Janet Oberholtzer

JanetOber is Here - With A New RSS Feed

2010-08-05T23:40:00.003-04:00

My new corner of the universe is live.

JanetOber is here — in the form of a real-live website. She's been up a few days, but she needed some finishing touches, so she was being shy, but now it's time to make the official move.

She’s here - all shining and squeaking clean. I'm excited that she's here, but to tell you the truth, she makes me kind of nervous. But I'm taking deep breaths, so I think I'll be okay.

Thanks to the talented folks at Bittersweet Creative Group she's great and her design is sharp. (I can say that because I didn't have anything to do with it other than tell them what colors I like and what 'feel' I want and they made it happen)

I'd be honored if you visited JanetOber.com

If you are reading this in a reader - you will need to subscribe with the new feed.

New RSS feed

Thank you!

New website is up ....

2010-07-30T16:07:00.001-04:00

Thanks to cool designers and programmers at Bittersweet Creative, I now have a new website. It's at JanetOber - I'd love to have you visit me there.

What is Woman - part 2

2010-07-26T08:12:00.002-04:00

Last week I wrote What is Woman - part 1 based on the Monday Morning Memo. Here's is an interesting follow-up email from the oxford scholar that was quoted, Skip Moen.

Interesting ... isn't it?
What might be better and what might be worse in the world, if this is truth ... and if we lived by that truth?

What is Woman?

2010-07-19T07:46:00.005-04:00

The Wizard Academy is a cool, business school in Austin, Tx founded by Roy H. Williams. (it has nothing to do with Harry Potter, wizard simply means wise) A few years ago, I attended a one-day seminar there and hope to go back for more classes.
Every Monday morning, the first thing I read is the Monday Morning Memo that Roy sends outs. The memo is a mixture of business/marketing advice or unique insights about what makes people do what they do or any subject that happens to capture Roy's interest.

Today's memo is about words and women and the translation of Genesis 2. Roy says that you will laugh, cry or get angry as you read this, so be prepared.

Here are Roy's thoughts that stemmed from a recent conversation with an oxford scholar, Skip Moen.

"It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” - God, speaking to Himself in the second chapter of Genesis according to the English translators of the good King James in 1611

This is bad enough, but in later years “help meet for him” [help appropriate for him] became further mistranslated as “helpmate.”

Stay with me. This is about to get very interesting.

Ezer kenegdo are the Hebrew words translated as “help meet” in 1611.

Ezer is used 20 more times in the Old Testament and in each instance it refers to God’s own effort to rescue and sustain his people. Ezer (pronounced ay'-zer) can be translated as “power” or “strength” or “rescue.”

'Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and ezer and your glorious sword.' - Deut. 33:26

'I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my ezer come from? My ezer comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.' - Ps. 121:1-2

'May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you ezer.' - Ps. 20:1-2

Kenegdo means “facing.” It can also mean “opposite.”

Thus, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a power facing him.”

“I will make him a strength opposite him.”

“I will make him a rescue that looks him in the face.”

Each of these translations of ezer kenegdo is imminently more accurate than “helpmate, helper or assistant.”

Like I said; you will laugh, cry or get angry.

If you dig deeper into the history of Ezer, you’ll find that it comes from an even more ancient word, Azar, meaning “to surround.” Azar can also mean “protect, aid, succor and give material and/or nonmaterial encouragement.” Azar often refers to aid in the form of military assistance.

"Helper" and "assistant" are sounding more tragic with each passing paragraph, don't you think?

Pennie (his wife) says that you and I often live up to the things we hear said about us. This is why she's deeply frustrated by what she hears mothers say in front of their children.
"He's such a picky eater."
"She does exactly the opposite of what I say."
"He always throws a tantrum when he doesn't get his way.""She doesn't like to take naps."

More to the point: did we make women "the weaker sex" the moment we gave them the name?

...

Roy H. Williams

This is not the first time I've heard of a different translation of 'helpmate', but this is a more thorough one. I will be pondering this for a time. You can read the whole memo here.

Your thoughts?

Sunday Saying - Statistics

2010-07-18T13:12:00.000-04:00

"We must keep in mind the story of

the statistician who drowned

while trying to wade across a river

with an average depth of four feet.

That is to say,

in a culture that reveres statistics,

we can never be sure

what sort of nonsense will lodge in people's heads."

- Neil Postman

It's coming ....

2010-07-13T08:24:00.005-04:00

A New Website is Coming

Soon and very soon, you're going to see a new site.

Hallelujah, hallelujah! There's going to be a new site.

Draft of new site by Bittersweet Creative

No more Blogger here, there's going to be a new site.

No more crying here, there's going to be a new site.

Wordpress will be here, there's going to be a new site.

Hallelujah, hallelujah! There's going to be a new site.

Soon and very soon, you're going to see a new site.

Hallelujah, hallelujah! There's going to be a new site!

With all due respect to ...

Soon And Very Soon – Author Unknown

Verse 1:
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.
Hallelujah – Hallelujah – We’re going to see the King.
Verse 2:
No more cryin’ there, we are going to see the King.
No more cryin’ there, we are going to see the King.
No more cryin’ there, we are going to see the King.
Hallelujah – Hallelujah – We’re going to see the King.
Verse 3:
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.
Hallelujah – Hallelujah – We’re going to see the King.
Ending:
Hallelujah – Hallelujah!
We’re going to see the King.

Sunday Saying - Walking

2010-07-10T00:06:00.003-04:00

"There are some good things to be said about walking.
Not many, but some.
Walking takes longer, for example, than any other known form of locomotion except crawling.
Thus it stretches time and prolongs life.

Life is already too short to waste on speed.
I have a friend who's always in a hurry;
he never gets anywhere.

Walking makes the world much bigger
and thus more interesting.

You have time to observe the details.
The utopian technologists foresee a future
for us in which distance is annihilated.

To be everywhere at once is to be

nowhere forever, if you ask me."

- Edward Abbey,

The Journey Home (1977)

Mental Health Concerns

2010-07-07T09:07:00.001-04:00

My mom is traveling right now. Yesterday I stopped at her house to check something for her. As I was leaving, I was on the phone with her getting instructions to make sure I set the alarm system correctly when I left.

After the system blinked "armed" I locked the door and walked towards my car while mom was telling me something about her travels.

"Darn it," I mumbled. "I have to go back in."

"Why?" mom wondered.

"I left my phone in your house." I said.

Unlock the garage door. Disarm the alarm. Unlock the inside door. Look over the counter, the desk and the couch, while mom asks the typical mom question, "Where did you last use it?"

Five minutes later, I'm laughing hysterically as I'm relocking doors and rearming the alarm, while being worried about both my mom's and my mental health.

Maybe it's the record-breaking temps we've been having ...

Sunday Saying - Writing

2010-07-04T00:07:00.006-04:00

A man who writes a story is forced to put into it the best of his knowledge and the best of his feeling.

The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty. A writer lives in awe of words for they can be cruel or kind, and they can change their meanings right in front of you." - John Steinbeck

Sunday Saying - Alive or Not?

2010-06-27T00:25:00.004-04:00

"Curiosity, especially intellectual inquisitiveness, is what separates the truly alive from those who are merely going through the motions." - Tom Robbins

So are you alive or going through the motions?

Memoirs I've Read

2010-06-22T08:25:00.006-04:00

Last week I read this tweet by Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner - "Please don't submit your memoir until you've read 20 good memoirs and 5 books on writing memoir - and learned from them."

Since I'm writing a memoir and want to submit it soon, I started a list of all the memoirs I've read. I didn't think I read 20, but I was surprised. I'm at 30+ and still counting.
These are in random order and some of these might only loosely fit into the memoir category.

Picking Dandelions by Sarah Cunningham
Girl Meets God: A Memoir by Lauren F. Winner
O Me of Little Faith: True Confessions of a Spiritual Weakling by Jason Boyett
Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans
In a Single Bound: Losing My Leg, Finding Myself, and Training for Life by Sarah Reinertsen
Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir by Susan E. Isaacs
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Thin Places: A Memoir by Mary E. DeMuth
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace- One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson
Left to Tell: One Woman's Story of Surviving the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Same Kind of Different as Me by Hall and Moore
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Dakota: A Spiritual Geography by Kathleen Norris
A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman by Joan Anderson
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells
A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive by Dave Pelzer
Born On A Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz
Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell
Gifted Hands by M.D., Ben Carson
Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope by Van Ryn & Cerak
No Such Thing as a Bad Day: A Memoir by Hamilton Jordon
Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Here if You Need Me by Kate Braestrup
On Writing by Stephen King

Today Rachelle has an excellent post with Resources for Writing Memoir.

