I have a couple more, but will wait to share them on a later blog.

I'd like to know - do you have a resolution?  What is it?  I'd love to know!  Please share.

With that, I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year!  Enter the new year as if you are walking outside on a beautiful, crisp, clear day and can't help but take in a deep breath and enjoy being.  The new year is certain to hold all kinds of things for each of us - good times and bad, happiness and sorrow, excitement, anger, laughter and tears, opportunity and disappointment, beginnings and endings.  May we all have the strength, peace, wisdom, comfort and joy we will need to face the days ahead.

Hello 2013!

Winding down or gearing up?

Are you winding down after, or between, holiday celebrations or are you gearing up for the new year?  Have you given any thought about what you want to accomplish in 2013?  Are you feeling a need for change and/or improvement?  If so, in what area are you most needing change?  Health, relationships, career? 

Every year during this week between Christmas and New Year's there are countless articles, tv shows, blog posts and various other social media messages about resolutions.  All of these, including the one I am writing, can move us to think about our lives and question what we are doing and how we are doing it - or not doing it.  We look back over the year - maybe as far back as our last resolution - and see how we are doing.  Did we become better somehow?  Are we happier, healthier or better off than we were a year ago?

Many times there seems to be more questions than answers.  Why is that?  I think it's because we are in a continual state of learning, changing and growing.  Do we ever arrive where we want to be?  Is anyone ever satisfied with exactly where they are and feel no need of improvement?  I wonder.

During this week between Christmas and New Year's, I like to take some time to reflect on the past year.  What worked and what didn't?  What am glad that I did and what do I regret doing - or not doing?  If I can, what/how will I improve?  I don't focus solely on the negative, but include the positive as well.  It is important to acknowledge the good along with the not so good.  If we recognize what worked, we will be more likely to repeat it.

I look at the major areas in my life and decide on one change or improvement I will make.  I consider my marriage, my family relationships, my relationships with friends, obligations with various groups such as Girl Scouts or church, my career, my health and my relationship with God.  Improving in these areas requires intention.  I take an honest look at these areas and decide how I will improve.

In the area of health, my goals are usually centered around running.  I have been running now for 9 years.  Each year my goals shift a bit.  Each year I focus on a particular facet.  For instance, a few years ago, my goal was to normalize a 10 mile run.  In other words, I wanted to get to a point where I could do a 10 miler whenever I wanted.  I committed to consistent training and I did it.  I strengthened my base and by the end of the year, a 10 miler felt like a 5 miler did just the year before.  That may not sound like a big difference, but for me at that time, it was a nice accomplishment.

Today, I find myself, once again looking at various areas of my life.  I consider the resolutions of 2012 and review how they played out in my life.  Some of them I handled well, and others I did not accomplish.  (I will definitely expound on these in a later blog - no doubt all of us have failed at keeping a resolution here and there.)  I will take some time and decide what to do (or not do!). 

This exercise brings perspective to my life.  It also guides me to become who I want to be.  When I live with intention, making conscious decisions about how I will live, I am more likely to succeed in the important areas of my life. 

Join me in looking back in order to move forward in 2013!  Today is the 26th.  We have 5 days to consider 2012 and make decisions about 2013.  Invite perspective into your life by reflecting on the year.  Live intentionally in 2013 to make the changes and accomplish the goals that are important to you!

The Dishes Are Still Dirty.

Seriously, I still have dirty dishes.  I still have laundry to do, floors to mop, flowerbeds to weed, a garage to clean, an attic to organize - the list goes on and on.  Do you know what I don't have?  I don't have two of my little girls at home anymore.  They are gone.

When I was a young mother of 1 year old twin girls, I ventured out to a Bible study at my church.  The group was made up of other moms of young children.  It met once a week for a couple of hours.  I had wanted to go for some time, and just couldn't seem to get it together to get out the front door and to the church.  I was overwhelmed.  By the time they were a year old, I thought I could probably manage it, so off I went.  This group turned out to be a lifeline for me.  I was a stay-at-home mom of two with a husband who was starting a business and, therefore, working from very early to very late.  We were doing the best that we could to provide for our girls and take care of each other.

I vividly remember how I felt at that point in my life.  I was doing exactly what I wanted to do - I was at home with my two precious girls, taking care of my family and I was completely overwhelmed and worn out.  I was happy and thankful, yet I felt out of control.  Life was happening so fast and most of the time, I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants, doing just enough to put out a fire before the next one started.  Life was becoming a blur.

As I sat listening to one of our speakers, I heard something that would change my life and my approach to parenting from that day forward.  Our speaker was a more experienced mom and she was sharing some highlights from a book she had read.  (I can't even remember the name of the book - but I can remember her point.)  She looked at us and said,  "Ladies, you will always have dirty dishes to wash, but you won't always have that little one asking you to stop and read a book to them.  Stop and read the book.  The dishes will wait.".  I knew at that moment that she was right and I didn't want to miss a thing.  Besides, I don't like doing dishes anyway, so why not put that off a little longer?

When you are a task oriented person, it can be difficult to walk away from some of the tasks that need to get done.  I had to decide, many times over the years,  which tasks needed to get done immediately and which ones could wait.  That is not always an easy task itself.

I can remember times when I left things undone to spend time with my kids.  I can remember times when the stuff of life just had to get done and we had to delay that quality time a little bit. I can tell you this for certain,  I don't regret a single time that I let something slip.  I do regret any time that I let a small thing like a household chore get in the way of spending time with my children.  I regret the times when I thought it was more important to scrub something than to read a book to them.  And I am particularly pleased with the times I managed to do both!

When I hear my girls talk about their childhood and the good memories, I never hear them remark about how clean or dirty the house was.  I hear them talk about dancing in the kitchen, reading The Goblet of Fire out loud one summer, singing karaoke or playing dominoes.  We have some great memories together and I am so thankful for each and every one of them.

Time does, indeed, move quickly.  The older we are, the faster it seems to go.  If you have young kids at home, enjoy.  I know how tough it can be, trust me.  I also know that their time with you is brief.  It is a sweet time that is much like a whisper, looking back. 

The next time you are standing at the sink, doing the dishes or scrubbing the tub and a little one asks you to read a book to them, go!  Drop what you are doing, take that child's hand, grab the book and read it!  Before you know it, they won't be asking anymore and you'll wish they were.

Changing "I can't" into "I can".

