Gobble Jogging

My last race for 2013 was a Thanksgiving gobble jog. 

I love my Gobble Jog shirts!
I ran this race last year for the first time with hubby.  In 2012, we took the kidos with us.  Michael ran the 10k (his first), and the plan was I would run the turkey trot (1mile) with the kidos in our new double jogging stroller. If you want to read about how all that went, click here to read the old post.

It was a cold run last year, but this year, it was record breaking cold! 

Thankfully (hehe, Thanksgiving day, get it?) we had decided to drop the kids at Nonna's and Poppa's before running.  This year, Michael did the 10k again - and had an even better time - and I ran the 5k (love my 5ks).

I felt like a running ninja!  
Running in the cold is not fun, but I just kept the turkey and the sweet potatoes and the stuffing and the... well, all that in my "view" as I ran.  Running on Thanksgiving is running to ward away the guilt that is going to come after you eat FAR TOO MUCH! It helps. *cue grin*

My time on my Nike app was 34 mins; official race time said 35 mins.  I'm going to stick with my Nike app and say I ran it in 34. ;-) Running in the cold with layers of clothing on you and your bones screaming for warmth as they creak onward is HARD.  My race times in the winter are always bad.  But, love of running - and of food - inspired me, so I'm glad I decided to run another gobble jog. 

Today's forget-me-not: Do that which you love - often. And be thankful for it!

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

How should you spend Thanksgiving?

Many say that Thanksgiving should be spent at home with your family.  No work.  No shopping. Everyone should be at home with his or her family.

But what if you don't have a family with which to share the day?  What if you're lonely and just want to get out and be amongst other human beings?  What if you'd really like a taste of some turkey, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and a slice of chocolate cream pie, but your body just isn't physically able to run the marathon you would have to endure to prepare all that food just for yourself or perhaps for just you and your significant other?

THANKFULLY for those people, there are a few restaurants open on Thanksgiving. 

However, this is vilified.  The people who dare grace the doors of an establishment open on Thanksgiving are seen as criminals that transgress against the employees that are forced to work when they would rather be at home with loved ones.

Home with loved ones and doing what?  Indulging in gluttony, perhaps? 

But what if the employees don't have loved ones to share the day with and would rather be amongst people on this people holiday?  Or what if they are desperate for more hours to work to pay the bills? After all, a day work - perhaps a retail store? - is closed is one less day to get paid. If you are on a tight budget, how do you make ends meet then?

You see, not everything in life is black or white - wrong or right.    I do believe some things fall under those categories; however, this issue is not one of them.  We need to look at the other side of this coin before we - say, for instance - post things on Facebook like this:


Everyone does deserve a holiday, and in a perfect world, everyone should be able to take a holiday. However, some simply HAVE to work.  Some simply NEED to work. And some simply WANT to work.  All for a variety of reasons.

And the last time I checked, this is a free country.  Exercise that freedom and your God given free-will and work if you want to, or don't work if you believe you shouldn't.  Shop or eat out if you feel the spirit move you, or stay home if you feel your family needs that attention.

I too believe in family, and toward that end, I support whatever families feel they need to do to make ends meet or to, perhaps, get through a painful time of year - as the holidays are for so many...  I also support those families who strive to make this day sacred and spend it entirely focused on family time in the comfort of their homes...

The point is this: Can we just stop JUDGING one another?! 

I don't usually write posts on such highly charged, controversial topics, but tonight, I felt the spirit move.

THINK before you post.  THINK before you act.  THINK before you speak. Just think about it...

Today's forget-me-not: Matthew 7:1-2 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Gimme a Break!

Teachers love - I said LOVE - break weeks.  The students look forward to these weeks to get away from all the classwork, but teachers have so many more reasons for loving break weeks. To name a few in no particular order...

