School is done (for me), and I am quickly adjusting to the calm after the storm. It has been so very nice to have a little extra time to just do what I want. I've been running at such a high speed for so long -- I can't believe how good it feels to wake up in the morning and to know that I don't HAVE to be anywhere. Of course this will get old after a while, but it feels great right now.
Training is going great. Yesterday I broke a huge barrier for me in the swim as I swam a 500 yard TT in 9:55. My previous best at this distance was 10:25. So, despite the fact that I don't feel faster, I guess I am getting there little by little. I still think about that ocean swim at least once a day, but I think that I will be able to get in the training that I need to feel confident about it by the time October 13 rolls around.
I had the wonderful opportunty to see an old friend yesterday, Jenny. She is one of those people who make you want to be a better person just by being in their presence. She has such a gentle spirit and leads in such an amazing way. I've really missed her the past four years. She and her husband took in the twins after Jonathan was diagnosed with leukemia. I think she took care of them for almost four months. She is also the one who encouraged me to pursue a friendship with Marcia when I was feeling so lonely after moving back to St. Cloud. Her awareness of the fact that Marcia and I were perfect for each is an incredible example of the person that she is. I miss Jenny alot -- but she didn't leave me alone when she moved. She walked with me through some very difficult days and by the time she left I had an amazing support network of friends. She is one of my heros.
Jonathan had one of his regular follow-up visits last Friday -- still cancer free and in excellent health. He had an echo on his heart, which looked great. I finally got up the nerve to ask when they will use the "c-word" (cure) with him. The doctor told me that they don't consider kids cured until they are five years off treatment -- so we have three more to go. But she also gave me a great deal of hope by saying that with the treatments these days, kids who don't relapse on therapy have an excellent chance of never relapsing. I felt really light and free after leaving Children's last Friday. He doesn't have to go back for another SIX MONTHS!
Mother's day was great. We spent the day at my parent's house and the kids were wonderful. I'm so blessed to be their mom. They've put up with a lot from me while I've gone back to school. I'm really proud of how mature they are becoming. All parents say this, but I have to say that my kids are amazing.
I went running with the boys last night. Andrew rode his bike and Caleb and Jonathan ran "with" me. Well, actually they ran in front of me. I thought that this would be a good night to take them as I'm in a rest week and I was supposed to run really slow. I learned last night that I need to take them on speed workouts instead. They would run way ahead of me and turn around and wait. Then I overheard Caleb say to Andrew, "Look! I can even run faster than mom when I"m running backwards." HaHa Caleb! Anyway, it was really fun to share my love for running with them. Caleb told me that he wants to do this three times a week. Again -- I am so incredibly blessed.
That's all for now.
The not-so random musings of a mother of four who is learning what it means to be loved by God and also enjoys teaching English, reading like crazy, and participating in long distance triathlons.
Me and the Boys at IM Wisconsin 05
I'm not sure who is more tired . . .
My Favorite Places
- Restoration Ministries -- Restoration Ministries is a center of hope and healing that offers space to know and experience Christ’s Holy Presence; to facilitate freedom, healing and wholeness; and to provide paths for spiritual growth and deeper communion with God. Caring for individuals, families, churches and organizations. This is the place where I was finally able to reconnect with God. A life changing place for me.
- My Favorite Used Bookstore (OK, so I'm a little biased here!)
- Gear West -- the Best Tri Shop around
- Beginner Triathlete -- a great on-line resource and meeting place
- SCS Multisport -- Home of the Greatest Coaches
Blog Archive
About Me
What I've been Reading 2009
- The Papa Prayer, by Larry Crabb. This book is changing the way that I pray.
- The Ascent of a Leader: How Ordinary Relationships Develop Extraordinary Character and Influence by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, and Ken McElrath -- excellent. This book provided me with a lot of hope that as a leader I can provide environments of grace for the people in my life. They present a model of leadership that our world desperately needs. My prayer is that I will mature into this type of leader. If you are in a place where you have influence over others (this includes parents and teachers), please read this book.