In my last blog, I stated that I planned to be more organized and intentional about my blogging.  To be organized and intentional,  I need a purpose.  So I ask myself, "What's the purpose of my blog?".  My answer? 

The purpose of my blog is to inspire and motivate the reader to live with intention, purpose and joy.  It is possible to have joy - whatever your circumstances.  I'm going to do this by sharing how I have learned to do just that - live with intention and purpose.  Life doesn't have to be perfect to find these things.  In fact, I have found more intention, purpose and joy when life isn't so perfect.

Today is Friday and today's topic is the word can't.  How often do you utter the words "I can't"?  When we begin our training season, turning couch potatoes into marathoners, we give a list of reasons to train for and run a marathon.  One of those reasons is to remove "I can't" from your vocabulary.  Ever since I finished my first marathon, I have seen the world through a completely different lens.  When I accomplished something huge, I felt my self limiting beliefs fall away.  What I once thought was truly impossible, became possible through a lot of hard work, sweat and tears.  During the course of my training, I had to overcome many obstacles.  I did it.  I began with one single step.

How often do we approach life with the "I can't" attitude?  How do you know you can't?  I have seen many, many people go from huffing and puffing through their first mile to crossing that finish line at the end of 26.2 miles!  It doesn't come easily, but it does come if they put their mind to it and do the work.  The looks on their faces is priceless.  The day I see them cross that finish is the 2nd best day of the year.  The best day of the year is the day they show up for that 1st mile.

Tomorrow, my team will do 20 miles.  They are nervous.  It will be hard.  Some will have a great run and will be encouraged that they can, indeed, do this.  Others will have a tougher run and they will have to battle that monkey on their back who is trying to tell them that they can't.  I know a secret.  I know that whichever category they fall into, they can do it because they have done the hard work.  The key is to just keep moving!

Are you up against something difficult?  Are you being intentional in your efforts?  Are you consistent?  Is your purpose clear?  Don't quit!  Keep moving!  This is the only way to get to the finish line!  The rewards are great and will change your life forever. 

Living with purpose,
Robin

Summer is over. Time to get serious.

No more playing.  It's time to get serious.  I've been at this blogging thing for a while now and I'm ready to take it to the next level. 

I accepted the challenge of posting a picture every day at the beginning of the year.  I did this to motivate me to blog more.  I did well for a while.  Then I started slipping.  Oops. 

I am not willing to give up, so I will continue.  It may not be every day and that's ok.  I settled that matter a while ago.  I resolved to continue to blog regularly and not feel defeated, even if I didn't post daily.

Now I need a plan.  Enough of this stream of consciousness stuff.  I need more organization than that.  Those who know me well, know that this is true.

What's my plan?  My plan is to blog about why it is that I run.  Novel thought, considering the name of my blog is Reluctant Marathoner!  Here we go...

I am a marathoner and I continue to train for various reasons, many, if not all of which I will share with you as time goes on and provides an opportunity.  Today, I'll share my picture from my run this morning. 

Let me begin by saying that it was a tough morning to run here in the South.  The temperature was 82 degrees with 90% humidity.  Yes, you could say it is hot.  But, today is Wednesday and every Wednesday I run with one of my running buddies.  So, off we go, enjoying the morning and we get to one of my favorite spots along the way - this bridge pictured above.  There sit three dogs.  One is sprawled out in the middle and they're just staring at us.  I have a habit of taking pictures of the wildlife we come across on our runs, but this is the only "wildlife" that was out today. 

On our way back, they were gone, so I do hope they found their way back home to some nice cool water and some shade.  I know I did!

Why did I run today?  Because I was meeting a friend to run and sometimes that's what gets me up and going.  That's one of the many advantages of having a running buddy.  If you don't have one, get one!

A Letter to Mrs. Crocker

Dear Mrs. Crocker,

When I was a little girl, my family lived across the hall from your family.  We spent a lot of time together - your family and mine.  I can remember Jennifer, Doug and Betsy playing with me and Dana for hours.  We would sled down that big hill in the winter and play kick the can until dark (and sometimes after) in the summer.  I remember Doug jumping down the stairs to the basement and hitting his head on that pipe.  Wow! That was a lot of blood.  I remember Betsy.  Oh, Betsy.  Even though I was only 9 years old, I knew she was a handful.  Now that I have a #3, I understand.

Oddly enough, one of my most vivid memories of you is your hair.  I thought you had beautiful hair.  This is why I did not understand why you wore it in a ponytail every day - a ponytail tied with a blue ribbon.  I knew it had to look even prettier down, but never did I see it that way - not once in 3 years.  I did not understand that and I'm not sure why it was such a big deal or why it even registered with me, but it did.  And now, I understand. 

Let me explain with a story.  Sunday morning, I woke up, put on my robe, went into the kitchen and started fixing some breakfast.  I don't do this every morning, but on Sundays, I like to fix something for the family.  I put some muffins in the oven and went back to my room to dress.  As I was finishing up, the timer went off, so I hurried into the kitchen to get the muffins out of the oven.  As I was returning to finish getting myself ready, Caroline needed help with her hair, so I stopped to help.  By the time I made it back to my room, it was Mark's turn in the bathroom.  Ugh!  I lost my spot.

I returned to the kitchen to eat my breakfast, resigned to the fact that we would have to eat in shifts in order to make it to church on time.  I finished and Mark came in to iron a shirt and eat.  I took over with the shirt and he ate.  As I was finishing up the shirt, I noticed that it was about time to leave.  I rushed back to my room to fix my hair.  Of course, it would not cooperate, so for the 1,345,567th time, I, too, resorted to the ponytail.  As I was standing in front of the mirror, it dawned on me...so this is why Mrs. Crocker always wore a ponytail!  Mystery solved. 

I don't know why the image of you popped into my head the other day, but I'm glad it did.  It made me smile.  I have many fond memories of the times our families spent together.  I just have one more question - how did you keep up with that ribbon?  :-)

Sincerely,
Robin

Enclosed is my picture of the day -  my ponytail.  I rarely leave home without it!

Seeking motivation, inspiration and encouragement.

Found it!  I showed up to run with one of our training groups this weekend.  I was moving one of our daughters back to school and wanted to run with our training group there.  We showed up, visited with the team, warmed up a bit and that's when I expected to head out and get in some miles.  That's not what they do.  The last thing they do is circle up, and rally the troops, so to speak, with this chant.  How awesome is that?  It was wonderful! 