1. I get to sleep in! No alarm clock - whoo hoo!!
2. I get to spend quality time with my husband and my kids.
3. I get to clean and organize my house.
4. I get to spend some time on projects I've put aside since the last break.
5. I get to catch up on some grading.  (A necessary evil when you're a teacher.)
6. I get to go to catch up on doctor's appointments and other engagements I have put off.
7. I get to be ME and not Mrs. Soandso for awhile.

So many reasons to love break weeks.

Yesterday, I was all about number three on the above list.  Cleaning doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun, and it's not.  But, the "after taste" is glorious!  The whole house smells of crisp clorox, and I feel like Mary Poppins. 


I feel whole again.

Teaching takes a lot from a person - and, as a result, from that person's family. If it's mom that's the teacher - and more often than not this is the case in the teaching profession - then it's mom who is sacrificing bits of her emotional, physical, and psychological self to the betterment of the public. It's mom who then has to come home and continue doing the same thing for her family.  And it's mom who ends up feeling so drained that she lay in her bed at night suffering the end of the day shock that comes with always giving and never receiving. 

And if momma suffers, everybody suffers.  The husband, the kids, the pets, momma's friends and extended family, and the house.  Suffering.

But then break week comes...  And there's time to put everything right again once more.  A second wind comes.  All is made new.  Hope springs eternal.  And mom thinks, "I got this. I can do this."  After all, it's for a good cause!  Optimism reigns supreme!!

Besides, there's only three weeks until the two week Christmas break!!!!

Today's forget-me-not: Your kid's teachers and/or your teacher friends.  Be sure to include them on your Christmas list this year - if only to be sure they get a Christmas thank you card.

Happy Thanksgiving!

reality

I've been watching a lot of mindless TV lately - something I really need to cut back on - but I've been sick. So, as a result of feeling crappy and tired after a long day at work, I like to kick up my feet and transport myself to other "worlds" via a good episode of one of my - many - favorite series on television.  Anyway, the result is a yet another blog post inspired by a TV show.  This time, it's Grey's Anatomy.

Okay, before you throw stones ;-) I know it's not exactly the most Christian show, but life - reality in this world - ain't Christian, and one reason I like the show is because it's real.  Real people trying to deal with every day real problems. Often, it isn't pretty.  Well, if you want more on that perspective, you'll have to read this old post.

Any whoooo.....  In the most recent episode of Grey's, one of the characters has a miscarriage.  And as I'm watching her and her partner wrestle the emotions that come in the aftermath of this, I feel the pain of my loss all over again.

You see, it's always there.  Under the surface of every day life, it's there.  The grief.  That NEVER goes away.  You learn how to deal with it, but it's always there.  And then - unexpectedly - quite suddenly - it's THERE. 

Like when you're watching a TV show and one of the characters experiences a pain that you went through and then, IT is there again.  Fresh. Anew. An open wound. That's my reality.

I don't mind it.  Not really.  Because it forces me to remember, and I never want to forget.  My Angel.

And so, I wanted to blog about this.  Why?  Because people need to understand the magnitude of what a miscarriage does to a woman.  Because we - sufferers of a miscarriage - need to speak about this for healing and for those just now going through this pain, to encourage them in their struggle.

Discussion about loss - miscarriage - needs to happen for the topic to become less taboo.  So baby loss mommas won't feel as if they have to keep quiet. So they can find support. And so those who haven't suffered a miscarriage can know what their friends have gone through and how to love them and be there for them.

I'm passionate about this topic, can you tell?

Will you help me?

I was honored to be a part of a project inspired by a fellow baby loss momma - Katy Larsen.  She put together a book - Because They Lived - which is a compilation of stories from women who have experienced pregnancy loss - my story is included.  All proceeds from the books go to fund causes directly related to pregnancy loss. 

Katy is asking for donations so that the causes that are near and dear to our baby loss momma hearts can receive the funding they need to thrive. 