Now she's presented me with a dilemma - do I study about writing memoir today or do I actually write memoir ...

Friday Fave Five

2010-06-18T08:27:00.004-04:00

The Five Fave things of my week.

1. Finishing a half-marathon is definitely a favorite memory of this week - though I hated it at times while running it. (temps of 90+ caused the hate)

2. And the massage ten minutes after I finished the race was great! I was on that massage table next :)

My training/running buddies - thanks gals!

Deb, me, Bev

(sorry Bev don't have any other pic of the three of us)

3. Receiving this book in the mail by Rachel Held Evans.

Rachel is a friend I've met online. I look forward to the day her and I can have coffee together and talk theology. I enjoy, learn and am challenged by her blog posts - check them out for yourself and then go order her book.

4. All the fresh fruit and vegetables of summer - strawberries, blueberries, etc. Corn-on-the-cob is one of favorite! And it's high in iron, which I tend to be low in, so that means I need to eat 3 or 4 ears each time we have it.

First of the season! From my favorite store Cozy Corner - only about 1/4 mile from my house!

5. Though my head is buried in my writing most days, I continue to love the connection with many friends online. Thank God I was born in 'such a time as this' with the internets! One great connection is Katdish - she's funny, creative, passionate, encouraging, etc. She has a great blogroll on her site with links to many of the other good blogs I enjoy. Expand your horizon by checking it out.

Pause for a minute and reflect on the good things in your world. What are your five fave things of the week?

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts Friday's Fave - read her post and links for others here.

1/2 Sauer - 1/2 Kraut Recap

2010-06-17T10:17:00.006-04:00

I ran the 1/2 Sauer - 1/2 Kraut Half-Marathon on Sunday. I wrote a little about it here. Here's a more detailed recap.

First ... Justine if you read this (I hope, I hope!) how are you? It was great meeting you at the race - good job on your first half-marathon! So sorry to hear you were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital after you finished because you almost fainted. Would love to hear from you!

I ran the first five miles in my Vibram Five Fingers. A number of runners asked me about running in them, so here's my take. I've been running in Vibrams since January. I was inspired to try after reading Born to Run. I started slowly, only doing 1/2 mile at first. I gradually built up my mileage in them - backing off whenever my calf ached from them. Yes, calf, not calves ... I have no pain in my left calf when I run. I think some of that is because some of the nerves in my left calf have been cut, so areas of it are numb - so it might hurt, but I don't feel it. Also, I might subconsciously favor my left leg, though I've been trying not to. On the other hand (or foot) .... I have some pain in my right calf when I run. It looks 'okay' but it was also severely bruised inside. It has areas/lumps of scar tissue at a number of places. And I have a rod in my right femur because it was severely fractured, so I wonder how much that affects it.

Cool extra bonus I've had since wearing Vibrams ... I still had a few 'sleeping' nerves on my left foot - they weren't cut when I was injured, just damaged. The top of my foot and two of my toes were still numb (6 yrs post-accident) Since running in the Vibrams, those nerves are waking up. I have tingling sensations on the areas that were previously numb. I think it's due to the fact that each of my muscles in my foot and toes has to work, they aren't protected by a shoe. Though it has been and will be painful at times, I'm thrilled that more nerves are waking up ... the more, the stronger my foot will be.

Since I had only trained up to five miles in the Vibrams, I didn't trust wearing them longer at the race. My husband was meeting me at mile five with my sneakers. My feet and legs felt good in the Vibrams until about mile four. Going uphill I felt something pull in the front of my right foot. This area had been giving me some problems on my long runs, but nothing major.

At mile five, I switched to my Nike Free sneakers, which I've been running in for a few months and love them. But in the past few weeks, my right foot has been giving me some trouble. So, I put new insoles in them and made sure to have new socks - but within the first mile of putting them on, the pain I had felt in mile four increased. Darn! I tried to ignore it.

My friend and I planned to do the 13.1 miles in 8 minute running and 2 minute walking intervals. This was going great until around mile seven, I got chills, felt nausea and almost felt like I could faint. Guess temps in the high 80's with humidity of 200% was getting to me. I had no choice but to slow up and walk more. I wrote about this here and some of you gave great suggestions as to what might have been going on. Thanks!

Along with the heat and feeling lousy, the pain in my right foot increased throughout the rest of the race - so needless to say I was asking myself why I'm doing this in the first place - I could be home on the couch reading or tweeting!

I had a headache and felt lousy for hours after the race ... and had no desire to ever run a race again. Usually the day or two after a race, I hurt more than right after it. I was almost disappointed that my legs didn't hurt more than they did on Monday and Tuesday, which meant that I could have pushed it harder as far as my legs were concerned. But feeling lousy sapped all my energy, so it was too hard to run faster or longer.

Today ... I'm feel fine, even my right foot seems to be okay and I might be running a 5K tonight :)

Life goes on ... one step at a time ...

My New Best Friend

2010-06-14T08:49:00.007-04:00

I 'met' Zach last night and he's my new best friend! I know just watching a video of someone on YouTube doesn't really make them your best friend, but I'm ignoring that fact and pretending ... Zach and I are best buds.

Zach is funny, honest and determined. And I love all those traits in a person. Zach has plans to live a full life and he won't let an obstacle like Cerebral Palsy stop him. I'm drawn to his story because he's funny, honest and determined (I know I said that before - I wanted to make sure you got it!)

I'm also drawn to his story because I had a sister Rosene who lived with CP and was also determined to overcome the obstacles in her life.

And I'm drawn to his story because I've overcome a few obstacles in life.

Zach's oprah deal from Zach Anner on Vimeo.

Vote for him! Go! Now! Yes, Right now!

(I'll tell your mom if you don't!)

Click and vote for him here!!

Update Monday afternoon:

Here's a video Zach posted after he finds out that his video went viral this weekend. He loves you and the internet and wants to be in a Facebook relationship with everyone!

I don't know why Blogger can't keep this YouTube video within the boundaries I've set up. Which is another reason I'm breaking up with Blogger and getting in a relationship with a Wordpress Blog soon. I can't wait, I know Wordpress and I won't have any boundaries issues.

Watch this video on YouTube instead.

And remember Vote for Zach here!

Welcome Old and New Friends

2010-06-13T17:14:00.002-04:00

Welcome - you might be here because you were at this full/half marathon and met me or saw this ...

In a nutshell, my leg story is that I received severe injuries in an horrific accident in May, 2004. It nearly took my life and my leg. I am now writing a memoir about the past 6 years. I update this blog frequently, become my friend on Facebook or follow me on Twitter or sign up for a RSS feed to see my updates. I will be getting a new website and blog soon (yes!) that will have a page with my story on it - for now

Click here for a post about the accident/injuries.

This post has some accident pictures.

Click here for a post about my emotional recovery.

I began running again in '08 and my local TV station did an interview/story about me - see it here.

Congrats to you if you ran today. It was way too darn hot to run - what were we thinking!? Hope you are now recovering in a cool place now. Thank God for air-conditioning.

This is me now, after finishing 13.1 miles (first half-marathon since being injured) actually 13.4 according to the running app on my Droid. I felt good until about mile 7. Then I started feeling lousy. With temps in the 90's, of course I was hot, but then I became chilled - yes, the chilled part is not good. Slightly nausous with chills and feeling like I could faint if I wasn't careful. I have never run in weather this hot!

I was aiming to run 8 minutes/walk 2 minutes and finish between 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I had to modify that plan and walk more, but thankfully I was still able to finish in about 3 hours and 5 minutes.

After drinking some gatorade and taking it easier, I felt better as I finished the race, but still not great. At Now, 5 hours after finishing, I feel okay, but have a dull headache. I will have to look over my food/rest/water/etc and try to figure out if it was something I did or didn't do.

I am not sure if I drank too much and diluted the salt/electrolytes in my body and/or if I didn't drink enough - what do you think?

Sunday Saying - Perseverance

2010-06-13T00:10:00.002-04:00

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another." - Walter Elliot

That's what I'm doing today on this trail today.

13 short mile races to equal a half-marathon (13.1 miles)

New Name and New Skort for 13 on the 13th

2010-06-12T21:48:00.000-04:00

I have a second name for this site now.

And I have a new skort for tomorrow's half marathon

with the name stitched on.

So if people see my leg at a race and wonder what the heck happened, they know where to go to find out more information.

Ready to do 13 on the 13th!

Sunday morning 8AM - the gun will sound.

One step at a time ... I will (I think/hope) reach the finish line!

Step by Step ... 13 on the 13th!

