Friday, May 29, 2015

Love like this...

1-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. Ephesians 5:1-2 The Message 

praying that you would keep company with Him today, Anna.... 


Thursday, May 28, 2015

weakness and strength

I woke up today and was not sore for the first time in a long time (yippee!).... 

this song is going through my head this morning: 
"You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all..." 

praying for you Anna that you will find your strength in God alone... May He be your all in all.
XOXO 



Wednesday, May 27, 2015

down the road

Today, my prayers for you on my run were not so much for today as for down the road. I thought about your longing for deeper friendships this year and prayed for the seasons ahead that will be so formative.  I prayed for God to prepare for you a place in high school and then in college  (who knows where you will land!) where you will be able to put down roots and connect deeply with people in a rich community of faith and friends.  I prayed for whoever your roommates would be that you would be able to live with girls who would help you to grow and to whom you would be a fabulous friend.  You have so much to offer and your light shines bright, Anna- 
you unicycle-riding, bunny-loving, dancer of a girl....  

I am waiting in expectation to see how God answers these prayers! 





Tuesday, May 26, 2015

it would take a miracle


I thought about this hilarious couple from Princess Bride today.... with all my aches and pains over the last few weeks, I feel like it will take a miracle to pull off this marathon. 

But I'm holding on to hope and I know that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel! 

Praying for you, Anna, that you will find that light along the way 
and that you will pray for miracles with hope and trust in God (and a little bit of pixie dust). :) 


Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial Day

This morning, when I was praying for you, the word “remember” came to mind as today is Memorial Day.  My prayer is that you would take time to remember what God has done and that you would rejoice in His wonderful works in your life. 
re·mem·ber
rəˈmembər/
verb
  1. have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of (someone or something that one has seen, known, or experienced in the past).


…Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth…. Psalm 105:4-5

They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. Psalm 78:35

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. Psalm 77:11




Sunday, May 24, 2015

adorable

sending this today just because it's adorable and SO ARE YOU! 
Sometimes the best prayers are simply ones of thanks. I am giving thanks for you today... 
XOXO

Saturday, May 23, 2015

the mother/daughter dance

Last night at the rehearsal dinner, we talked to Kathy and to Sarah at separate times, and they both relayed how each one had had a difficult time with the other at some point in the day.  The thing is that weddings are beautiful gatherings and celebrations, but they are also events that bring up a lot of emotions for people and they can be very charged.  

Mom and I talked to Sarah and relayed a few quotes below from Wonder: 

“MR. BROWNE'S SEPTEMBER PRECEPT:
WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN BEING
RIGHT OR BEING KIND, CHOOSE KIND.” 
― R.J. PalacioWonder

“Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle”
- J.M. Barrie 

As I was thinking about this and praying for you today, 
my prayer was for our relationship through the years.  
My prayer is that we would be 
1) slow to speak
2) slow to become angry 
3) quick to listen
and 4) quick to forgive 

I know there will be times that you will struggle to understand my perspective and I will struggle to understand yours, but please know that I am committed to always trying to love you well. 
My prayer, sweet Anna, is that our relationship will be one that helps both of us run to God more quickly through the years and to remind each other of God's Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever love... 

I love you so... 


Friday, May 22, 2015

Splashing Around

Today it was such a treat to get to walk to Janie's neighbor's house to jump in the pool. While you and Taylor splashed around and played with the ball, I did some aqua jogging. It felt so good and I was so grateful. After your time with Katelyn and Jake the last couple of days, I reflected on the good friendships you have had and began to pray for your friendships going through the rest of middle school, high school, college and beyond.  My prayer for you is that God will give you people in each stage to share in your ups and downs.  The other thing that came to mind as I was praying for you today going back and forth in my little end of the pool was a song that Jake told us was one of his favorites that his teacher played at school.  It's called Simple Living and my prayer for you from the song was that you would be content with what you have and to be generous in giving.  Have a listen below. 

XOXO  


Simple Living

A rich young man came to ask of Christ:
"Good teacher, will you tell me,
What must I do for eternal life?
I've kept your laws completely."
"Sell all you have, give to the poor,
Then heaven's treasure shall be yours."
How hard for those who are rich on earth
To gain the wealth of heaven.

