6.5 K
Booklet: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. Isaiah 9:6
What is so special about this baby? Is He so different from other babies?
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My husband said to me this morning that since running 6K is not that hard for me I should put a pillow in my shirt to feel pregnant like Mary. Well I don't need to do that to remember how it felt to walk a lot and be pregnant. I remembered I waddled. My hips felt like they were just floating around not connected to anything. It was easy to imagine being pregnant this morning because my hips still felt stiff from running last night.
Besides feeling stiff it was a beautiful morning for a run, brisk and sunny. I tried to imagine what kind of a baby Jesus would be and what it must have been like for Mary to be a virgin, carrying such a holy child, a child that was going to save the world!
I find that you can tell what a child's temperament will be already when they are a baby. For example my children who turned out to be very strong willed were colicky as babies. So I think Jesus might have been a very compliant baby because he was such a peaceful person.
As a new mother you worry about dropping your baby. I wonder how it must have been for Mary? She had the added pressure if she dropped her baby she was dropping the Saviour of the world!!
Its too mind blowing!
Running for Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Day 2
7 K
(One of my running routes is 6.5 K and then I walk to dog for .5) K
Booklet: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. Isaiah 9:2.
Mary and Joseph didn't have flashlights or LEDs or any of the modern conveniences for travel that we have.
What might they have used to see the way when it was getting dark?
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I don't know what they would have used? The sun, moon, stars? In Christmas plays they use lanterns?
While I was pondering this I was noticing a lot of things that applied to light on my run. First of all, my LED headlight was not working which was very frustrating. I had street lights and car lights as back ups but Mary and Joseph wouldn't have that and I think it would be pretty scary and creepy.
Then I ran by this church that usually has a beautiful nativity scene in lights. But tonight it wasn't turned on for some reason. It looked very boring and dull without the lights. Just a bunch of dark wires. What a difference light makes.
Then when I came to the four corners to cross the street the light was green but the "little walking man sign" wouldn't come up. This happens all the time and is also frustrating. Either I just go anyway because its still green, and technically that means go or I wait a long time till it turns green again and the "walking man sign" comes up. Well I was in a hurry so I chose to go for it but didn't feel totally safe. (Hope my mom's not reading this).
I looked for a star to imagine following the Bethlehem star but couldn't find one single star in the sky. Well what did I expect this is Oshawa not Bethlehem. When I ran in some darker areas I really wished my light was working but it was very still and quiet and felt quite peaceful.
(One of my running routes is 6.5 K and then I walk to dog for .5) K
Booklet: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. Isaiah 9:2.
Mary and Joseph didn't have flashlights or LEDs or any of the modern conveniences for travel that we have.
What might they have used to see the way when it was getting dark?
_________________________________________________________________
I don't know what they would have used? The sun, moon, stars? In Christmas plays they use lanterns?
While I was pondering this I was noticing a lot of things that applied to light on my run. First of all, my LED headlight was not working which was very frustrating. I had street lights and car lights as back ups but Mary and Joseph wouldn't have that and I think it would be pretty scary and creepy.
Then I ran by this church that usually has a beautiful nativity scene in lights. But tonight it wasn't turned on for some reason. It looked very boring and dull without the lights. Just a bunch of dark wires. What a difference light makes.
Then when I came to the four corners to cross the street the light was green but the "little walking man sign" wouldn't come up. This happens all the time and is also frustrating. Either I just go anyway because its still green, and technically that means go or I wait a long time till it turns green again and the "walking man sign" comes up. Well I was in a hurry so I chose to go for it but didn't feel totally safe. (Hope my mom's not reading this).
I looked for a star to imagine following the Bethlehem star but couldn't find one single star in the sky. Well what did I expect this is Oshawa not Bethlehem. When I ran in some darker areas I really wished my light was working but it was very still and quiet and felt quite peaceful.
ADVENTure 140 km Journey to Bethlehem
DAY 1, Dec 1
For Advent this year my church, Hope Fellowship, is challenging its members to do an ADVENTure, a Journey to Bethlehem. Walk or run 6 k a day from Dec 1 - Dec 25, 140 km, the same distance Mary and Joseph walked from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
For Advent this year my church, Hope Fellowship, is challenging its members to do an ADVENTure, a Journey to Bethlehem. Walk or run 6 k a day from Dec 1 - Dec 25, 140 km, the same distance Mary and Joseph walked from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
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Here's what it said in the little booklet/devotional they gave us:
"On this Journey to Bethlehem, we hope to create time and space to ponder the wonders of God's love and to think about how we will ready ourselves for His coming.
Pray for open eyes as we look for the One who is Emmanuel, God-with-us, as we travel."
Prayer for the road:
Lord, please open my eyes to see You.
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Prayer for the road:
Lord, please open my eyes to see You.
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I am very excited about doing this but I already got to a late start. It was my daughter's birthday
Dec 1 and I had planned on running after our family get together but it went too late and it didn't happen. Oh well I'll just have to catch up with everyone over the week.
http://hopefellowship.ca/journeytobethlehem.php
Friday, October 11, 2013
Thankful Like Dan the Beer Can Man
I haven't written on my blog for awhile because my computer broke but tonight I borrowed my daughter's computer because something awesome happened to me while I was on my run. I didn't want to forget it and it's perfect for Thanksgiving.