2010-06-09T14:13:00.007-04:00

I spent most of 2005 and 2006 in a hurricane. Yes, it was one of the longest hurricanes in history - ask any meteorologist.

I dubbed it Hurricane Reality, because I had to deal with an unwanted reality following a horrific accident. I had too much pain and too many limitations. Depression followed. One dark night I wrote my obituary.

I needed help - lots of help. After gentle mentoring, intense counseling, many prayers and some repair surgeries to help decrease my pain, I began having hope again.

Reality was not what I wanted it to be, but I looked for beauty in every day - a flower, a hug, a good book, dark chocolate - step by step I found life worth living again.

I began going for walks. I slowly increased them - step by step ...

Another repair surgery in 2008 gave my foot more range of motion and took away some more pain. I was a runner pre-accident and I began jogging again - step by step ...

This morning I did 4.5 miles as the last training run for a half-marathon (13.1 miles) I'm doing this Sunday. I will run 8 minutes/walk 2 minutes and repeat till I fall across the finish line. 13 on the 13th!

Physically I think I am ready for the race. I've followed a good training schedule. The longest run of 12 miles happened 2 weeks ago - it was hard work, but I did it and felt okay afterwards.

I've been eating well - though there are still a few stubborn pounds clinging to me that I thought I'd have run off by now!

Mentally I think I am ready ... just hoping my mind doesn't play any stupid tricks on me in the middle of the race - like trying to tell me it hurts too much or my funky leg justifies me quitting or I can't do this or something wimpy like that.

This week I alternate between thinking I'm ready and being anxious about how it will go.

Today though ... mostly I sit (I like my recliner after a run) in awe and amazement at the way a body can recover from traumatic injuries and the way a mind, a spirit and emotions can overcome a hurricane.

My emotions have recovered, but I don't know about my mind because my sons like to tell me that I had brain damage, they just haven't told me yet ;)

My body is not perfect, but it works amazing well, one step at a time ...

Hurricanes can't be overcome in a day - but step by step, they can be conquered. Me doing 13 on the 13th is evidence of that.

Any hurricanes in your life that you need to overcome - taking it one step at a time?

PS. If this post is formatted odd - blame Blogger, I can't seem to fix it. Can't wait for my new website with Wordpress blog!

Grieving the Loss of Eleven Smiles

2010-06-06T23:07:00.016-04:00

The oil spill (timeline) in the Gulf of Mexico is a big problem. It's not good. It's devastating in so many ways.

There's a lot of conversations happening about why the explosion happened and whose fault it is that the cleanup is not going faster and better.

There's plenty of criticism, jokes and cartoons flying everywhere. Yes, some/most/all of it might be deserved. This photo is now making the rounds.

In the middle of all this, there are people grieving. Eleven lives were lost on April 20th - eleven smiles that the world won't see again.

Jason Anderson

Aaron Dale Burkeen

Donald Clark

Stephen Curtis

Roy Wyatt Kemp

Karl Kleppinger

Gordon Jones

Blair Manuel

Dewey Revette

Shane Roshto

Adam Weise

My thoughts are with the families and friends grieving the loss of Jason, Aaron, Donald, Stephen, Roy, Karl, Gordon, Blair, Dewey, Shane and Adam. And I wonder if all the jokes, pictures, etc. adds to their pain.

A tribute to the eleven missing men

From YouTube - Oilfield workers catch a bad wrap but most don't understand it is a way of life for us and once in a while some of our brothers pay the ultimate sacrifice. The song is by Trace Adkins, it's called Missing You. Trace used to work for Transocean so it is fitting that his song speaks well about what we go through.

Here is a site where you can leave condolences for the worker's families.

PS. Why is the YouTube video cut off in my post? Can't wait for my new Wordpress blog coming soon!

Sunday Saying from BP

2010-06-06T21:21:00.000-04:00

Glad to see that BP knows it's a good thing to be responsible for one's actions. Means the issues in the gulf should be taken care of soon.

- Photographer Unknown

Friday's Fave Five

2010-06-04T22:45:00.003-04:00

For Fave Friday posts from others - go to Susanne's Site

It's Friday (late, but still Friday) so I'm doing a Fave Friday post because it's important for my well-being to focus on the good things of life right now. My post earlier today was heavy and things like that can cause me to focus on the negative, if I'm not intentional about redirecting my thoughts.

Friday's Fave Five
My five favorite things from this week.

1. Being home. I love to travel and try new things ... but it's nice to be home. May has been busy. Kayaking 28 miles on Pine Creek. Attending Book Expo America in NYC. Meeting some of the other Dream Year Participants at a conference in VA Beach.

Dream Year 2010

2. A friend's grad party for her daughter where I saw some old friends.

3. Spontaneous night out with girlfriends to celebrate one's birthday.

4. Not dying during a twelve mile training run (run 8 minutes/walk 2 minutes, repeat again and again ...) Longest run in seven years. Getting ready for 13 on the 13th! First half-marathon since being injured.

5. Massage - to help me recover from #4 :)

Happy Friday!

Question - Depression?

2010-06-04T09:26:00.000-04:00

I did a few question posts earlier - here and here, but haven't done any for a while ... here's a question I have today.

I heard some news yesterday that made me sad. Depression just wrecked havoc on an individual, a family and a community. My heart breaks for everyone involved.

I've dealt with seasons of depression twice in my life, so I've researched it just enough to be totally confused at the confused state it can create in a mind.

There's a lot of different information as to the causes/reasons for it. And there's many different 'solutions' proposed. The one most repeated is the willingness to admit you are depressed and then being willing to get the help you need ... whether that is meds, counseling, lifestyle changes, getting e xercise, etc.

So the first step is admitting it, which was true for me both times, but the irony is that the very nature of depression is such that it makes it difficult to admit it.

So my question is ... since depression can create a confused, unhealthy state in one's mind - what can we do to prevent it from becoming too severe for ourselves and/or others?

Breast cancer creates an unhealthy state in our bodies, so after a certain age women are encouraged to do examines/screenings. Maybe someone should invent a depression examine or screening that we all take after certain times. Maybe after giving birth, after a busy season in our life, after a traumatic event or a loss, etc.

If you were inventing a depression screening - what would it look like?

National Running Day

2010-06-02T08:46:00.008-04:00

It's National Running Day - so whether you are a runner or not, it's a good day to go for a run. We all know how good exercise is for us - everything from our muscles to our organs to our brain works better if we exercise. Yes, it really does ... there's scientific research to prove it and I personally attest to that.

Running ... Because I Can Club

Some runners of our relay teams in a local marathon

Me, Betty, Betsy, Linda, Katie, Kim
Love these women!

They know the benefits of running and/or walking.

Below are some points from the National Running Day website. Visit their site for more good information. I've added some personal comments in green.

It's all about that first step! Running is an incredibly healthy, easy, and accessible form of exercise. Whether it’s five minutes, 15 minutes, or 45 minutes, every little bit of time spent running makes a difference in the goal to live healthy, happy, and heart strong. So stop making excuses and just do it! (Thanks Nike)

It’s easy to get started running with these simple guidelines.

Relax. Running is a natural act, like breathing or walking. Just about anyone can do it. You may wish to start by walking first, and then gradually incorporating running into your training program. Yes, start with walking - that's what I did when I first ran at age 28 and then again 2 years ago when I came back to running post-accident at age 42. Run 2 mins - walk 2 mins ... repeat a few times today and each time you go out do one more set of run/walk. You can do it!

Think positively. Don’t be discouraged. If you can get through the first several weeks of training, you will find that what seems like a big effort at the start will soon feel natural and easy to you. Within a few weeks, you will experience the joy of running down the street or along a park path. Agree!!

Buy quality gear. The only equipment you will need is comfortable exercise clothes and good running shoes. Go to a running specialty store and get advice about the right shoes for you. This is a debated issue with the renewed interest in barefoot running, thanks to this great book - Born to Run. (read it!) I think barefoot running is natural, but you have to slowly strengthen your feet for it. I also think it's best done on natural surfaces like trails, grass and sand. Road and sidewalk surfaces are not a natural surface, so I think shoes with some support are best when running on them. (though I know people that run on roads with Vibraims and it works for them) I wear Nike Free Shoes for road running and Vibraim Five Fingers for trails/beach.

Train with a plan. Choose a running/walking course that is readily accessible to you. During your first two training weeks, try to run two or three times per week, on alternate days. Build up gradually. Stretch your muscles on both your running and non-running days. Agree!

Run at “conversation” pace. If you can’t chat with your running companions, you are going too fast. If you are running alone, try singing to yourself, out loud, to make sure your effort and breathing are under control. If you can’t sing, slow down. Apparently my lungs have issues - I still have trouble with this one. I can walk and talk, but most times I can't talk too much while running.