I was there in hopes of motivating and encouraging them, but they gave me far more than I brought.  Wow.  What a delightful surprise! 

In addition to this wonderful boost, I also had a great conversation with the gentleman leading the charge.  Actually, it wasn't much of a conversation.  He had a lot to say and I really did not.  It was hard to speak because I felt quite emotional listening to him.  He shared his heart with me and I appreciated that.  I was stunned by his encouragement and passion for what we are doing.  He recognizes the importance of our mission and shares our vision of getting people up off of that couch and get them moving.  Another wow moment. 

Moments like these tend to erase any of the negative experiences (not that there are any, right?).  I think God has a way of places people in our path as reminders to nudge us to stay on course.  Encouraging words are a powerful thing.  Thank you, Fred, for sharing yours with me.

I've had more than a few of those lately, so I'm glad I was able to capture one on video to share with you.  I hope it brings you some measure of the encouragement, inspiration and motivation that it gave to me.

Thank you, Team Hattiesburg!

There she goes...

....again.  It's that time again. Time for another one of my daughters to go back to school.  This isn't her first time to leave, but it is still a little difficult - definitely bittersweet.  I love having my girls around and I am always excited for them as they head out on their own.

My picture for today must be the ever growing pile of stuff that is ready to be loaded in the car and taken to school.  It seems that every time we turn around, we think of something else that is needed.

I'll miss her.  Just like I miss her sister, who is away at college, too.  I miss them because I really enjoy them.  I'm proud of the women they are becoming.  We tend to have a lot of fun when we are together.  I think sometimes that we almost speak our own language, constructed from all of the good times we've shared - moments treasured in this mother's heart.

I know that there are many parents out there saying good bye to their child for the first time.  It's not easy, and yet, it is necessary.  It is time. You have done your work and poured in what you could.  Did it take?  Yes, it did.  The good, the bad AND the ugly!  It is time for them to be on their own.  Some things they will be prepared for and some things they will have to learn on their own.  That's the way it is for all of us.

Life experience is a powerful teacher.  I pray that we have trained up our children in such a way that it saves them from the worst of heartaches and pains, while providing them the coping skills to deal with the tough stuff and critical decisions they are sure to encounter.

When I sent my first two off to college two years ago, they left as young daughters, ready to get out there, pseudo-solo, and make their way.  They have done well.  There have been ups and downs, laughter and tears.  We have walked it all together - not always easy to do when you are long distance and can only sit and listen.

It is difficult, sometimes knowing that they have to walk a road of disappointment, confusion, frustration or the unknown and the only way through is to just keep moving.  As this began to happen, I tried to assume the role of adviser, rather than parent.  Being a listener and sounding board, rather than an instructor can be a helpful, yet difficult thing, but the rewards are great.  Sure, they still need me to be a parent now and then - they're not completely grown!  The role is shifting, though, more towards that of mentor/friend than guardian/caretaker.  Now, they come and go from home still daughters, but now there is something more.  They are my friends.  I am their friend.  That is why I miss them when they're gone. 

We will continue to pack and leave tomorrow for school.  We will laugh and enjoy our day together.  I'll help her settle in and she will reassure me that she is just fine.  We will say good bye (or in our language it will be "So long!  Farewell! Auf wiedersehen....) and we will look forward to the next time we see each other.  That's the way it should be, don't you think?

Just because that's the way it should be, doesn't make it any easier.

Oh, how I love my girls!  ;-)

Do it anyway.

When you commit to being healthy, what do you do when you encounter obstacles to your workout?  You do it anyway, if at all possible. 

Obstacles will arise.  They did for me today.  I slept late because my usual Wednesday running buddy could not meet.  Once I got up, it was too hot outside to go for a run, and I was still a bit fatigued from several days of mileage this week.  I headed to the gym. 

I haven't been to the gym for a while because I've been getting my miles done outside - I like that so much better.  However, going to the gym does have it's advantages - it's cooler, I can lift weights while I'm there and I can read while I run.....IF my Kindle battery was not dead.  Ugh!  Oh well, the elliptical was working, so I got it done. 

My Kindle is now charging, so I'll be ready next time!

What do you do after 17 miles?

You sit in a tub filled with cold water.  Then you add some ice!

This had to be my picture of the day today because I may soak in a cold bath every now and then after I run, but I rarely add ice.  This is the second time I've done this in the last couple of months.

Why?  It's the marathoning thing.  A great way to reduce soreness is to sit in a cold bath for about 5 - 10 minutes.  The pushes out the lactic acid and helps to reduce swelling, thus reducing soreness. 

The trick is to get in the tub, fully dressed and prior to running the water.  It's less of a shock and eases you into the cold.  Once you are in, and the water is rising, add the ice.  Grab a good book, set your timer and wait.  Ahhh.....it really does work and you will notice a difference the next day.

Let's hope I do - I have another run in the morning!

I don't know why it was funny

...but it was, to me.  In case you can't read the sign to the right, it reads, "Please honk your horn for service at the window.  Window sensor is broken.  Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause during your visit.  Thanks, Pizza Hut"

For some reason, I usually just hate to honk my horn.  I don't know why, I guess it's because it's so loud and I'm not too fond of loud noises.  I never have been a fan.  I also, do not like being rude, although I'm sure I am from time to time.  I feel like driving up to a window and honking my horn is rude - even when they ask me to do it.  This is what's funny to me.  Why was that such an obstacle for me?  Weird.  So we waited.  And we waited.  And then I finally consented to let Caroline honk the horn.  I still felt bad for the workers.  Oh, well.  They asked me to do it!

The times, they are definitely changing!

There was only one choice for my picture of the day today.  Does this look familiar?  Do you remember the sound of your locker opening and closing?  Do you remember the panic that you felt when you couldn't get the combination to work?  Did you ever have a bottom locker and stand up before the top locker door was closed?  Ouch!

If you have forgotten any of this, you remember quickly when you are thrown back into that environment.  Of course, this time I'm the mom.  The feelings seem to be the same for the kids getting lockers for the first time.  Fear of not being able to open it.  Standing there for 20 minutes trying to master the skill of working a combination lock.  The excitement of figuring it out and the pride and fun of showing your friend how its' done.  It's all the same.