Now Jesus sat by the off'ring gate
As people brought their money:
The rich they filled the collection plate;
The widow gave a penny. 
"Now she's outgiven all the rest -
Her gift was all that she possessed."
Not what you give but what you keep
Is what the King is counting.

O teach me Lord to walk this road,
The road of simple living;
To be content with what I own
And generous in giving.
And when I cling to what I have
Please wrest it quickly from my grasp;
I'd rather lose all the things of earth
To gain the things of heaven.


Wednesday, May 20, 2015

accepting my limits

Ouch. I went running this afternoon ready to knock out 5-6 miles and my hamstring started screaming at me after just about 1/10 of a mile. I ran the errands I'd wanted to do and finished with just a mile and a half under my belt. Part of me wanted to cry, but the other part of me just took a deep breath and accepted that I have this limitation now.  I'll do the best I can and try to take care of my body as I take some time to heal and cross train. And in the meantime, I am certainly getting a lot of use out of this frozen bag of peas.... :)

praying for grace to mark your life Anna with whatever limitations you might face through the years... 

My Boat is so Small

- Breton Sailor's Prayer 


I read this prayer this morning and it resonated with me.  In the last few weeks, I've been aware that something as minor as a hamstring injury can point me to my dependence on God.  I am praying for you today that when you are most aware of how small you are that you would know that you have a good God who loves you dearly and that He's got you in His hands.  


Saturday, May 16, 2015

It's so much friendlier with two

I got to run with my running buddy Angela this morning whom I met at a race right after New Year's Day this year. It was SO helpful to have a friend to keep me going as I needed to try to tackle 20 miles today as my last long run before the race next month.  And after the last couple of weeks of having to take some time off, that seemed a bit daunting.  She was such a good sport as I was not as strong as she was today, and she kept me entertained with fun stories (not to mention a great route around Lake Union and then on the Burke Gilman trail.)  

We also saw some gorgeous forget-me-nots along the way and these always make me smile-- just like a favorite daughter of mine. :) 

My prayer for you today is for persistence and for friends to help you along the way when the road seems long.  After all, it's so much friendlier with two.  



Thursday, May 14, 2015

Never Give Up



As I was biking to school yesterday, the bridge went up and I had to wait for the boat to go through and then for the bridge to come back down.  A bit of a set back (just like my last couple of weeks with my hamstring giving me trouble) but not something that stopped me completely from getting to where I needed to be.  I just had to wait it out and trust that all would be well.  

This little sign below always makes me smile and helps me with my own perspective 
and I am praying for this to be your spirit through life... 



Tuesday, May 12, 2015

trying to get back in the saddle

Trying to recover from this injury and trying to get back in the saddle again (biking on Sunday, going to get a massage yesterday, trying to run today) reminds me to pray for you to rely on God no matter what comes. 

When you hit a bump along the way and an unexpected roadblock, may you continue in your spirit of tenacity and may you grow to trust God with all your heart.... 

XOXO 


Saturday, May 9, 2015

joy


As you heard me tell you, my short run today to try out my hamstrings that I have given a rest were still really hurting today.  I was discouraged because it was easy to just focus on the the pain and the worry that this is going to affect my race.  I talked to a few folks about it, looked up online about some things I can do to help and then scheduled a massage for Monday morning.  

Now I don't want my joy to be based on my circumstances because that means that when I have a rotten string of events that joy is out of the question.  I want joy to be deep rooted- no matter what is going on.  I want there to be gratitude that bubbles over even when things are hard (not glossing over the difficult things but looking for God in the midst of them and choosing what to focus on and running to Him no matter what happens.)  What we focus on grows.  

My prayer for you (and me!) today is that you will not look to your circumstances to define your attitude, but that you would be able to turn your eyes upon God and be reminded that His love can be your center. 







Thursday, May 7, 2015

miles and miles

If you told me that I would run 2,315 miles between 2013 and 2015, I would have said, "no way!" 
But this RunKeeper app which has tracked most of my mileage 
along the way has shown this to be the case. 