If your schedule allows, include cross training. Biking, elliptical training, and lifting light weights can help strengthen non-running muscles and prevent injury. Swimming and deep water running can also be helpful in balancing your training and avoiding injuries. Good advice. I bike and lift light weights once a week. I don't want my upper arms flapping as I run :)

Aim for a race. Pick an event that’s at least six weeks in the future. An ideal distance for your first race would be 5K (3.1 miles). This is short enough so that you can truly be ready for your first effort, and long enough to give you the sense of accomplishment that will fuel your future running. Your goal should be to finish, enjoy the event, and look ahead. This is so true! I almost always have an event scheduled, because it's a great motivator to get myself out the door. If you are local, there's a monthly 5k on the Third Thursday (scroll down to the correct date) on the Thun Trail in Reading. Great flat trail! I'm doing it June 17, July 15, Aug 19 and Sept 16. Join me!

So why should you get moving?

One of my main reasons is Because I Can
(I've had my hair cut shorter since this was taken in Apirl)

I can't answer for you, but for me ... to do anything less, would mean I'm not living my life fully alive and I think that would be dishonoring to my creator.

Angry at This Story

2010-06-01T11:46:00.002-04:00

This story in The New York Times
makes me so angry ... I can hardly breathe.

Child Brides Escape Marriage,
but Not Lashes

By ROD NORDLAND and ALISSA J. RUBIN

Alissa J. Rubin/The New York Times

Book Expo America

2010-05-30T17:19:00.005-04:00

Last week I went to Book Expo America in NYC with a friend Janelle Hertzler. Janelle's book has recently been published and she had a book signing and a podcast interview.

It was an exciting week, though at times it was overwhelming - there's so many books out there already, why should I try to publish mine? But by the end of the show, I was inspired and now look forward to finishing and publishing my memoir.

Some celebrities are writers. This show had plenty of them:

Barbra Striesand will be a first-time published author this fall with a book about designing and decorating houses. She was interviewed by Gayle King. I was impressed with Barbra's energy and creativity. She is constantly using her creativity in something - music/film/houses/gardens and now a book.

Sarah Ferguson - Duchess of York signing her children's book.

People started standing in line at 1AM for her - I felt no need to do that, so I had a book signed by an unknown author near her that didn't have a line - hence this lousy picture.

I'm now singing 'Jesse's Girl' after seeing this interview with Rick Springfield. He has a memoir coming out soon - "Late, Late at Night"

This was my most exciting encounter - Sarah Reinertsen!

She is a full-leg amputee that inspired me post-accident. She was the first female leg amputee in complete the Ironman in Hawaii. She was on 'The Amazing Race' in 2006. I followed her various races and triathlons and decided if she could do all that, I could at least run again. So meeting her was sweet! And I look forward to reading her memoir "In a Single Bound"

Love this guy - Gary Vaynerchuk and his first book "Crush It."

Somehow I missed his name on the schedule (it was huge) but about 30 minutes before he spoke I was scanning the show's twitter hashtag #bea10 and saw this:

@grayvee Speaking at downtown stage on the main floor at #bea10 speaking at 3pm be there or ... I'll cry :) 2:34 PM May 27th

I went, as did many others, so he didn't cry - he was passionate as usual. I'm looking forward to his new book this fall: "The Thank You Economy."

World's Most Tattooed Woman - Julia Gnuse, age 55

This is one-tenth of the exhibitors floor - yes, my ADD was in overdrive. There were many authors there that aren't celebrities (yet). I'm just as (or even more) excited to read their books.

I came home with a 'few' books - for me, for my boys and some for gifts.

Each day I scoured the list for authors of memoirs that were signing and giving away books. These writers were always gracious and offered me good advice in my writing. I will be reading and reviewing these books (mostly memoirs) in the weeks ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now to introduce ...

the most important author there!!

She had people in line the whole half-hour of her signing time. Everyone loved her book, one even called it
the most beautiful book at the show!

So if you don't have a copy of "Seasons of Solace" - now's a good time to get it :) Either for yourself or a gift for someone that is dealing with a loss.

So if you would have been at the show - which genre of books would you have picked up? Is there one particular genre or would you have looked for books in different genres that sound/look interesting?

May 20 = Breathing Day For Me

2010-05-20T06:53:00.002-04:00

I interrupt this breathing time because on May 20th, I think about breathing more than most other days in my life and I thank God for each breath.

On May 20, 2004 - I almost quit breathing when the motorhome I was traveling in was in an accident with five large trucks. My body was no match for the trucks, so it was beat up - badly.

I had a zillion injuries and was kept in a medical coma for ten days and on major pain killers, including morphine, for a few weeks. Morphine and my brain don't mix well - I had many hallucinations. Hallucinations are different from dreams because they mix with reality and you can't tell the difference between them and reality.

Here's the earliest hallucination memory* I have -

I am in a small room. I am sick. I am receiving some kind of treatment which consists of getting fluid through an IV. I’m in an easy chair. I don’t want to stay here, but I need to. There is a young man in the chair next to me. He is also sick and receiving some type of treatment. I wonder why he is in my room. I know there is a nurse in the room, but I never see her. I also don’t really hear her voice, but somehow she communicates with me. The nurse lets me know to take deep breaths. As I focus on doing that, I see this large pink object floating near me. It resembles a jellyfish. As I take deep breaths, it inflates and deflates. Somehow I know that I need to focus on keeping the ‘jellyfish’ full. If I allow my breathing to become shallow, the jellyfish looks like it will shrivel up and drop to the floor. It is hard work to stay focused on breathing deep. I am really tired. I forget about the jellyfish for a few minutes. Then I panic when I remember it. I am worried that it will deflate. I’m not sure what will happen if it does, but I know it is not good. I am relieved when I see it hovering nearby. I force myself to stay focused on keeping the jellyfish full.

Reality check -

I was in a hospital bed, not an easy chair. I had a private room in ICU, so no young man was next to me. As for the ‘jellyfish’, I wonder if that represented my lung. My right lung had collapsed due to a broken rib puncturing it and the nurses and doctors repeatedly told me to breathe deep.

My early post-accident memory is blurry, so I don't know exactly when I had this hallucination. I assume it was about two weeks post-accident after I was taken off the ventilator. My husband said the nurses would often remind me to breathe deep.

Celebrate breathing today - if necessary, slow down to take some deep breaths through out the day.

*My memoir will have more of my hallucinations - ranging from funny to political to terrifying.

Breathing Time

2010-05-17T08:56:00.001-04:00

Right now a designer, a developer and myself are all pregnant with a new website for here :) The 'baby' has to mature more before the birth can take place.

Right now I am also determined to meet a Dream Year deadline decided on in January - that is to have my memoir finished by June 30th, so most days are spent wrestling with words for that.

Also during the next few weeks - I will be spending more time away from home than at home. Whiteboard - Virginia Beach Vacation - BookExpo. To allow myself to fully engage in each of those events (and work on my memoir) posts here will be sporadic until sometime in June when the new baby should be here.

The path for the next few weeks looks like

this beautiful trail that I biked on this past weekend.

Pine Creek Bike Trail - near Morris, PA

Happy May to You!

I'll be back .... (said in a deep Australian accent)

Thursday Thoughts - "Will It Matter in a Year?"

2010-05-13T09:42:00.002-04:00

I have an unscheduled day in front of me. No meetings, no appointments, nothing that has to be done. (Yippee!!) Yes, there's things I could do - like clean or organize or weed - but nothing that will really matter a year from now whether or not I do it. The 'will it matter in a year' question guides a lot of what I do in life.

Yes, some of you will be jealous because you can't remember the last time you had an empty day. But start asking yourself "Will it matter in a year?" You might find more free time.

And some of you have too many unscheduled days. You wish you had somewhere to go. Or you wish you were able to go anywhere - you'd even be happy to attend a boring meeting. I'm sorry ... and I hope you will find something meaningful to fill your day. Write, draw, paint, leave comments on blogs - your voice is valuable.

If your day is not what you want it to be - visit my online acquaintance that has had too many days this past year that she didn't want. Her birthday is today and her post is inspiring. Happy Birthday Gitzen Girl!

Today's a day we all have - what are you doing with it?

I'm going offline and writing :)

Tuesday Thoughts

2010-05-11T09:25:00.004-04:00

Did this ever happen to you?

Someone mentions that they wonder what it would be like to do that or have this or go there. You sense they have a desire for this certain thing. You hear it by the way the talk about this thing.

Silly example - they want a new coffee maker. You hear them admire the coffee maker. They mention that they did some research on coffee makers and this one scored the best.