 It's funny how some things never change - or do they?  Apparently, in some schools, lockers are a thing of the past.  Say it isn't so!  Isn't the locker a rite of passage?  For us, it still is until someone deems it unsafe. 

Until then, it will remain a pretty big deal for the 7th graders to get that locker.

Forced to stop

It's been a while since I was stopped by a train, which is rather surprising.  We have trains that pass through our town 15 - 16 times each day.  That's a lot of trains! 

As I sat there watching the train pass by I thought about something I miss.  I miss the sound of the train whistle.  A while back, our town became a quiet zone.  While I am sure that the people who live right next to the train are glad, I miss the sound.  For the past 20+ years, I've heard that whistle several times a day and every night around 11, if I was still awake, I could hear it in the distance.  I miss that.  It's a wonderful sound.

Sitting at those tracks, waiting for the train to pass, made me think about how little I stop.  There's always something to do, someone to take care of or somewhere to go.  When I stop, I can think.  It's been too long since I've done this and it is time. 

I am reminded of something I heard once at a conference.  I was in a session about time management/managing your life.  The speakers spoke of how important it is to take time out to review what's going on in life/business and how often one should do this.  The point was to be intentional about setting time aside to determine if things are working, how they are working and ways to move forward. 

Setting aside an hour a week to review the previous week and plan the next can make a big difference in productivity.  Who doesn't love to be productive?  Also, taking bigger blocks of time, like a day each month or so and perhaps a weekend or two a year to do the same thing with planning and reviewing, but on a much larger scale, can give you the time and perspective to stay on course. 

As summer comes to a close and the school year begins, routine comes back into my life.  This is a good thing.  I have enjoyed a couple of months of flexibility, working more from home and spending time with my girls.  It has been fun and relaxing.  Now it is time to focus and get back to a little more work time.

Some days you just have to take some time to relax.

The last few weeks have been particularly stressful.  There are various reasons for the stress and some of the stress was good, but it was stress.  Sometimes, it just piles up and I reach a boiling point.  When I do, I have a few things I can do that help relieve the stress.

1.  I take a bubble bath.  Ahhhh......  Ever since my precious girls came along 20 years ago, I have made time for a bubble bath.  It helps just to have a little while to myself.  There was too much going on this afternoon to escape to the tub - must wait until later.

2. I go for a run.  I love this one, but today it was just too hot when I needed it and besides, I have a long run tomorrow, so that means today is a rest day.

3.  I play the piano.  This one fit just right this afternoon - between filling water balloons for Caroline for the XC water balloon fight this evening and deciding what's for supper and writing this blog.  Nice. 

I don't play particularly well, but that doesn't seem to matter.  It works.  It takes me some place else and relieves some stress.

For those of you who took piano when I did, you might remember playing scales.  That's the picture of the day.  I still have my scales book and I am still working on it.  Only, now it doesn't matter if I mess up.  I don't have to start over if I don't want to - there's no one there to make sure my posture is correct or my hands are just so.  It's just me, practicing away.

Did I stand in line yesterday?

The answer might surprise you or it might not.  I don't know.  The answer doesn't really matter, but the subject does.  The question that matters to me is, "WHY were people standing in line?".  Because they hate gay people?  I seriously doubt it - not for most.  Because they oppose gay marriage?  Perhaps - seems strange to me, but perhaps that was the reason for some.  Maybe it was because they believe in the right of free speech AND the right to believe they way we choose and not be punished for it.  I can only hope that this was the reason for the vast majority. 

I care about the reasons. The reasons say a lot about the world in which we live.  The way we react to each other is quite revealing. 

I can only speak for myself on this and any other issue.  I am a Christian.  I do not call myself religious and do not hold fast to a particular denomination.  I want to live the way Christ teaches me - with love.  I don't always do that perfectly.  In fact, I struggle daily with this.  I want people to know that God loves each and every one of us.  Period.  No question.  No doubt in my mind.  I try my best to treat everyone I meet with the respect and love of Christ.  Again, I fail miserably every day.  I keep trying.  I try to forgive as I have been forgiven.  This is a tough one.  (Like the love part, isn't?)

The thing that concerns me most about all of this the lack of love, grace and tolerance for the views/beliefs of others.  It seems as though many do not care about trying to understand another view or even respect it.  People do not seem to care unless it directly affects them, which leads me to my point.  Apathy is a terrible thing.  Apathy is defined by Widipedia as a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion.  An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical and/or physical life.

My running bud and I were discussing a famous quote the other day.  It is by German theologian, Martin Neimoller and it goes like this:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left to speak out for me.

I hope that those who stood in line yesterday, stood for our right to believe as we choose - whatever that belief.  I hope those who stood were not standing for hate.  I hope that good intentions will not be spun into evil intent.  I hope that, when the day comes for each of us - and it will - we will be able to stand for one another and protect our individual right to believe as we choose.  

As far as I know, the business in question and the person who owns it are good and positive for our nation.  I have never heard of anyone being forced to believe his way - employee or customer.  He delivers a good product with good service, generally speaking.  I will continue to support his business because I like the product and I like their service.  The day I walk in and they try to force any kind of philosophy or belief on me, is the last day I will support that business.  Somehow, I don't think this will happen.

My picture of the day is, of course: 

 

It's my picture of the day, but not for the reason you probably think.  I came close to causing a bit of a scene today in our local restaurant.  I did stand in line today because I was out with my girls, we were hungry, we like their food and appreciate their gluten free options.  As we were sitting there, enjoying our meal, we began to discuss the happenings and the fallout of yesterday and the days leading up to it.  

Luckily, we were at the back of the restaurant and I was facing the wall.  I began to think of my many friends who have felt hurt during this time because of this event and some of the things that have been said.  I felt angry because someone thinks they can read my heart according to the chicken I eat.  That's not possible. 

As I was talking, a flood of emotion rose up and I almost had to excuse myself from the table.  I gathered myself and we finished up our conversation, concluding that it is a bizarre thing this has turned into.  This is not a religious issue for me.  It is not a homosexual/heterosexual issue for me.  It is about the right to have your own opinion.  It is about free speech. I may not agree with someone, but that doesn't give me the right to shut them down.  That is scary. 

Let us not be apathetic to what's going on in our culture today.  Let's not take a stand against each other.  Let us take a stand against anyone who would force us into a society where we must all be the same.  Let us celebrate our differences and our diversity.  We will not all agree all of the time - have we ever?  No. 