I've talked about Dan the Beer Can Man before on my blog. He's a homeless man who I run into once and awhile on my running route. God always seems to put him in my path when I need a life lesson. I hadn't seen him for quite some time but ran into him tonight.
"Hey Dan! I haven't seen you for awhile, where have you been?"
He seemed different today. There was something about him. He seemed calm and quiet.
"I've been in the hospital, just got out 2 days ago."
"Well thats good. Did you get your hip fixed?"
"I was jumped again. They beat me up and stole my shopping cart and all my empties. The left side of my body is numb but I'm not going to let it die. I'm just gonna keep on walking and collecting my empties. There's too much to live for."
"That's terrible!" I thought to myself, who would do that? He has so little and they even take that!
"Well Dan at least you are still walking and you survived the hospital. You said if you ever went in there you would come out in a box."
"Yeah I'm not giving up" he said. "I could be paralized and stuck in the hospital. It's such beautiful weather isn't it? The colours are so beautiful. There's so much to be thankful for."
He actually said that!
"Yeah they told me at the hospital that they found me in the creek behind Midtown Mall and that I had been there for 3 days. They had to cut off my beard cuz it had all duck poop in it."
My heart broke. "I'm so sorry Dan." Then I pulled a Cam (if you watched Modern Family last night you would understand). Let's just say I got emotional.
Maybe I should have invited him to Thanksgiving dinner or maybe I should have prayed with him but all I could do was pat his shoulder and say in my shaky Cam voice "Hang in there Dan."
He wished me Happy Thanksgiving and then I ran off and had a good cry. I treasured my run, the beautiful fall weather and all the beautiful colours and was thankful for the lesson to appreciate all the little things in life. There's so much to live for!
I wish I had a picture of Dan but this is not him, even though his hair is a bit scruffy. It's a picture of my son with a sculpture of Jesus as a homeless man.
I've talked about Dan the Beer Can Man before on my blog. He's a homeless man who I run into once and awhile on my running route. God always seems to put him in my path when I need a life lesson. I hadn't seen him for quite some time but ran into him tonight.
"Hey Dan! I haven't seen you for awhile, where have you been?"
He seemed different today. There was something about him. He seemed calm and quiet.
"I've been in the hospital, just got out 2 days ago."
"Well thats good. Did you get your hip fixed?"
"I was jumped again. They beat me up and stole my shopping cart and all my empties. The left side of my body is numb but I'm not going to let it die. I'm just gonna keep on walking and collecting my empties. There's too much to live for."
"That's terrible!" I thought to myself, who would do that? He has so little and they even take that!
"Well Dan at least you are still walking and you survived the hospital. You said if you ever went in there you would come out in a box."
"Yeah I'm not giving up" he said. "I could be paralized and stuck in the hospital. It's such beautiful weather isn't it? The colours are so beautiful. There's so much to be thankful for."
He actually said that!
"Yeah they told me at the hospital that they found me in the creek behind Midtown Mall and that I had been there for 3 days. They had to cut off my beard cuz it had all duck poop in it."
My heart broke. "I'm so sorry Dan." Then I pulled a Cam (if you watched Modern Family last night you would understand). Let's just say I got emotional.
Maybe I should have invited him to Thanksgiving dinner or maybe I should have prayed with him but all I could do was pat his shoulder and say in my shaky Cam voice "Hang in there Dan."
He wished me Happy Thanksgiving and then I ran off and had a good cry. I treasured my run, the beautiful fall weather and all the beautiful colours and was thankful for the lesson to appreciate all the little things in life. There's so much to live for!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
My Husband Don's Poem of Doubt & Hope
When I am feeling troubled I pray and run and I am given answers and comfort. My husband, a musician,who enjoys writing lyrics and poetry,expressed his feelings of doubt and frustration in a poem. An exercise he described as very therapeutic.
When he read it to me I cried my eyes out (of course) but it felt so good just to cry together for the pain of others that we can do nothing for but pray.
I asked him if I could share it because it gave me so much comfort and maybe it will do the same for someone else. It took awhile but he said OK...so here it is.
If This House Comes Crashing In - By Don Andringa
My Faith rests on a foundation that has seen it's share of storms.
And the cracks there may be many but it's retained a solid form.
But now I fear it’s crumbling, I hear the water seeping in,
And that potent smell of poisonous doubt fills my house again.
Taking refuge in a corner, I pull my knees up to my chin,
For I fear I’ll have no place to go…
If this house comes crashing in.
Close my eyes and try to disappear, I can’t bear to watch it fall.
I fear the barren wilderness beyond these trembling walls.
Where is your Love?
Where is your Mercy?
Do you not hear our plea?
Your silence is louder than the storm, that threatens the soul in me.
Am I destine to wander without the guidance of my faithful friend?
For I fear I’ll have no place to go…
If this house comes crashing in.
Restore in me that child, restore that trustful bliss.