A day later, they are so excited because they even overheard a random comment about this particular coffee maker.

Then suddenly they are saying that God told/nudged/directed them to get that particular coffee maker.

This baffles and/or annoys me ... depending on the circumstances.

Sunday Sayings

2010-05-09T13:11:00.001-04:00

On Friday I attended a host site for the Chick-fil-A Leadercast. It was a good day with a lot of interesting speakers. My two favorite speakers were at the end of the day - here's quotes from each of them.

Chance favors the prepared mind. - Steve Uzzell
Your mind will only take in what you are prepared to receive. - Steve Uzzell

Success = using the talent God gave you to elevate others. Dr. Ben Carson
Our emphasis shouldn't be on being politically correct, but instead, on being civil with whom we disagree with. - Dr. Ben Carson

Friday Fave

2010-05-07T14:42:00.002-04:00

For more Fave Friday's go to Susanne's site

My Friday's Fave Five

1. iHope with Jonas and Anne Beiler, founders of Auntie Aunne's Soft Pretzels on Friday night.

2. Girlfriends weekend at a friend's house on the Chesapeake Bay.

Life is good ...

3. Monthly phone call with Ben Arment for Dream Year

4. Seeing my son Jon do well (and loving it!) at Track and Field ... he's going to an invitational meet this Saturday, doing the long jump!

5. Chick-fil-a Leadercast today ... right now.
Yes, I am multi-tasking :)

Centerpieces today.

Happy Friday!

Praying for Nurses

2010-05-06T09:03:00.012-04:00

Today, May 6th is the National Day of Prayer. There have been emails circulating about the President canceling the National Day of Prayer. They are wrong ... here is a proclamation he signed for it.

Today is also National Nurses Day. And National Nurses Week is celebrated from May 6th to 12th, which is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is known as the founder of modern nursing.

I am not a nurse, nor desire to be one (I won't do well with all the blood/pain/etc) but I have a special place in my heart for nurses since 2004. That's when I spent months in the hospital and realized the love/time/energy nurses pour into their job. My nurses were professional and caring. They did what they had to do and so much more.

A few of my nurses and the Chaplain (on the right)

I did have one nurse (not in picture) who seemed to be struggling with her job and all the care I needed annoyed her, so she was snappy with me. At first, this made me angry, because I couldn't help the situation I was in. But I realized that I had a choice in how I responded to her. It became a personal challenge for me to see if I could help her enjoy her job more. I found little things she did well and thanked her for them. I asked about her world and the challenges of being a nurse. By the time I left the hospital, we were friends. I was pleasantly surprised when she called me a few weeks after I was at home to see how I was doing.

Since then, I pray for all nurses ... especially ones that are struggling under the pressure of their job.

To Be A Nurse Is To Walk With God

To be a nurse is to walk with God,
Along the path that our Master trod;
To soothe the achings of human pain,
To faithfully serve for little gain,
To lovingly do the kindly deed,
A cup of water to one in need,
A tender hand on a fevered brow,
A word of cheer to those living now;
To reach the souls through its body's woe
Oh, this is the way that Jesus would go.
Oh, white-capped nurses with hearts so true,
Our Great Physician is working through you.
-Author Unknown

If you are a nurse - thank you for all you do!!

Or has there been a nurse that has blessed your world by her/his care?

Interview with Jason Boyett about "Oh me of little faith"

2010-05-04T08:48:00.020-04:00

I found Jason Boyett's blog sometime in the past year. I liked it - his humor, his honesty and his questions. And I looked forward to his latest book "Oh me of little faith" for all those reasons and because the sub-title is: True Confessions of a Spiritual Weakling. I love the humility in that line. There's enough of books from people that have 'figured it out' and that give 17 steps to success.

I received an early copy of the book (thanks Jason and Zondervan) and then Jason was even gracious enough to do a blog interview with me. (my first!)

SHORT BOOK REVIEW

The book was what I expected it to be ... a memoir that was honest, real and well-written. And left me with more questions and thoughts to ponder - which feeds my curiosity addiction. He allows some thoughts to 'hang' - without feeling the need to wrap everything up in a 'nice box with a bow.' I have post-it markers on many pages. I love his illustration about how marriage and parenting are both filled with uncertainty, but yet we move ahead doing the best we can in both areas and that is what we need to do with our faith, even when we have doubts.

INTERVIEW WITH JASON BOYETT

JO: Is there a particular thing/incident/reason that you decided now is the time to write a memoir, or did it just feel right?
JB: I delivered a sermon at my church in 2007 (filling in for our pastor), in which I decided to stop pretending I had it all figured out and openly confessed to having doubts. The response was really encouraging. So many people thanked me for expressing something they didn't feel they could talk about safely in church. That's when I began thinking that there might be something to the idea, because at that point, no one was really talking or writing about spiritual doubt. But clearly we needed to. So I put together a proposal and eventually it landed at Zondervan.

Was there a particular chapter in the book that was really fun and/or easy to write? Why?

What about one that was difficult to write? Why?

"Turtles All the Way Down" (Ch. 2) was a lot of fun to write, just because I got to base the whole thing on a giant stack of turtles in space. I just kept smiling at that image, even though there would be times midway through when I'd think to myself, "I am writing about the existence of God and the whole thing seems to revolve around a turtle metaphor. I am so screwed." But any time you can build a chapter around both a Stephen Hawking illustration AND a Dr. Seuss story, you are going to enjoy yourself.
The hardest chapter to write was "Reverse Bricklaying" (Ch. 5), the one about prayer and my brief foray into charismatic Christianity. Maybe three people on earth knew that Brazil story, and having to dig back into that muck was tough. It was hard going back to that mindset, and even harder to tell a story that makes me feel pretty vulnerable. Even today, I don't feel good about that year in my life.

You wrote that you've experienced God's presence 'three and a half times' ... is it difficult to hang on and continue to believe in those times over the years?

Yes it is. I've held onto those times, but my inner skeptic can certainly find ways to start debunking the "God" aspects of those stories. Maybe not with the earliest one (the Philippians/couch experience), but definitely with the other two. There are a lot of elements in those situations -- foreign country, physical exhaustion, emotional exhaustion, heartache, community -- that can make a person especially receptive to spiritual things. The religious person would say that it makes us more receptive to God or the Holy Spirit. The atheist would say it makes us more receptive to emotions we've been conditioned to view as God, but which are really just chemical reactions in our temporal lobe. I admit: some days I lean more toward the second explanation than the first.

At this time, praying liturgical prayers is not something I do, but I found your thoughts about that interesting. But does praying someone else's words every feel fake and/or like you are reading Hallmark cards to your wife rather than telling her in your own words how you feel about her?
That's a common question, and one I definitely asked from time to time, prior to my shift toward liturgical prayer. But in response to that line of questioning, I always bring up another question: when you sing worship songs in church, do you sing words someone else wrote? Does that feel fake? Or is worship only meaningful when you make up your own personal lyrics, right there on the spot? (Great move, Jason - answering a question with a question. I hadn't thought of the comparison between songs and prayers, but now I get it and am saying duh to myself)

Granted, some of the lyrics to worship songs are even worse than Hallmark cards, but it's the same situation. We are speaking to God using someone else's words. The difference is that, with liturgical prayer, you're using words that have been prayed by Christians for hundreds of years. When I pray the Lord's Prayer, I'm praying in the same manner that Jesus told his disciples to pray. No, they aren't my original words, but what kind of hubris does it take to think I can come up with something better than Jesus...right off the top of my head?

I've studied heaven and hell a little and you gave me a lot more stuff to ponder ... any more information or thoughts since you wrote the book?

No. Nothing new. I'm pretty much stuck in the same place as when I wrote the book. This is one of those issues where education/knowledge really seems to get in the way of faith. A logical, rational person will look at the evolution of afterlife beliefs among the Israelites and has to admit there are some real questions that come up. If heaven and hell are/were an eternal reality, then why did God allow the Israelites to go thousands of years without knowledge of these destinations? Because up until the Exile, all the biblical writers talked about Sheol instead of heavenly paradise or the punishments of hell. EVERYONE went to Sheol. So God gives them instructions on where to sew the tassels on their garments but doesn't reveal to them the existence of heaven as an eternal resting place for believers, or hell as a destination for the damned? THOSE details he left out? Really? I have a lot of trouble making excuses for this. But heaven and hell are such an important part of the Christian tradition and doctrine -- and clearly Jesus believed in them -- that I don't know what to do. I'm reluctant to bury my head in the sand and pretend I never learned this stuff. But I'm just as reluctant to just toss them out the door as human constructs influenced by the Persians and Zoroastrians, either. So I'm stuck in these questions. Not sure I'll get any answers this side of death.