We live in a free country - let's not give that up.

Gotta run?

I'm up.  I'm dressed.  My stuff is packed.  I'm ready.  I've got to run.  Wait a minute....GOT to run?  Really?  Must I?  Who's making me?  No one, really.  Of course, the friends who are waiting for me just might come get me if I don't show up.  My family might push me out the door in a few days when I'm grouchy and tired after a few days of not running, but who is really MAKING me run?  No one. 

I GET to run.  I choose to get up early and head out the door.  I do it because I can and I realize there are some who would like to, but can't.  Because of that, I will not complain.  I will enjoy the ability to get out there and run as much as I can. 

No more time - it's time to meet those friends and run.  ;-)

Yes, I'm still here!

 I'm still here and life is still happening!  I just haven't been blogging.  I've been snapping pics, but haven't made it back to the blog.  That's ok, though, I'm not giving up!

As you can see, I found some great pics at the local produce stand. 

One of the best parts of the summer is all of the fresh produce, yum!

 We stopped by here after our run yesterday and picked up a few things.  This is where we do much of our grocery shopping these days because we are in the middle of a huge overhaul at our house.  We are taking our eating habits to the next level!  Mostly fruits and vegetables for us from now on.  I hope.

It all started a good while back when my daughter's pediatrician recommended I read Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  It is quite an eye opener as far as nutrition and health go.  I have been eating less meat and more fruits and vegetables, but now Mark has read it and is on the bandwagon as well.

I'm not sure how this is going to work, exactly, as we are in the beginning phases.  I'm still in the steep part of the learning curve and feel very challenged and a bit frustrated by it.  It's really quite simple, it's just so different.  It takes more thought, planning and trips to the store.  I'm sure I'll figure it out and will update you on our progress.

Looking forward to a healthier future!

Blooper Queen

Somebody hand me a tiara!  I am about to be crowned the blooper queen! 

Mark and I are in our studio recording video today and I just don't know how one's mind can go blank so quickly and completely.  I mean, within seconds, there's just nothing there.  Nothing at all.  All of a sudden, I don't know my name, let alone anything about this thing called Marathon Makeover!  It's crazy!

I told Mark that I am much better LIVE!  Every week we do a show for our participants and it generally goes well.  I don't forget who I am, why I'm here or what I'm going to say - at least not as much or as thoroughly...

Because of this experience today, my view from my chair, must be my pic of the day.  We did get through it and now have videos for interested potential team leaders.  We will once Mark gets them edited, that is.  :-)  I'm quite happy that editing does not yet fall under my job description and I'm extremely grateful that he is so good at it.

Sitting in front of a camera and talking to people who are really there - at least not yet, trying to communicate a specific message can be difficult, but it can be done and I can do it!

National Running Day!

This morning, I started the day by running with 2 of my buds.  It just so happens to be National Running Day, so I'll say we celebrated with a run, although this is our regular running day.  Any excuse to celebrate, right?

More importantly, though, today is a reminder of one of the reasons why we can just get out there and run without many worries.  On this day, many years ago our troops landed on the beaches of Normandy.  Many people have given their lives over the years to protect and ensure our freedom.  For that, I am extremely grateful.  The price is high and many have and continue to pay it.  May we never, ever forget that.

On a lighter note, I will include a picture of the "wildlife" spotted today on our run.  If you follow my blog, you know that we love to stop and take note of the "wildlife" we see along the way.  Now, you are probably wondering how on earth I spotted this little guy, I mean, I am out there RUNNING, right?  Well, we were taking a walk break and spotted a very long worm - in my estimation, probably about 6 or 7 inches long.  That didn't prove to be a very interesting picture.  However, beside him was this cool looking snail.  That's more like it.

Not much else going on today, or too much to get into, so I'll close for now.

Until next time, get out there and move!

Back to it....again.

As the old saying goes, "If at first, you don't succeed, try and try again!".  Think about it.  Success is only reached by stepping on a bunch of failures, or tries, right?  Have I heard that somewhere before?  I think so, but I can't remember where.  If you know, tell me - I'd want to give credit where credit is due.

I started off the year, intending to blog a picture of the day every day.  I haven't hit it every day.  I have blogged more often, though, which was my purpose in taking this on in the first place. 

Here I am, after taking a week off (or more) and I'm ready to tackle it once again.  I think my main obstacle is this:  I have too many things on my plate.  It's a spinning plate, stuck up on one of those sticks and I'm having trouble keeping it spinning AND making sure everything on it stays in tact.  Whew! Do you ever feel like that?  Yes, I'll bet you do. 

Everything on my plate is a worthy endeavor and is truly something I want to accomplish.  I can do it.  I have examined it and don't think I have too much,  but I do need to organize and prioritize in order to get everything done without getting too overwhelmed.  When I get overwhelmed, I tend to freeze.  The only way to get things done, is to keep moving, so this doesn't work very well.  It's something I'm working on changing.  How am I changing it, you may ask?  I'll show you:

This is my picture of the day.  As I was working at the office, I came across this sign, which is part of our kick off meeting for our marathon training program.  I don't know what it was doing in the office and not in the storage room.  It was the message I needed.  I took it and placed it in the window of my office so that this is the view from my desk.  I also set the picture as my wallpaper on my phone.  How many times a day and for how long will I see this message?  Hopefully, enough and until! 

There is much to be done, so I shall do it!

What's on your list?  How are you going to accomplish it?  You can do it - whatever it is!

Examine your own plate.
Decide what is important enough to keep.
Set the other aside - either by delegating it to someone else or getting rid of it altogether.
Focus on a realistic timeline to get it done.
Write it down - all of it - your goals, steps to getting there, timeline.
Record your progress each day so that you can see how you are spending your time.
Keep moving towards that goal(s), regardless of any setbacks you may have (and you will).
When you reach your goal - celebrate!

And don't forget...remove "can't".

A Mothers Day Wonder

 What a Mothers Day it has been!  It started out well, went a little crazy, and got another kind of crazy!  The first crazy began because it was Sunday morning with all three girls at home and everyone trying to get out the door ON TIME to go to church.  We got through that, and emerged virtually unscathed (for the most part).  We even arrived on time!