I just plugged it in on google maps, and that distance is the same as between California and North Carolina!!  
So the next time, a task seems daunting before you, just take it one step at a time 
and know I'm cheering for you every step of the way. 

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Strawberries and Lilacs

As I mentioned, my hamstring was bugging me a bit yesterday so I took it easy on my run. I was reminded of this classic Zen story yesterday. 

"A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. One the vine sustained him. Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!" 

 While my life was not in danger and I was not being chased by a tiger, my tight hamstring forced me to slow down yesterday. As I passed this lilac bush around Green Lake, I had to stop and snap this for you.  The weather yesterday was all over the place- cold in the morning, bright sunshine midday and then rain/hail in the afternoon so I am so thankful I took the time to stop and notice these brilliant colors so that I could share this with you today. 

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Help

You may have heard me talk about a quote from Anne Lamott in which she says that there really are just two prayers we need: "Help" and "Thanks"....  Today on my run, my hamstring really started hurting and felt really tight. I was discouraged that there was quite a bit of pain and did not want to make it worse so I just took it slowly, and then I began to pray "Help" through each step. 

I read that the average person's stride length is approximately 2.5 feet long. That means it takes just over 2,000 steps to walk one mile. For the marathon, I will have close to 52,000 steps covered.  

Today my loop took me just around 4 miles so I had 8000 steps that did not feel that great.  Rather than focus on the pain and just say "Ouch!," I tried to use each step as simple reminders to pray for those who need help....  (prayers for you, Cazden, Colter, Taylor, Jim, Daddy, me, our neighbor down the street with cancer (Cyd), and others who are struggling came to mind. )  

When pain comes your way, may God give you perspective and may he be your help in time of need...  

Monday, May 4, 2015

Small Piece of You


I loved wearing the rubber band that you loaned to me in Bloomsday yesterday... 
Just a small piece of you to carry with me during the run and it reminded me of this song. :) 


Small Piece of You
by Sarah Groves
I just want a small piece of you
a token to put in my pocket
and I will own that one things
and it would make me happy
I just want a small piece of you
somethin to put in a locket
and i will look at it daily
and that will make me happy

I guess it's human nature to want to hold you very still
I guess it's in a mother to inject a little guilt
Go on son and see the world; I hope you see it all
But please please please don't forget to call

Free to fly free to go free to not look back
That's how free I want you though it scares me half to death
Free to wander miles and miles and free to come back home
That's how free I want you though it chills me to the bone

...Go on son and spread your wings; I hope that you take flight
But please please please don't forget to write

I know you're just a baby sleeping in your bed
And you probably have other thoughts drifting through your head
I know this conversation's a little premature
It's just that I've heard eighteen years goes by like a blur

...I know that it's not fair for me to hold you down now is it
But please please please don't forget to visit

Free to fly free to go free to come back home...



Spokane, WA 


such a fun race today! 


Starbucks buddies 




Saturday, May 2, 2015

rest days

I've taken a few days off because of my tight hamstring... 
so I used the frozen peas that the Hutchinsons left for us to ice my leg on Friday 

and I swam today a bit in the pool playing with you, Taylor, Cazden and Colter

With these few days off, I've been grateful for some time to give my body a break... 
I read an article that reassured me that these days would not affect all the training I've done, and I am simply trying to listen to my body and do what's best for myself in the long run. 

Below are a bunch of passages that speak about rest. 
When you are in need of this at different times, 
may these encourage you and point you in the right direction.  


Exodus 33:14 “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 62:1-2 “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”
Isaiah 40:28- 31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Psalm 127:  1-2 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.”
1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Psalm 62:5 “Yes, my soul, find rest in God: my hope comes from him.”
Psalm 116:7 “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”
1 John 3:19 “This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence.”
1 Peter 3:4 “Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
Psalm 131:2 “But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.”
Proverbs 19:23 ” The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”
Philippians 4:12 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
1 Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Philippians 4: 6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with  thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which  surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ  Jesus.”