I like your thoughts about 'ask, seek and knock' in the last chapter - what are you asking/seeking/knocking about these days?

As always, I'm asking for grace and mercy. I pray the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner." I ask for increased faith...but until it arrives, I ask for the strength to continue following even when the following has to get ahead of the belief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason and I also share a love of being active. So I wanted to know more about his running and triathlons. How long has running been a part of your life? What about triathlons?

I participated in my first sprint triathlon in the summer of 2008. Prior to that, I'd begun swimming longer distances as a way to get into shape once I hit my early 30s and saw my metabolism slowing down. While training for the triathlons, I discovered how much I enjoyed running -- at least, running up to around 8 miles or so (after that point, it becomes much less enjoyable). Before the triathlon thing started, I was never a runner. I hated it. I used to try to run a mile and disliked every minute of it. Not sure what changed, but by forcing myself to train for an actual event on the calendar, I discovered that I liked it. Exercise really is addictive, in all the best kinds of ways.

Sorry to hear about your current MCL sprain ... was this a slow injury or was there an incident that caused it? What does your recovery look like? How long? Physical therapy needed?

Um, there was an incident. A dumb, dramatic one. I was sick a couple of weeks ago and went a day without eating anything. Let myself get dehydrated. Got up the next morning and immediately took a hot shower and I passed out while shampooing my hair. I was only out for a couple of seconds, but when I came to on the floor of the shower it became clear that I'd messed up both of my knees in the process of falling. I have no idea what happened -- that was the first time I've ever fainted -- but I know the result: MCL sprain on the right knee. The left knee hyperextended slightly. Neither requires surgery, but I'm limping pretty badly and have to lay off them for the next couple of months. Not sure about physical therapy...mainly just waiting for the small tears to heal up. I was supposed to run a half-marathon last weekend, and do a sprint triathlon next month, and go backpacking the month after that. Pretty disappointed that a stupid thing like a shower is disrupting all this stuff I love to do. (sorry about your pain Jason -hope it heals fast!)

Has running/biking/swimming taught you anything about your faith and/or your doubts? (whatever that means)
That's a great question. If anything, it's taught me that there is value in continuing to push through, even when you seem to hit a wall. During the lake swim of my triathlons, I find myself repeating the singsong voice of Dory from Finding Nemo: "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." Even though my brain is telling me to stop and my lungs are complaining and my psyche is freaking out because I'm in 100 feet of green water surrounded by thrashing limbs. You keep moving, despite the challenges. Eventually, you transition from swim to bike to run -- or from one form of faith to another -- but still you keep moving. Don't let the wall of doubt stop you.

Thanks for that question! It's always fun to find another good metaphor. :)

And have you found any connection between being physically fit and spiritually fit?

I've also discovered that long runs or long swims provide a good environment for prayer -- especially the repetitive, contemplative kind. So, yes, I guess there's a good connection between physical fitness and spiritual fitness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Jason for taking time to answer my questions!
Great answers, with more good stuff to ponder. Love the thought about not letting the wall of doubt stop us - either in exercise or in faith.

Readers - if you didn't understand some of our Q & A here, pick up a copy of his book "Oh me of little faith" to read what prompted my questions. Or ask me in the comments here or ask Jason on his blog or twitter.

Sunday Saying - The Quest

2010-05-02T05:00:00.001-04:00

QUIXOTE: Whether one wins or loses does not matter.

ALDONZA (jeering): What does?

QUIXOTE: Only that he fights… and follows the quest.

ALDONZA (spits in vulgar contempt): That for your quest!... What does it mean…quest?

QUIXOTE: The mission we follow…. (He lifts his eyes to the stars.)
To dream the impossible dream. To fight the unbeatable foe.
And never to stop dreaming or fighting.
This is man's privilege and the only life worth living.

– Man of La Mancha,
first written as I, Don Quixote
in 1959 by Dale Wasserman

PA Farmer's Market - Green Dragon

2010-04-30T11:57:00.001-04:00

I needed fruits and vegetable this morning, so I went to The Green Dragon, a local farmer's market that was bursting with produce and people.

This shows only about 1/10 of it - it's a huge place!

Strawberries from the Carolina's

Tomatoes, sugar peas,
berries, berries and more berries, rhubarb.

Cantaloupe, watermelon, oranges

Realized I only took pictures of the produce, there are also deli stands and stands of home made baked goods and ice cream. And too much other stuff to mention -everything from beach towels to socks to watches to laptops (how buys a laptop at a farmer's market?)

On Monday - I'm excited to post my first author interview and excited that it's with Jason Boyett.
We talk about his new book "Oh me of little faith" and about running.

Happy Friday - Enjoy your weekend!

Thoughts from an Evening with Donald Miller

2010-04-28T08:57:00.007-04:00

On Monday evening, I heard Donald Miller speak at Messiah College. He shared some great thoughts, some rambling thoughts that almost lost me and some thoughts about being naked. That just scared some of you and sparked interest in the rest of you - so to clarify, he was talking about Adam and Eve.

Here's a few of the thoughts he shared. These are not direct quotes from him - but what I heard him say in my own words.

God is creating a story - an epic story, that encompasses all of creation. Within that story, each of us has a sub-story that we are the director of. God gives us life - a blank sheet of paper and a set of markers - and says, "Go crazy, have fun." We choose what is put on that paper. If we want to make a purple horse, we can.

Having said that - there are many things in each of our environments that influence what we do with our markers and paper. It ranges from our childhood to our education, to conflict we face, to people we hang out with, to the advertisements we see all the time.

I don't remember if he said this or I just thought it, but what we draw on our paper is also influenced by things that happen to us that we can't control - abuse/accidents/others' choices. We can't control those things, but we can control how we react and respond to them.

Don illustrated his thoughts about how we can be controlled by our environment by sharing a story about controlling others when he was in band in high school. Students had to walk through the large band hall to get to their lockers. Don was at the other end of the room and had a metronome (instrument that produces regular beats) As a student entered the room, he set the metronome to match their gait, then slowly sped it up. Most of the students started walking faster with the beat without realizing it. He was thrilled with his power to control them for the thirty seconds or so it took them to reach their lockers.

So is your drawing ever influenced by an unseen metronome? Don says that in our culture the metronome that influences us more than we realize is commercialism. We think for our drawing/life to be complete, we need that car or those jeans or that soap. If we get that - everything in our life will be better. Even if you don't watch TV or read magazines with advertisements - how often do you want something because

"everyone else has it?"

Don went on to say that our relationship with God is also influenced by this metronome. We can see Jesus as a product to make us happy or to get us what we want, rather than a being to have a relationship with. And we think that God has to give us this or that to make us complete.

So I'm pondering how I view and interact with God. To realize what influence commercialism has on my relationship with him - I need to stop and think. Stop, unplug, be still and think about why I do some of the things I do.

What are you drawing on your paper today? And why are you drawing that?

Donald shared many more thoughts, but my brain couldn't remember all of them, plus this blog post would be way too long.

Live Today Well

2010-04-26T07:18:00.002-04:00

"It's how we spend our time that really matters. If you are fed up with the way you have come to interact with time, change it." -Marcia Wieder

Great reminder that we make choices daily about how we spend our time. When next week, month or year rolls around, what are you going to wish you did today? Or what memories do you want to create today to think back on when you're ninety?

You have twenty-four hours today - live it well!

Sunday Saying - Fool or Wise

2010-04-25T05:00:00.002-04:00

"When faced with a polarity, the fool chooses one pole and disparages the other. But a wise man stands between the two and feels the energy that passes between them."

- Roy H. Williams

Friday's Fave Five

2010-04-23T18:43:00.009-04:00

I've had an unorganized week, especially the last few days. I have a number of different projects happening and I'm having a tough time getting anything significant finished, because I keep moving from project to project ... ugh. So I have to think hard to find five favorites of this week ...

1. Saturday was great - my husband and I went out for breakfast with our college son. Then I went to a jewelry show at my neighbor. Then a movie, shopping and dinner with a friend.

2. On Monday, at our running club's weekly run - a few of us spent a relaxing hour in a friend's outdoor hot tub after the run.

3. Love flowers - so I'm happy my lilacs are blooming.

4. Reading a few great books this week -
"Oh, me of little faith" by Jason Boyett
"Church in the Making" by Ben Arment
"Picking Dandelions" by Sarah Cunningham
"The Bible as Improv" by Ron Martoia
Yes, I'm reading all these at the same time - told you I'm bouncing from one thing to another.