When we came home, Mark noticed two baby birds on the ground beneath the tree in our front yard.  They were tiny and are pictured to the left.  We picked them up, did some research, put out some SOS messages via Facebook and waited.  We were headed to a family party, so we took them with us.  After a few hours and not much luck getting anyone to adopt these birds, which we had determined are doves, Mark decided to take matters into his own hands.  Ok, in his case, hand.  He left us at the party and went home to take care of the birds.

He had read that the best thing to do was to make a nest out of a basket, hang it in the tree and hope that the parents return.  That is exactly what he did - see the picture to the right.
Pretty cool, right?

Since I had been promised a trip to see The Avengers, we left to go see it and hoped for the best.  We just returned a little while ago and lo and behold, it looks as if the mama has returned and is taking care of her babies!  We could see her tail feather sticking out over the edge of the basket.  I hope we are not just seeing things and there really is a happy little bird home up there.

And here are my little chicks, posing beside The Avengers - they've all picked out their favorite.  Little did we know that when we got home, we'd all feel a little bit like superheroes ourselves...

Above all else

I haven't posted a picture in a few days.  I'm not sure why because there is always something to snap.  Motivation has been lacking, I guess.   Motivation is back today.  It returned in the form of a quote from a song.  I don't even know what song it is or who sings it.  When I find out, I'll post.

Yesterday morning, as I was fixing breakfast for Caroline, this song was playing on the radio.  A line in it caught my attention, "The world is on their way to you, but they're tripping over me.".  Wow.  I stopped what I was doing, grabbed a note card and wrote it down.  Then I read it again.  The truth in it hit me.

I am a follower of Christ.  I believe that in Him is life and that all life is held together in and through Him.  Therefore, I believe the words that have come from Him are pure truth.  There is not anything in this world that is true, that is not His.

As I grow older, I become less convinced that I have all of the answers.  There are things in this world that I am not so sure of anymore.  It seems the older I get, the less I know or the more I know that I don't know.  Does that make sense?  The one thing I do know is God is who He says He is.  God loves me.  God loves you.  While other things get more confusing, God does not.  

This world is confusing.  When I get confused, I go to the Truth.  What does the author of all say about it?  This causes me to take a look at what He calls the greatest commandment in Matthew 22 - "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'"This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All of the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'"  Did you get that last part?  Everything hangs on these two things - Love God, love your neighbor (as yourself).  It's a short order, but a tall one.  This is going to take a while to master - the rest of my life, I'm guessing.

To me, that means before I can get too bogged down with the stuff of life, I need to Love God with everything I am and have AND love my neighbor as myself.  Again, wow.  I return to this quite often.  I question a lot.  I always have.  When I question something - an issue, an opinion, etc. I must put it up against this.  My first job is to love God.  My second is to love my neighbor (as myself).  When I don't do this, something doesn't work.  I get off track or hung up on the non-essentials in life.  That's why those lyrics jumped out at me like they did.  I don't want to get in someone's way.

I am reminded of a quote that I like, "In essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, in all things, love."  This, of course, will beg the question - what is essential and what is not?  That, I cannot - or will not - answer for you.  As for me, I go back to the author of it all and seek my answer.  In the meantime, I will try my best to love.

What a treat!

Just in case you didn't know it, I am married to a smart man.  One of the many reasons I know this is, after being out of town for a couple of days, he came in the door with a surprise for ME.  Of course, it had to be my picture of the day - a box of Moon Pies and an RC Cola! 

Guess what my post run treat will be tomorrow :-)

It is Spring!

Is there a more perfect picture for Spring than this?  I don't think so!

A couple of weeks ago, a beautiful hanging plant appeared on my doorstep.  I didn't know where it came from until a couple of days later, I talked to one of my daughters and she asked, "Oh!  Did you like the plant?".  What a treat!  She got it as she was passing through on her way to a friend's for the weekend and dropped it off on my front porch. :-)

A few days ago I kept noticing a bird flying away from the porch every time I left the house or came home.  I figured it had to be that plant.  Every time I hang a plant, I get a bird.  Some people think this is annoying, but I like it.  It's so beautiful.  The picture is kind of small, so you may not be able to see - there are 4 blue eggs and 1 brown speckled one.  It will be fun to see them hatch.  I am sure I'll post another picture when they arrive.

Thanks, Anna!

Caring for Clinton

Today I cared for Clinton, the City of Clinton, that is. 

How, you say?  I'm so glad you asked!

Once a year, my church designates Sunday and encourages our members to get out in the community and give of their time and energy to help our city.  It can be anything from helping someone with yard work, caring for a family in need or picking up trash on the side of the road.  This time, I wasn't sure how I was going to pitch in.  There were several different opportunities and I had planned to fill in where needed. 

Plans changed when we woke up this morning and Caroline did not feel so well.  Working outside or away from the house would be out of the question.  I started wondering how I could help from my house.  Quickly, I thought of my closet.  I had been meaning to get in there and clean it out, but had put it off.  Until now.  Today was the day.  I set to work and spent the majority of the day sorting, folding and packing.

The picture above is what I gathered and I don't even have a walk in closet!  Wow!  It totaled 3 bags to give away and 1 bag of trash. 

Then I started on Caroline's closet.  That amounted to a couple more bags.  It struck me how much stuff we accumulate over a short period of time.  We have so much and easily forget this fact.  I hope that this overflow will help others in one way or another.  It was an easy task that I hope God will take and multiply many times over.

Feeling overwhelmed? You're in luck - I'm a pro!

Isn't modern technology wonderful - at times?  Today it's wonderful, because it not only enabled me to talk to one of my daughters, but it enabled me to see her, too!  What a treat! 

We talked for a while about this and that, but mostly about all of the work that is piling up on her.  It's that end-of-semester build up when all sorts of projects come due, quizzes pop up and final exam preparation is looming.  Needless to say, she is overwhelmed. 

Like most of us, she is overwhelmed with all that she needs to accomplish in the next few weeks.  I am all too familiar with this feeling and I'm sure most of you are as well.  Because of this common challenge, I decided to focus my blog on it today.  I want to share what I do when I get overwhelmed with life.

1.  I reach for a good dose of perspective.  The fact of the matter is, time will pass regardless of whether I get the "stuff" done or not.  Life will go on - Lord willing, that is.  And if He doesn't, then who will care?  I won't.

2.  Make a list!  We've probably heard it a thousand times.  There's a reason for that - it works!  I make a list of EVERYTHING that needs to be done.