- Undress me in the Temple of Heaven -- a perfect book for me . . . it deals with cultural issues and mental illness, and it has a provocative title. What's not to like? I spent about three days after I finished reading it walking around trying to find something else to attract my interest.
- Abba's Child, by Brennan Manning -- a great book about the false selves that we create to help us feel "safe." I appreciated his words about the imposter and the damage that this imposter can cause in our lives.
- Church: Why bother?, by Philip Yancey -- another book by Yancey. I loved how this book talked about the importance of dependence in the church. This will be a future blog post as well.
- Children of God, by Mary Doria Russel -- the sequel to the Sparrow. I really appreciated seeing deeper into the culture of Rakhat. It was amazing to me how many assumptions I had made about characters and the culture that were so wrong! I spent several days after reading this book wishing that someone would have read it with me. I really needed to talk to someone about what I read in here. I've got lots of journal entries that I may share over the next few months.
- Prayer, by Philip Yancey -- I suspect there will be quite a bit of Yancey on my list this year. His words resonate so well with my heart. He reads widely and writes honestly. Yancey has been a great friend to me in my lonely times.
- The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis -- Andrew is reading these and since I've often said that a great way to get to know your kids' friends is through reading their books, I read along with him. He went back and is reading the Magicians Nephew. I'm inspiried to do the same thing!
- The Virgin of Bennington, by Kathleen Norris. My first intro into Norris' writing. I love her writing style, but I don't share her love and knowledge of poetry, so this was a little difficult to wade through. I've got Cloister Walk and Dakota on my shelf, so hopefully I will do better getting through those books.
- Faith and Doubt, by John Ortberg -- The first Ortberg book I've every completed. I don't know why, but I don't share the love of Ortberg that many of my friends have. I did appreciate his honesty, along with his clever idea that the most important word in the title is the one in the middle.
- The Center Will Not Hold, by Elyn Saks -- a great book by a women who lives with schizophrenia. I have always been fascinated by this mental illness. I really enjoyed reading her account.
- The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell -- My first science fiction book, but not my last. Jan, A coworker, turned me on to this first-contact story. A group of Jesuit priests and lay people visit a distant planet with disasterous consequences. This book raises many questions about the problem of evil.
- Learning Outside the Lines -- written by two Ivy League graduates who also happen to have learning disabilities. I have recommended this book to my students as a great guide to college. Sure maybe some of their ideas about reading wouldn't thrill the reading teachers at my school, but they possess a realism that is often lacking among my colleagues.
- Blind Your Ponies -- Sheri recommended this book as a good story. I agree. It was nice to root for the underdog. I also found that it dealt with issues of grief and ptsd in a very thoughtful way.
- Shame: The Power of Caring -- recommended by Mark. I found it very helpful in continuing to shape my understanding of the shame that often shoves me off into the ditch. The book is not well written, but there are some foundational concepts in here that I found worth wading through the rest to find.
- Margin, by Richard Swensen -- I read this on about two hours. It was a reread as I seek to continually remind myself of the importance of margin to my sanity.
- The Soloist, by Mark Salzman -- an interesting little novel about a child prodigey on the Cello who loses his giftedness when he becomes an adult.
- The Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller -- recommended to me by Pastor Matthew. It is basically a retelling of the Prodigal Son story, with an emphasis on the Father and our relationship with him, mostly (at least for me) as the older brother. I didn't find much new in here, as Richard has been telling me this story in this way for about 8 years, but it was nice to have someone else put words to what I've been experiencing.
- Reaching for the Invisible God, by Philip Yancey -- I started out this year with this book. It is staying on my self, as a reread -- as are most of my Philip Yancey books. He finds such a unique way to put words to his experiences. I appreciate his honesty and commitment to his faith in the midst of doubting and questions.
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