5. Last weekend I planned a weekly menu for the first time in years and actually stuck to it this week ... well, expect for one night, but for this week, that's was good.

Hope your week has a few faves in it ...

Planting Trees - Self Control

2010-04-20T10:14:00.006-04:00

Self-Control ... I've been thinking about it the past few days since it was the topic of the Blog Carnival this week. You'd think since I'm thinking about self-control, I would self-control myself to get a blog post written. But no, I only thought about self control, but didn't actually practice it.

Now it's 10AM on Blog Carnival Day and I'm writing. Getting blog posts written has been a challenge for me recently. I'm writing the last few chapters of my memoir (yes!) and I can't seem to pull myself out of that to update here. Which I'm okay with because I know it's just for a season and yet I miss the connection with this world.
(waving to you like a long-lost friend)

Self-control makes me think about all the things I want to do, but have a hard time getting done. And I came up with this definition:

Self-Control ... it's what separates the accomplished from the unaccomplished.

That's it - there's no magic formula, no secret key, no power drink. Self-control is doing the same thing constantly over a period of time that causes you to accomplish something you desire ... whether that's growing beautiful flowers, eating healthy, running a marathon, having an organized office or writing a book.

According to Jonah Lehrer self-control is a muscle that responds to exercise or lack thereof. So if you want self-control to accomplish big things, start with the small things. For an organized office - pick up one thing in your office every day and put it away. Every. Day. If you are lying in bed and remember you forget that day, get up and go do it. Don't justify it by saying you'll put away two things tomorrow ... because then your self-control muscle was not be exercised that day.

The best day to plant a tree was 25 years ago - the second best day is today. - Chinese Proverb

Beautiful tree near a friend's house

What tree do you need to begin to plant today to have the strength, fruit and beauty you want in the future?

This post is part of a blog carnival hosted by Bridget Chumbly. Go to One Word at A Time to read more posts about Self-Control.

Why Are You Where You Are?

2010-04-20T05:00:00.002-04:00

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of majority, you should pause and reflect." - Tim Ferriss

Sunday Saying - Magic Show

2010-04-18T05:00:00.002-04:00

"Our faith is not about magic, it’s about partnering with God to see remarkable things happen through faithfulness and consistency over a long-period of time. If we buy into the instant-results mindset of our culture (that is depressed and confused itself) we will become very frustrated with God. God has a system for growing food. If one farmer does no work, but prays and sings to God, and another farmer does work, and does not pray or sing to God, then the farmer who prayed will starve and the farmer who worked will eat, because even though the second farmer didn’t acknowledge God, he understood God’s ways and he adhered to the principles God created. The first farmer was just looking for a magic show." - Donald Miller

2010-04-17T05:00:00.001-04:00

Wish I could hear this teaching series ...

Your thoughts about their thoughts shared here?

Friday's Fave Five

2010-04-16T09:01:00.004-04:00

Click on the image above to see more Friday's Fave posts.

My Five Favorite Things this Week

1. Completing six miles in the Garden Spot Village Marathon Relay on Saturday.

2. Slowly, but surely getting over this darn cold. I had a slight cold before the race and I figured running would make it worse and it did. I was sicker on Saturday night then I've been in a long time.

3. Though you are sick, you can still hang out with family - so Sunday afternoon I went to my sister's house, because my other sister from VA was here visiting. (I have 4 sisters - 3 on earth, 1 in Heaven)

4. Registering for the BookExpo America in New York in May. Wasn't really considering going, but a few planets aligned and I'm registered. I have a ride and a place to stay. It's for anyone in the book industry. As a writer, it's a step ahead of where I am - it's for published authors, which I am not. But I'm going with Janelle Hertzler who is published. She has a book signing and podcast while there.

5. Most importantly, I had a few good reminders this week about not assuming I know what someone else is feeling, but instead making sure I ask what they feel/think/want/need.

What has been a fave part of your week?

The Importance of Story in my Life

2010-04-12T17:41:00.005-04:00

This post is about the importance of story in my life. It is an entry into Chris Brogan's giveaway of 100 copies of Donald Miller's book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years."

I was born into a controlled world - I escaped through stories in books. Then in my early twenties, I began to realize I had choices about how my life story did or didn't turn out. I slowly made my own choices, rather than allow my environment and circumstances to control me. Good change takes time, but over the next decade my life became better.

In my late thirties, my husband helped me take another step in realizing the choices we have in writing the story we want to. We sold our business, put household stuff in storage, packed a motorhome and traveled the country for six months with our three sons. Life was good!

Until ...

A day in May when it all changed - we accidently met five semi-trucks on a highway. My husband and sons were fine, I was not. My injuries were massive and threatened my life. Somehow I defied the odds and lived. "Miracle!" The doctor said, "but I'm not sure you'll walk again."

The lessons of the previous decades lay dormant, until the words of a good therapist brought them back. "To some degree, your level of recovery is up to you." A glimmer of hope emerged as I realized I had choices in how this unwanted portion of my story turned out. I did every exercise given to me, plus a few extra. And I prayed. I did research and had a few repair surgeries, did more exercises and prayed more.

I love books, so I read stories. Stories of people that overcame the "impossible." They helped me breathe and gave me hope. Though life would be different than I dreamed of, a good life was still possible. I soon realized that I retained and gained so much more from stories than from 3 or 5 or 7 point 'teaching' books.

Last year, I went to a conference called STORY. The inspiration from this event was amazing and the long-term effects are still unseen. Then I read "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller. Wow! This gave me even more information about how to live the story that I want to.

Part of living the best story I can, involves telling and writing my story to share with others. As I work on that, I pray I can tell in an interesting story, because I know the value of great stories.

The Importance of Story in my Life is summed up with one word - priceless!

Garden Spot Village Marathon Relay

2010-04-12T10:00:00.008-04:00

On Saturday by 7AM, hundreds of cars were rolling into New Holland, PA. The line into Garden Spot Village was slow, but organized and we were soon parked. The staff and volunteers at the race were wonderful - hats off to the race director Scott Miller and his team!

For the start, it was about 40 and breezy - about 20 degrees colder than I'd prefer, but with sweatshirts and jackets it was manageable. We meet up with the other "Running ... Because I Can" runners - we had 2 teams of four.

(missing two runners)

Notice all the jackets on the ground - taken off for the picture to show off our great shirts. Shirts were compliments of Allegheny Valley Yogurt - the BEST yogurt in the country made half a mile from my house from cows I see grazing every day and they truly are happy cows :)

And our smiles - you don't really want to know the jokes and/or conversations those are from.

A relay involves a baton, so we practiced the hand-off - after all, we would be running at top-notch speeds ;) In reality, most team members stopped and hugged at the transfers. And most of us hate running with something in our hand, so the batons spent most of the morning in the car and were handed to the last runners right before the finish.

There was a lot of energy in the air as about 900 people started the race at 8AM, while about 150 relay runners took the provided shuttle buses to the relay transfer spots for their sections of the race.

I was scheduled for the 4th leg, which meant I waited until 11:45 to run. (I didn't complain about this at all, not once ...) We drove to each of the transfer spots to cheer on team members and watch the runners through beautiful Lancaster County.

Thankfully temps warmed up to about 60, but it stayed windy all day. Finally, a friend who was a bike marshal for the race told me that the runner that will hand off to me was only 10 minutes away. It was time to get this body ready - walk, potty break, stretch ... repeat 6 times and off I went!

I had started with a slight cold/sore throat/runny nose on Friday, so I loaded my pockets with tissues and lozenges. Other than an annoying sore throat, I felt great! I stuck with my plan to run 8 minutes and walk 2 minutes and was happy with the strength in my legs - yes, even the peg.

Happy to see friends near the finish line.

A teammate joined me to cross the finish line. My hands are in the air - thrilled to be finished and happy with the time. I ran 6 miles in 1 hour, 11 minutes.

Duct tape comes in handy, when an idea hits a few days before a race. I think for the next race, I'll get a shirt or shorts printed with my info on.

Tired, but happy with medal in hand.

Today, I'm still recovering from my cold, but praising God for bodies that heal and thinking of the next race.
You want to join me?

First and last photo - Jerry Oberholtzer, All others - Linda Wingard

Hope wins ...

2010-04-09T22:08:00.012-04:00

Life can be tough and if you are in the middle of something hard right now, I'm so sorry. Pain of any kind sucks! Sometimes it's hard to have any hope and it seems impossible to think of brighter days.

I've been there - felt that.

Accident in California on May 20, 2004

I was a marathon runner pre-accident and woke from being in a medical coma for ten days to find out that I almost died, they almost amputated my leg and even if it healed, I might never walk again, due to that injury and several other severe ones (my pelvis and right femur were also shattered)

About two weeks post-accident - the docs didn't know if my left leg would still need to be amputated and/or if I would ever walk again.