3.  Break it down.  Prioritize.  I write down a "due date" and organize tasks like that. 

4.  I cross things off as they are accomplished.  This feels so good!  I can see that I am getting something done.

5. I revise the list each night before going to bed.  This helps clear the mind. 

I don't do this perfectly, but over the past several years of juggling kids, husband, work and other stuff, I've learned a few tricks that work.

I hope this helps!

How loud is your happy?

I just heard a great line in a movie that we're watching.  A little girl can't sleep because the neighbor is having a party.  There's loud music, lots of people and a lot of laughing.  She says, "Their happy's too loud."  Wow.  I like that.  It brought me to question, how loud is my happy?  Does it overflow and affect others?  I hope so - at least some of the time.

Today, my happy is pretty loud, I think.  I've had a good day from start to finish, but I have to admit, the best part of my day came this evening when my Anna and I set out for a nice, long run.  Here are a few pics -

This is our turnaround point.  We didn't take any pics for the first half.  We started off with tight, tired muscles, but by mile 5, we were feeling good!  Here's the proof:

On the way back, we turned around and caught a glimpse of a beautiful sunset.  The picture doesn't do it justice, but hopefully you get the idea.

There's nothing quite like the feeling of finishing a long run.  It is an amazingly effective way to rid yourself of stress and give you perspective.  We finished well, came home, enjoyed a spaghetti supper and are watching a movie with the family. 

I must say, I'm feeling like my happy is quite loud right now.

Check out my new ride!

Yet another tactic to get your attention!

However, I did take a ride on one of these little motorized scooters, provide by your local discount store to those who cannot walk without some assistance.  If you happened to see me rolling into the store, no worries, I am not injured or impaired.  I am sore, though, from my 2 days of Insanity workouts, so it did cross my mind to stay in the scooter to continue my shopping....

Here's the story:  As I was driving into the parking lot this morning, I noticed this little lady heading down the parking lot with her groceries in tow.  I noticed her because she was not too much on the side, but heading towards the middle.  I circled around to a spot on the other side and saw her again as she headed down the next aisle.  By the time I parked and got out of my car, she was on the next aisle.  At this point, I decided she had lost her car. 

After noting where I had parked, I headed towards her to see if she needed some help.  She was already 3 lanes away (apparently those things can go pretty fast!).  I finally caught up with her and asked if she needed some help.  She had, indeed, lost her car and did not know where she had parked.  After asking a few questions, I determined that she must have parked on the other side, towards the front and had just overlooked it.  By now, a lady from our church had also spotted her and came to help.  I got a description of the car and we headed to the other side of the parking lot to find the car. 

When we got to the other side, we found a car matching the description - small, 4-door, green nissan.  It was a strange green, so we figured it had to be it.  Once again, we set out to find the lady.  Uh-oh.  Where is she?  We didn't see her anywhere.  Another lady stops (apparently we looked like we were up to something) and we asked her if she had seen the little white haired lady on the scooter.  Yes, she had, she thought a truck was about to hit her, but it didn't and she kept on going.  She pointed us in the right direction and lo and behold, there she was, 2 more lanes over almost at the end of the row, standing at a small green Nissan, identical to the one on the OTHER SIDE of the parking lot.  At first, I thought she had just found one that looked like her car and we would have to figure out how to get her way back to the other side of the lot.  Nope, it was her car.  We asked if she was sure and she pointed to the tag and read the letters and numbers on the license plate (apparently this happens quite often, so she had memorized her tag).  Yep, it was hers.  She also knew it was hers because she had scratched off the first name of the place where she'd bought it because "she didn't like him".  Ha!  Funny.

As we are putting her groceries in the car for her, I notice how very far she is from the door.  I know that scooter has to be returned and, somehow, I know whose job it will be to take it back up there.  They both turn and look at me.  Yep, my job.  Off I go, but not before telling her that next time, she needs to park closer. 

I admittedly felt more than a little silly as I rode my way back up to the store.  Especially, when I got to the door and someone was just standing there, blocking my way.  I sat there a minute, knowing that she would certainly notice me on this scooter thing and let me pass.  Nope.  My ability to be invisible to those around me even works when I am on a scooter.  Do I say,  "Excuse me..."?  Nope.  For some reason, I feel the need to say, "Beep, beep." and then, of course, explain that I was just returning this and didn't really need it.  Ugh.  Just say excuse me, thank you and return the scooter, Robin!  When will I learn?

There you go - the explanation of how I ended up in a motorized scooter - just trying to lend a helping hand.  :-)

Laundry for one!

I had no other choice for my picture of the day today.  This is Anna, one of my college girls, and this is her laundry.  Just hers, spread out over the bed. 

We had plans to shop a little today and we were each getting ready to go.  I stuck my head in to see when she would be ready.  With a heavy sigh, she said, "I can't get dressed because of all of this laundry!  If I leave it here, it will wrinkle, so I have to fold it before I can get ready."  So, I did what I am ever so happy to do these days, I stayed a minute and helped her fold.

As we were folding, she said something like (drum roll, please), "This is just for me, how did you DO this for ALL of us for 20 YEARS???  I would've gone CRAZY!!"  Priceless.  Absolutely priceless.

Marathon Recap

Last Saturday I ran my fourth marathon in Jackson, TN.  It's been a few years since I ran my last, so I thought I'd give it another try.  I'm thinking about taking on the Goofy Challenge, and thought I'd see how I'd do with another marathon first.  You see, the Goofy Challenge is a 1/2 marathon on Saturday and a full on Sunday.  Why does someone do the Goofy Challenge?  I suppose just to prove you can.  Hmmmm...I'll have to think a little more about that.

Let me move on to the recap. 
This was a very small race.  That's one of the reasons I chose it.  I thought it would be interesting.  It did not disappoint. 

The above picture is my running bud, Pam, and I at the start.  We were happy then.  As we moved toward the start and heard some words of welcome and instruction, I heard the person say,  "Please pay attention out there.  There will be no closed roads.  Pay attention to the arrows on the street, because we can't trust that the directional signs will be there."  Uh-oh.  Now, I didn't expect them to close roads for this race, but I did expect some cones.  Nope.  Also, I was a bit worried about missing an arrow along the way and running more than necessary.  Luckily, the course remained pretty well marked and we found our way just fine.  To the right is a picture of the first group of horses we came across.  They were absolutely beautiful, as was the country. 

