Merry Christmas, Love Saint Nic

The Truth about Santa Claus

St. Nicholas was born in Asia Minor. He was named bishop of Myra, a poor and run-down diocese. When his wealthy parents died, he gave his wealth to the poor and devoted himself to the conversion of sinners. Once he heard that a man who had become very poor intended to abandon his three daughters to prostitution because he could not afford a dowry for them to be married. Nicholas, the story goes, on three occasions threw a bag of gold through the window into the room of the sleeping father. His daughters soon were married. Later the father came to Nicholas, fell at his feet and said, "Nicholas, you are my helper. You have delivered my soul and my daughters' souls from hell." This story and his many other works of charity led to the tradition of giving presents on Nicholas' feast day and at Christmas in his name.The name Santa Claus, in fact, evolved from his name. Nicholas died at Myra in 350. His popularity, already great, increased when his relics were brought to Bari, Italy, in 1087. Both the Eastern and Western churches honor him. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Russia, Greece, Apulia, Sicily, and Lorraine. He is regarded as the special patron of children. His feast is December 6th.

Some day, when I am independently wealthy, I will live up to the name of my Saint.

I wish A VERY Blessed and Merry Christmas to ALL!

Love,
Nic the PennyRunner

Nicole's Sole to Nicole's Soul

Blog I love double meanings, they are so much fun. I almost love them as much as I love to run. Yes, I run. Therefore I am a runner. I have now coined the term pennyrunner. ; ) I am the pennyrunner. I run for pennies and other coins, but there are many more reasons why. I can't fly, I wish I could, but only in my dreams. On some of those runs and you runners out there know what I mean. When I say those runs, it feels like flying. It is, hands down, the best feeling ever! That must be what they mean by runner's high. So run. Run to fly. Reach for the sky!

I even have to convince myself I am a runner because I have not always had such an affinity for it. It was too hard, too challenging to breathe, and too painful. However, now I can't imagine not pushing myself in this sport because whenever I do I am rewarded with those lucky treasures. And lately, I seem to attract them not only when I run, but in other random places as well.

So from the soles of my feet to baring and sharing my soul, I will run in order to make the world a better place in whatever form that takes. I will run to lift others up. Runners are some of the best people you could ever come across. I love runners! They like to make themselves suffer just as much as I do, so bring on the pain. Make pain your friend. Sounds a little psycho, doesn't it? Well then, you must not be a runner.

Since I like to make my blogs short and sweet so you have time to read them and I don't lose your interest, I will leave you with this final quote in a letter from St. Paul to the Corinthians, Ch. 9 V. 24-27. "You know that while all the runners in the stadium take part in the race, the award goes to one man. In that case, run so as to win! Athletes deny themselves all sorts of things. They do this to win a crown of leaves that withers, but we a crown that is imperishable. I do not run like a man who loses sight of the finish line. I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. What I do is discipline my own body and master it, for fear that after having preached to others I myself might be rejected." St. Paul is awesome! Go fight, run, and win the race!

Love, the pennyrunner

In God We Trust & the Pennyrunner's Faith

I have to thank my husband's Grandmother Betty Carlson for this one. I don't know who wrote this, but it brought tears to my eyes and I don't take credit for it, but I feel it came my way to share it with others. She sent this to me the evening before my Freedom's Run and I had not even realized this other spin to all the pennies and other coins I have found. They are ALL so special to me and I certainly feel like I have found a treasure with each and every one that has crossed my path. : ) God does love me after all even though I have often felt SO unworthy of his love. Enjoy! With Love, the Pennyrunner

PENNIES You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc.  This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story.  Gives you something to think about. Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home.  My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend.  The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live.  The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants.  Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.  As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him.  There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts.  Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure.  How absurd!  What need did this man have for a single penny?  Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her.  Finally, she could stand it no longer.  She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see.  She had seen many pennies before!  What was the point of this? “Look at it.” He said, “Read what it says.” She read the words, “United States of America.”  “No, not that. Read further.” “One cent?” “No, keep reading.” “In God We Trust?” “Yes!” “And?” “And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. “For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!” When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, “In God We Trust,” and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful!  And, God is patient... The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given That's the whole gospel message simply stated.

Thought for the Day: If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring. He sends you a sunrise every morning. Face it, friend - He is crazy about you! Send this to every 'beautiful person' you wish to bless. God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. Read this line very slowly and let it sink in... If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Pass this message to people you want to bless.

For Freedom

My next race is the Freedom's Run 10k on October 4, 2014. This is a race that covers some Civil War History and actually I was supposed to run this last year; however, due to the government shutdown some of the course that goes through the National Parks were also closed. I deferred to this year 2014. Naturally I want to run the original not an alternate route. So here goes my first 10k race and I'm running it for freedom, for life, and for my beautiful country America. May she always be free!

This is an excerpt from Runner's World magazine about the race course. "Freedom's Run is the right name for this remarkable race. After all, Harper's Ferry is the place where abolitionist John Brown led a slave rebellion in the fall of 1859 that agitated Americans in a way that nothing ever had before. Authorities crushed Brown's uprising after a brief standoff, but historians still credit him with igniting one of the first sparks of the Civil War."

Run free. The irony in that statement is astounding because I can run for free every day and whenever I want to, but I pay to run in races. Go figure! Sorry about the cliche, but freedom is not free, a sacrificial price comes with it.

With Love, the Pennyrunner