Over the next few years, I became depressed from all my pain - physically and emotionally - and the lifelong effects of my injuries. I wrote my obituary. And I thought of ways to make that obituary needed.

I'm not speaking from beyond the grave - so you know hope won over depression. Thank God!

Praise God - I healed better than anyone expected -
though the scars are many.

With time, counseling and help from my creator, I found glimmers of hope again and learned to do "Did what I can, with what I have, where I am." (Roosevelt) As I did that, my hope was watered and grew.

Last year I competed in a marathon relay for the first time, doing 4 1/2 miles - local TV clip about it. Today is another step forward (actually it's hundreds of steps :) ... I am competing in the marathon again, on a relay team. I will do 6 miles. I do a combo run/walk - run 8 minutes, walk 2 minutes and repeat until I'm finished.

So when life hands you pain - breathe deep and know there is hope. Life might not be what it was, but it's still worth being alive. "That thing" that is causing you pain is not good, but there's other good in life. I don't view my injuries as good, but I have hope in spite of them and I'm celebrating how well I've recovered today!

I'll soon have a new website which will have more info/pics about my journey the past 5+ years and info about my upcoming memoir.

WebCam for Garden Spot Village Marathon

2010-04-09T16:12:00.001-04:00

Garden Spot Village
Marathon WebCam

Click here for a live feed

On Saturday at 8AM about 1,000 people will be at this spot to begin running a full marathon, a half marathon or be part of a relay team. I will be here cheering, but my run doesn't start until about 11 or 11:30.

About 9:15 or so, the first finishers of the half-marathon will begin crossing the finish line here.

I am running on a 4-person relay team which will complete the full 26.2 miles. I am doing the last 6 miles and should cross the finish here sometime between 12 and 1PM with a peach shirt that says "Running ... Because I Can" on it.

Friday's Fave Five

2010-04-09T08:47:00.003-04:00

My Five Favorite Things this Week

1. The weather!! Yes, I know it's boring to talk about the weather, but we had temps in the 80's for a few days and I loved it!

2. Watching my boys' reaction as they read "Stuff Christians Like"

3. Saw/heard Philip Yancey at Messiah College on Wednesday evening. He's a great writer and speaker ... and always says something to make you think.

4. Massage - had a great massage from the lovely Monica, she's the best in the biz.

5. Getting our running club's shirts for the marathon relay tomorrow!

The girl in the back trying to catch up - that's me :)

I am running the 4th leg (6 miles) of a four-person relay team at the Garden Spot Village Marathon. Race starts tomorrow at 8AM, I will probably be running around 11 or so. Our club "Running ... Because I Can" has two teams in the race. I'm excited for all the runners, especially for Kim, who's doing her first race - that's always a combination of excitement and terror. Run on - Kim!!

Make the most of your weekend by

"Doing what you can, with what you have,

where you are!" - Roosevelt

Why do you do that?

2010-04-08T01:08:00.005-04:00

"The reason you have a front lawn?"

"It's a tradition."

"Lawns were invented as a way for the landed gentry to demonstrate that they could afford to waste land. By taking the land away from the grazing sheep, they were sending a message to their neighbors. We're rich, we can happily waste the opportunity to make a few bucks from our front lawn." - Seth Godin

So if our front lawns are a tradition, what else do we do that is a tradition? But we have labeled it a necessity. Or maybe we even labeled it spiritual.

You don't have anything like that in your life - or do you?

The Stuff Christians Like Guest Post-a-thon

2010-04-06T06:49:00.006-04:00

I'm back with a post a day earlier than planned because a few weeks ago, I signed up to be a guest at a party to discuss American Idol with Stuff Christians Like and today's the day for that.

If you've come here via Stuff Christians Like - welcome!

If you haven't heard about the blog called Stuff Christians Like - you've been missing a great source of laughter. Here's some info about it ...

The site is written by Jonathan Acuff, a preacher’s kid/copywriter who lives in Atlanta with his wife and two kids. Started on March 21, 2008 as a reaction to the wildly popular blog Stuff White People Like which was created by Christian Lander, Stuff Christians Like is a blog about the funny things we Christians do. And what they just might reveal about our faith.

The blog has now birthed a book by the same name, which was released recently. When my Amazon order with the "Stuff Christians Like" book came recently, the cover attracted the attention of my seventeen year old. He confiscated the book for the next hour or two and could not stop laughing.

And the next day, my two college sons discovered the book and were busting a gut (seriously bad pun - because the son without the shirt has a scar on his abdomen from seriously busting a gut this winter)

About 130 bloggers signed up for this massive Guest Post-a-thon today to answer this question:

“Is that contestant on American Idol a Christian Scorecard”

Each of the bloggers received one line from the massive scorecard - here's the one I was sent:

5. The contestant is a missionary kid and his dad is in the audience with a machete and some sort of woven leather accoutrements = + 2 points

To add up your score with over a 130 other ideas on this scorecard, visit stuffchristianslike.net.

Taking a Break

2010-03-30T17:13:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, I've saw a number of other bloggers mention that they are taking a break from posting for holy week and Easter. I didn't want to be seen as "joining the bandwagon" so I thought I would keep posting. But I've reconsidered and decided I want to take some time off.

Posting consistently has been a struggle for me lately ... I need to look at how I'm spending my days to see why I don't have enough of time. Plus, I'm getting a new website/blog soon and I'm scared about what/how/when/why I will keep my blog alive and fresh.

So I'm going to take some time off and think/process/pray about what's next.

Happy Easter!

Friday's Fave Five

2010-03-26T10:23:00.005-04:00

On a regular basis I try to look back over my day/week/month/year and remember the good things in my world, so when I saw Friday Fave Five hosted by Living to Tell the Story - I decided to join the party. If interested, click on the link above to read other Fave Five posts.

My favorite things this past week were ...

1. Spending last Sunday at the beach (Ocean City, NJ) with my husband. The wind and temps made it sweatshirt weather, but the sun was beautiful. A two hour drive and we were there. First I took a short nap on the beach, followed by a 5-mile run on the packed sand at low tide (that's my favorite place to run!) Another hour or two of relaxing before driving halfway home and stopping for dinner.

2. The lovely/delicious/perfect-ending-to-the-day dinner

on the deck at Manayunk Brewery overlooking the Schuylkill River.

3. The Vegetable Bruschetta I had for dinner -

it tasted even better than it looked.

4. Enough about the perfect Sunday - Tuesday had a fave also. A phone call with Kate from Bittersweet Creative, who's designing a new website for me as part of the plan for my Dream Year.

5. And Thursday had a fave also - a visit with my doctor for results from a follow-up mammo I had last week after a brief scare last fall. Loved his words, "Everything looks great - all is well! No need to see me for at least a year."

What was the favorite part of your week?

Faithful - to What?

2010-03-23T09:32:00.002-04:00

Confused by rules and religion, but sensing there's a creator of the world and of her - she makes a commitment to seek the ways of the creator, more than the ways of others. The place, time and desire of that commitment stays clear in her mind.

Time moves on - big and little life events happen. She continues seeking. She revisits her commitment and the meaning of it. Some days there's clarity and peace - other times there's confusion. There's many late-night discussions.

What was that commitment made to ... a creator, a way, a group, a place, a religion, a party, a lifestyle, a belief?

Certain words and 'truths' about them are everywhere ... post/pre - allowed/caused - Bible/science - blue/red - control/free will - hate/love - answers/mysteries - men/women - equal/unequal.

Other words get slapped with a right or wrong way ... church, fast, pray, small group, worship, read your Bible in KJV or NIV ... or wait should it be the ASV or the HCSB?

Her mind is cluttered with thoughts embraced, discarded and then some embraced again. At times, the more answers she seeks, the more confusing the creator seems.

Time to breathe deep and revisit the commitment ... the commitment was to seek her creator - that hasn't changed. That is not clutter. That is inviting. She can be faithful to that commitment.

If you've made a spiritual/religious commitment - what did you commit to and why?

This post is part of a Blog Carnival hosted by One Word at A Time.

Sunday Saying

2010-03-21T08:23:00.000-04:00

Believing in our goals to the point of acting upon them as though they are real already is the ultimate test of our faith and faithfulness -- and the ultimate trigger for their realization when the time is right. -Dr. Richard Gaylord Brilley

Winning Wednesday Winner

2010-03-19T05:30:00.001-04:00

Congratulations!

Michele Cervone Scott

of Honey Brook, PA

You are the winner of "Born to Run"