In addition to finding my way and staying safe, another concern I had that day was for my foot.  Two weeks prior to race day, I had started having some pain in the bottom of my foot, which I felt like was some tendonitis, that later started acting like plantar fasciitis.  I got off of my feet and did not run for two weeks prior.  I stretched, iced, etc.  I rode my bike and did my strength training and hoped that that would suffice.  It did.  However, about a mile in, I knew that I was going to have to endure the foot pain for as long as I could or not finish the race.  Ugh.  That is not fun.  I resigned myself to suck it up and do it, so on we went.

Here is a pic I snapped of Pam - doesn't she look happy?  We were still happy at this point.  It was a beautiful day, although warming up quickly.  This was almost at the halfway point and we were doing pretty well.  Having a running buddy to get through the miles with is a great help!

Here's the reason I had my phone out to take pictures.  We came upon these beautiful horses and just had to stop!

Sometimes, you just have to stop and smell the roses, you know? 

After we left, the horses took off running - it was a beautiful sight.  We took off running, too, though not as fast.  :-)

On with the race...it was getting pretty hot and the tough part of the race was approaching.  I know to expect a challenge somewhere between miles 16 and 20.  The challenges that day were the heat, my foot and the fact that, at some point, I was going to have to leave my buddy. 

In training, we usually stay together.  Our agreement for a race, is for each of us to do what we need to do.  She needed to slow down and I needed to move on.  I knew that if I slowed down, my foot would only hurt worse. I needed to keep running and get this thing done.  So, finally, I went on and continued my race.  This was definitely the hardest part of the day.  This is the dig deep part.  I knew I had about 11 more miles to go.  I was hoping my foot would hold out.  I was hoping that Pam was ok.  Did I mention I saw no sign of medical help, should we need it?  I knew that Trina, who came with us and was not running the marathon, would be checking on us, so that put my mind at ease a bit.  At about mile 17ish, I think, Trina came along.  Was so glad to see her!  I had packed an extra pair of shoes in the car and quickly changed into a fresh pair.  Ahhh....those fresh shoes felt so good and helped me get through the next few miles.  I moved quickly, said "thanks" and "bye" - I knew if I lingered, I would hop in that car and never look back!

I have a shirt that reads,  "The race begins at mile 20."  Yep, it sure does.  That's when it gets hard.  That's when your mind takes over.  How well you do depends on what you tell yourself.  I kept telling myself things like:
"I can do this!"
"It's just a 10k..."
"Just keep going."
"I have to finish or start over...I'm not starting over."
"Just go."
"See that person up there, catch them."
"I so have this."

I did have it.  I did have what it took to finish.  It was tough, but I was tougher.  I was tougher than last time.  It was easier than last time.  I am stronger than last time.  That feels good.

I finished.  I didn't have the finish time that I wanted, but it was better than my last.  It was good considering the obstacles I had to overcome that day.  I won because I finished.

And because I finished, I got a treat!  A little bit of Coke and some Belgian chocolates!  Yum.  The night before I left, I went to Bunko.  My friend, Francie, had been to Belgium and brought us each a box of chocolates.  It is hard to express just how good that chocolate tasted.  It was a wonderful reward for a really tough day.

 Here's another tasty reward - onion rings at Red Robin....

And here we are, Pam and I, post marathon - cleaned up, happy again and ready to go eat....again.  ;-)

Patch me up!

This is my leg on drugs.  Yes, on drugs.  This is a steroid patch that is treating some tendinitis.  Isn't it strange what can be done nowadays?  Hopefully, this will help relieve the discomfort and I will be up and running my marathon this Saturday! 

I am pretty excited about my trip to Tennessee.  We are going to have a lot of fun and get another marathon done!  Woohoo!

So that's it for today.  No deep thoughts.  Maybe tomorrow.

Glimpses

This morning, I was able to sit in church and hear my youngest play the piano for the prelude in our service.  I was so proud of her and impressed that she would and could get up there, in front of everyone and play a beautiful piece for the entire congregation.

Because she was playing the prelude, most of it was hard to hear because people were entering the sanctuary, getting settled and visiting.  When she finished, she stood up and began to walk down to her seat.  The music minister stopped her and asked her to return to the piano and play the last several measures so that everyone could hear.  He knew she had worked hard on the piece and wanted her to be able to share that with the congregation.  She smiled, turned around, sat down and played again.  Wow.  I was impressed - mainly because I don't know if I could have done that as gracefully as she did.  I was impressed because she seemed composed and gracious.  She's 12, so that is an encouraging thing for a mother to see.

Sometimes it is difficult to see how a child is growing because we are so close to them all of the time.  We see the good, the not so good and the downright ugly.  Fortunately, now and then, we are given a brief glimpse of what is happening as we work day in and day out with our kids.  In this case, the hours, miles and juggling that takes place as I shuttle her to and from piano lessons and encourage her to practice, practice, practice all came together as I saw what this discipline is giving her. 

As parents, we must remember that it is the tiny, consistent chipping away that reveals who our children are.  We are here to support, encourage and invest in them.  It takes time and they are worth the investment. 

Today I am thankful for the glimpse of the wonderful young woman my daughter is becoming.

 Do you recognize this?

It Tollhouse Cookie dough!  Yum!  I don't know when the last time was that I made cookies from scratch.  I have this recipe that uses a cake mix and that is as close as I've gotten to scratch in a long time.  Today I decided to make a batch for my Girl Scouts who came over tonight.  They were as good as I remember.

My Girls Scouts came over tonight to work on a project.  I am so proud of them.  My Junior scouts are working on their Bronze award.  They have combined their energy and resources, and with the help of the Cadettes in our troop, they are putting together quite a shipment for some of our troops who have been deployed.   We have taken donations to send them cookies and they have made each of the soldiers in that unit a medal of honor.  On the right is the medal making in progress.  We used jar lids and have decorated with with all kinds of things - glitter, stars, drawings, stickers, etc.  I hope they like them.  I'm not sure how they couldn't.

Here are my girls working hard.  We finished up the medals tonight and will finish collecting cookie donations in the next few days.  Then it will be time to have a packing party and get all of this ready to ship! 

I was very hesitant when I took on the co-leadership of this troop, but I have to say that I'm so glad I did.  Each of these girls is a blessing to me!  They are sweet, fun, rambunctious, excited, assertive, smart young women.  I think I learn more from them than they do from me!