Christmas in July

For my beautiful Gracie girl, my Friday baby, born at 3PM at Elmhurst Memorial. What an experience that was for me as a 23 year old woman welcoming such a miracle into my life. I still remember my former boss Roni at the law firm I worked at exclaiming it's Christmas in July. Still don't know what she meant by that except it made me feel good being round and pregnant thinking I must look like St. Nic all fat and jolly. 

No one has ever made me feel stronger than I truly am than my daughter. She was and has been such a light in my life that I had no right to deserve. The trust she has given me to guide her, nurture her, be her mother, and best friend has humbled me. 

I still pray God keeps from her all that is not holy all that is not true and for the grace to be a good mother. I'm her biggest fan and always will be and she is my staunchest support. 

Happy Sweet 16 my beautiful girl Grace! May you always find the good in others and kindness in the world! 

All my love & heart always,

Momma 

A Love Letter from God

Never seen such amazing beauty

Innocent with a heart of gold

Came this blue eyed girl my way

O

L

E

Wish I could remember the last three lines of the poem he wrote to me so long ago. He who also once told me I am so "precious". Wish I could find him to thank him for his kind words that I still have not forgotten. Never seen such amazing beauty. You know some people have a way with words and words can either heal or destroy. Too often in life they are used to tear down as opposed to encourage and lift one another up. 

Some say I need to toughen up, that I'm too sensitive, too nice. Well I say, the world needs less tough, more sensitivity, and more nice. All my life I have tried to have the quote on quote 'thick skin' which seemed to come easier to others. Most of the time I succeed, I think, but I fail and fall under the weight of the cross. I'm not allowed to be human; I'm called to be a saint, and to "suffer for the sins of mankind". To give everyone else what they want first. So get up, keep going I tell myself, persevere, be strong for others, they need you. Need smiling faces, charitable souls, goodness, and love. And remember that saints became saints not because they were perfect, but because they did not give up trying, they got back up no matter how many times they fell.     

Let love, justice, mercy, and compassion reign in a world so heavy burdened with the issues of humankind. 

P.S. I love you too God and could really use another healing hug. 

Love, 

the PennyRunner

Why care about a penny?

Why pennies? Who cares about pennies? They are worth the very least of American currency, and as most things and circumstances it reminds me of my beautiful Catholic faith. Jesus said, "whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me". Think of each penny as a person the world deems as the least worthy and a throw away. So I try to remember when I am not huffing and puffing out there running to say a silent prayer for not only the person who dropped that coin, but for someone who is feeling like the least of his people. I pray that they will be blessed in a very special way. 

Now to my running, I am training for my next half trail marathon the Plowville Charlie Horse Trail Half in Reading, PA. It is for a good cause. All proceeds will benefit Special Olympics. I prefer to run for a charitable profit or for just fun and that great feeling of accomplishment of crossing the finish line. I'm really excited to be running in PENNsYlvania because it is where I started to run. The state is special to me for a couple of reasons and of course because the word penny is in it. 

One other thing I have to mention is that I have also been cycling a lot more and can you believe a 20 dollar bill came my way? So you see in the end when you care about what is least and when you give your all and your best, good things do come your way and you get blessed in ways you may have never thought. I heard a great quote recently and it was something like the only thing you can take with you is what you gave away. Amazing!

Be blessed! 

Peace & Love, 

the PennyRunner

For my Grace & Michael

This blog is dedicated to my munchkin heads and the cute and funny things I remember them saying and doing. It's so important to document these memories before I completely forget them all. Here are a few from the earlier years.


To my first born, Grace: I will always remember when you were first starting school and you said all the boys are going to fall in love with you. LOL! I will always admire your confidence and remember you coming home and saying ah, got me in my nuts because you heard a boy at school say that. I would always have to explain to you, Grace you are a girl, you don't have nuts. Also how can I forget you saying, "Mama, you are my best friend".


To my last born, Michael: I will always remember after I put you in your big boy bed that you would never sleep a full night in it. Every night you stood at the side of my bed holding your blanket waiting for me to wake up and put you in the bed next to me. As a single mother, I was too tired to keep getting up and putting you back in your bed so, I gave in and let you crash out next to me. I'm so glad I did because there were so many precious moments when I awoke and caught you laughing a big belly laugh in your sleep and to this day I will always wonder what you were dreaming about.


Love you both very much! XOXO

A Turning Point

Why do I mention the year of the coins I find? When my children Gracie and Mikey were babies; I was going through a tremendous amount of difficulty and living at home with my parents. It's funny people kept telling me God gives you what you can handle, but I definitely did not feel like I could handle what God was supposedly giving me. My faith was severely tested. I had so much taken away from me already, how could I possibly be expected suffer anymore loss?

I made a decision to ask God for a very real and tangible thing. Something that would no doubt let me know that he is real and present in my life. What I asked for was a penny with the year of my birth on it. Later that day when I found it in my room, I was amazed and almost could not believe it. I mean after all I asked quietly in my mind, I did not vocalize it nor did I tell anyone else what I asked God for that day. How did it materialize and where did it come from? I may never know, but each and every time I find a penny or other lost coin, I can't help but be reminded of that fateful day in my room when I was on the verge of despair how God answered my little prayer. Small and insignificant me. God did care. 

Some people think I should have asked for more money than just a penny, but I think that it would have been greedy. Would God have really answered me then? Probably not. Besides the simple fact that exactly and precisely what I asked for that day appeared was nothing short of miraculous and exactly what I needed to keep me going for my kids. 

Someday my children and grandchildren will read my posts and this will be my legacy to them. They will know who their mother truly was and how much they mean to me. It is my gift to them and my future generations.

Whatever you may be going through, have faith, be of good courage and never ever give up hope. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened.

God Bless you!
Love,
the PennyRunner

2014 Financials - Don't Cook the Books

It was a good year even though I did not achieve my goal of running my first 50k due to another blasted stress fracture; however, I did accomplish my first half marathon and it was great. It is a new year now and there is still time to hit my running prime.

Of course I can't write this blog without saying a little something about my little Johnny boo because he was one heck of an awesome companion animal that sadly I had to lay to rest January 5th. I will run a lot this year in his honor and hope to find many pennies and other coins with the year 2006 because he was born that year July 17th. For Johnny Kitty.

And now for the pennyrunner annual report. Like a good entrepreneur, president and CEO; I should disclose my financial earnings. Otherwise, what am I doing this for anyway? I collected $11.11 on runs and in other random places. It is amazing how much money is just lying around on the ground. My daughter Grace is embarrassed to be seen with me now and runs away from me saying "I don't know you". Pffft! Teenagers! One day when it puts her through college, she will be thanking me. My friend Brad told me he knows a good doctor I can see for this and that he is going to purchase me a mini metal detector to run with so I can find even more and he can move into my mansion someday. He never ceases to make me laugh even if it is at my own expense. Ha ha ha! I will have the last laugh all the way to the bank. LOL! Here is the breakdown:

US Coins

227 Pennies = $2.27

9 Nickels = $.90

36 Dimes = $3.60

11 Quarters = $2.75

1 US Dollar Coin = $1.00

$10.52

Foreign Coins (pennyrunner is going global)

1962 Canada 1 Cent Coin = $.01

2012 Canada 5 Cent Coin = $.05

2008 Panama Coin = $.10

2013 Turkish Lira = $.43

$.59

2014 Total: $11.11

Well, it is not enough to purchase a new pair of running shoes, but it is a start. Here is to a happy and healthy 2015. Hope my math is right. Keep running!

Love,

the Pennyrunner

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