Author: Kristine Binder

I praise God for I am wonderfully made.

Kristine Binder

I praise God, for I am wonderfully made.
Psalm Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15

O LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.

This was today’s Responsorial psalm when I took my daughter to serve Mass this morning. I thought it so thought provoking that I reread it and meditated on it during my run this morning (3 miles).

I praise God for I am wonderfully made. I often fail to realize that I am wonderfully made. I complain of all that is not working properly or not looking like that of a model. I wonder why things do not work the way i wish them too nor look as I would like. I must focus on the fact that I do many things others can not. I am allowed to do things others dream of accomplishing.

I praise God for I am wonderfully made. I can create life where there was none before (with the help of my spouse) and nurture that life inside me. I can feed that life once birthed like no other. I can continue to guide and nurture that life for as long as my child will allow me to do so.

I praise God for I am wonderfully made. I can run…not barely more….I can run. I can cover distances no one…not even me ….thought possible. I am able to get up out of bed and use my body to its fullest.

I praise God for I am wonderfully made. I may not be perfect in my own eyes but I am perfect in the eyes of my Creator. I must praise His holy name as I am wonderfully made.

What do praise God for? How are you wonderfully made?

Courage

Kristine Binder

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.

Muhammad Ali

I thought about courage as I ran today. What is courage? What does it take to have courage? When do we exhibit courage?

I see courage in the face of the parts of children with autism and other special gifts. I will never know the challenges these parents and children face fist hand but as I look at them, I see courage. Courage to face whatever comes their way. Courage to care for a child that is in need 24/7/365. Courage to give 100% of themselves all the time. They are heroes to me.

I see courage when I look into the faces of the girls I teach, coach and mother. The life of a girl is so much harder than when I was growing up. There are so many more pressures. There are so many more expectations. There are so many more challenges for girls today. We are a society obsessed with appearances. Girls are forced into a ‘box’. If girls do not look, act and dress like the others, they are teased, make fun of and bullied….not only by other girls, but by boys and adults as well. There are so many ways for children to get bullied now. They can not have a ‘safe zone’ to escape and quiet the nasty voices. I see courage in these girls when they stand up for themselves and stand up for others in order to quiet these nasty voices. It is no easy task to stand up for yourself. It is no easy task to stand up for another person, but these girls stand up! They have learned empathy and feel this for the bully. It is up to all of us to help girls learn to love themselves for who they are RIGHT NOW….something I did not learn until I was older. If I had learned that lesson at a younger age, perhaps I would have been more courageous in my life. Instead, I tried to fit in the ‘box’ and never had the courage to step out and like myself.

Courage….what does it look like to you?

(Not So) Rest Day!

Kristine Binder

Today is scheduled to be a rest day. Well…that is sort of an oxymoron around here….I rarely have time for rest!

We had scheduled a grad party/Father’s Day party for the family today. I was running around getting everything done for the party…and thank goodness I ran errands early. I was making the salad and cutting veggies when I stabbed my hand (I was looking away telling the kids what chore to do next) and blood was everywhere. There went the salad and I went to the ER. 2.5 hours and 3 stitches later I returned just in time to shower and get ready to welcome guests looking a bit like Michael Jackson…one glove and all! I was blessed to be using a very sharp and specially shaped knife that minimized the damage to my hand! No tendon, ligament, and nerve damage…thank heavens!

After a successful party I am finally sitting down having a drink and starting to feel the pain…hoping the drink helps ease some of that pain!!

Here’s to a ‘not so’ restful rest day!

BEST DAY EVAH!

Kristine Binder


So….today has been a great day and it is not over yet! I ran with the group today…well…It was just my pace leader and me today. We had a great run and chatted as we ran. I realized that she was as big a Hawks fan as me….well…perhaps not as big as me but she knew her hockey! We ran and chatted some more and by the time we were done I was BEAT but we realized that we ran a SUB 3 today! Great for us…ahead of pace! BONUS!

Then I came home, showered and changed, and headed to local Park for a date…..with LORD STANLEY! Yup…that’s right, John McDonough brought the cup home to My little corner of the world! It was so exciting to be that close to the cup…only thing that would have made it better would have been to actually touch it!

So…off to clean and prepare for a party tomorrow……what a day! I am still living Lord Stanley’s Dream…..what a great life!

I Run….

Kristine Binder

I run for many reasons…the main reason I run is for my own sanity! There are times when my kids ask, “Mom, do you need to go for a run?” like running is a magic pill that makes me feel better. There are times it does feel that way.

I run because I can…really….there are so many people that can’t run…that can’t move. So I run for them. I run to set a good example for my kids. I run so that I can live a longer (more time to torment my kids!!) and healthier (less of a burden) life. I run the marathon for two charities…Alexander Leigh Center for Autism and Girls on the Run.

ALCA is a unique place. The Alexander Leigh Center for Autism is a 501(c)(3) non profit, developmental learning center and therapeutic day school for children with autistic spectrum disorders. The Alexander Leigh Center for Autism was founded by two mothers both parents of children with autism. One of these moms, Kelly Weaver, is a good friend and I run for her daughter Gillian. She is my hero! The two dedicated mothers are determined to create a place where children can reach their full individual potential, in a caring and safe environment, a place where each child’s differences are what make them special. To provide an environment where children on the autistic spectrum can develop their potential academically, emotionally, socially, communicatively, physically and gain functional independence using programs and methods that are selected for each child based on their individual needs.

Girls on the Run is a life-changing, experiential learning programs for girls age eight to thirteen years old. The programs combine training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development. I am a coach for this program and have seen the benefits firsthand.

If you would like to help either of these worthy causes….you could be a hero to any one of these kids…

Thank you in advance.
http://www.firstgiving.org/alca1
http://www.active.com/donate/SoleMates2011/KNader10

I run for many reasons….why do you run?