Hold me tight…..
No tighter still !
Till I relax my tight clenched fist.
And then,
I will choose to stand my ground on what I cannot see.
I will look into the eyes of death and confess what I believe.
That this night will pass,
The dawn will come,
And the sun will shine again…
And you will lift me from the rubble,
If this house comes crashing in.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Labour of a Marathon
Last week I ran the Toronto Goodlife Marathon and got a WTE. That's my new acronym, it means "Worst Time Ever". I don't know why this happened but I know I don't want it to happen again. I bonked at the half way point and totally shut down mentally. I came close to giving up and just sitting on the curb and crying.
My husband Don was riding his bike along the route and came along side me just when I started feeling defeated. Having someone ride their bike along side me, I discovered is not quite as exciting as your family cheering and holding signs for you. I desperately needed some motivation so I told him to cheer for me cuz I was bonking and needed some encouragement. He said in a forced enthusiastic voice " Go Cyndie Go. You can do it ". It was like when you're in labour and your husband is trying to encourage you but it just annoys the heck out of you! Is that the best you can do?? Can't you see I'm in pain here??
I told myself, you can do this. Don't give up. You've given birth this should be a piece of cake. So I tried going into a Lamaze trance. In Lamaze you are trained to ignore pain and stare at an object and just concentrate on your breathing. So I did just that and starred at the ground with my arm swinging back and forth like a pendulum to help me concentrate. I just ran like a machine, starring at the ground in a trance. I must have looked crazy but it kept me going for the next 10 K and at that point I really didn't care what I looked like.
The last 10K I had to take a lot of walk breaks and I was sooo thirsty. I think I scared the water volunteers when I would grab 2 waters at a time and then snatch 2 more Gatorades. I couldn't understand why I felt this bad. Maybe it was because it was my first long run in the heat. Maybe it was because I trained alone and not with a group this time. Maybe it was because I didn't do speed work or train hard enough. Maybe because I had PMS. Maybe because a friend of mine had said to me the day before that sometimes you can just have a bad race, maybe she jinxed me! Maybe because my family wasn't there and my husband sucks at cheering! I don't know!
But what I do know is that I fought through the pain and fatigue even though I wanted to quit. I moaned and groaned and looked like a total mess through the whole thing but it was worth it because at the end of it.....I got a beautiful 2 lb medal and was smiling my face off. When I look back on the race now and at the pictures all I think about are the good things. Like how Don was with me the whole way and was proud of me even though I was really grumpy to him and how we worked together as a team.
I remember after my first child was born I thought to myself...... yeah, one is good. There's no way I'm ever going through this again! That's exactly how I felt the last few kilometers. But now a week later as I started my day with a 10 k run, I thought to myself...it wasn't so bad. It will be easier next time.... it was kind of amazing....it was so beautiful......I did awesome!
Somehow you forget all about the pain. I have 4 children
My husband Don was riding his bike along the route and came along side me just when I started feeling defeated. Having someone ride their bike along side me, I discovered is not quite as exciting as your family cheering and holding signs for you. I desperately needed some motivation so I told him to cheer for me cuz I was bonking and needed some encouragement. He said in a forced enthusiastic voice " Go Cyndie Go. You can do it ". It was like when you're in labour and your husband is trying to encourage you but it just annoys the heck out of you! Is that the best you can do?? Can't you see I'm in pain here??
I told myself, you can do this. Don't give up. You've given birth this should be a piece of cake. So I tried going into a Lamaze trance. In Lamaze you are trained to ignore pain and stare at an object and just concentrate on your breathing. So I did just that and starred at the ground with my arm swinging back and forth like a pendulum to help me concentrate. I just ran like a machine, starring at the ground in a trance. I must have looked crazy but it kept me going for the next 10 K and at that point I really didn't care what I looked like.
The last 10K I had to take a lot of walk breaks and I was sooo thirsty. I think I scared the water volunteers when I would grab 2 waters at a time and then snatch 2 more Gatorades. I couldn't understand why I felt this bad. Maybe it was because it was my first long run in the heat. Maybe it was because I trained alone and not with a group this time. Maybe it was because I didn't do speed work or train hard enough. Maybe because I had PMS. Maybe because a friend of mine had said to me the day before that sometimes you can just have a bad race, maybe she jinxed me! Maybe because my family wasn't there and my husband sucks at cheering! I don't know!
But what I do know is that I fought through the pain and fatigue even though I wanted to quit. I moaned and groaned and looked like a total mess through the whole thing but it was worth it because at the end of it.....I got a beautiful 2 lb medal and was smiling my face off. When I look back on the race now and at the pictures all I think about are the good things. Like how Don was with me the whole way and was proud of me even though I was really grumpy to him and how we worked together as a team.
I remember after my first child was born I thought to myself...... yeah, one is good. There's no way I'm ever going through this again! That's exactly how I felt the last few kilometers. But now a week later as I started my day with a 10 k run, I thought to myself...it wasn't so bad. It will be easier next time.... it was kind of amazing....it was so beautiful......I did awesome!
Somehow you forget all about the pain. I have 4 children
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