"We ask, especially at this time of year, for your support and generosity to help us reach our goals as shown in the pitch video. Pregnancy and Infant Loss is often swept to the side in our society because people just don't like death. People don't know what to say when you lose your baby. Providing comfort and education is essential to these families," Katy said.

Please go to the following page to learn more about Katy's efforts: Somewhere Over the Rainbow LLC: A Time for Thanksgiving "Because They Lived" Indiegogo Campaign

Katy asked me to be a part of the pitch video she put together.  For the video, I submitted the following pic:

It reads, "I want to place copies of Because They Lived in doctors' offices and hospitals so women can know it's okay to talk about their losses... Because Angel Lived." - Jamie
Please go to the campaign page and watch the video.  It's not too long, and it really hits home the importance of this cause. 

Today's forget-me-not:  Babies lost too soon.

once upon a time...

I love a good story.  I especially like fairy tales.  Yes... I know... grow up, Jamie.  But, hey, I can't help it! I'm a sucker for a happily ever after ;-)

What's my favorite fairy tale, you ask?  Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs!

I guess it all started back in my childhood when a neighbor got a record of Snow White.  Yes, a record. I guess I'm that old... Anyway, we would listen to it for hours, and I would be transported to another land - a land where a girl with everything working against her could find true love and live happily ever after.



I was hooked!

Recently, Michael and I have started watching the ABC series Once Upon a Time.  The plot revolves around Snow White and her Prince Charming - my favs!  Just when they think they have gotten their happily ever after, the evil queen steps in and tries to ruin it.

This pretty much explains things...



Great, huh?!

It's mindless TV after a hard day at work. But more than that...

It's a few episodes of good overcoming evil. It's love conquers all. It's hope.

Who doesn't need a little dose of that each and every day?

Besides, I know happily ever afters are possible.  God sent me my prince, and we have been blessed ever since.  Not saying our road has been smooth with no bumps or potholes, but - with our Jesus - we have persevered.  Love does conquer all.

Today's forget-me-not: 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

An Attitude of Gratitude

It's the start of a new month, and I usually blog about my progress with my new year's resolutions. Yes, I've been keeping track of those.  ;-)  I made some good ones back in January - so I figured.  However, last month, I declared those resolutions "accomplished" - to the extent, at least, that they ever would be accomplished - so I made a new resolution. Why wait for January 1st, right?  I resolved to re-purpose my blog - read "Resolutions Review - October".

In re-purposing my blog, I wanted to accomplish a few things, but first and foremost, I wanted to make it public so that I could share it with those in the baby loss community - specifically those who have suffered early miscarriages.  October was Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and I felt compelled to contribute something to that cause in honor of Angel. So, I "cleaned up" my blog and created a Facebook page from which to share it with other BLMs (baby loss mommas). 

If you know anyone who has just suffered a miscarriage and might find some solace from reading the blog posts of someone else who has been through that darkness (much like I did), please share this page with them.

The other reason for opening my blog to the public was to share - to share God's instruction in my life.  He is so gentle and so patient with me, I just had to find a vehicle from which to give Him the glory for that and share what I have learned in the process so that - perhaps - it might benefit another believer.  Maybe if you read about my blunders and his gentle rebuke thereof, you won't make the same mistakes?  Perhaps I'll post some scripture that He has impressed upon my heart that He may want you to read too?

“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another... ”
 (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

If you think my blog encouraging - edifying - then please feel free to share it!

I write for me. I write for Him. I write for you.

I'm so thankful for this blog. I'm THANKFUL for so much!

I put this on my Facebook page today: For me, November is all about thanksgiving - the holiday AND the action - so every day this month, I'll post what I'm most thankful for on that day. 

It's so important to be active in our thankfulness.  As I learned in James MacDonald's study Lord Change My Attitude, an attitude of thankfulness is commanded of us.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So let's adopt an attitude of gratitude for the month of November AND for all time. 

Today's forget-me-not: 1 Thessalonians 5:8 "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."