Faith
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Inspiration
I have quite a few things that inspire me–and not just inspiring me to write either. Sure, I have a lot of those, and I mention them weekly in my This Writer’s Journey segments.
But, today, I’m mentioning someone who inspires me on a whole different level. Someone who inspires me to be a better person. A better wife. A better athlete. And yes, even a better writer.
My husband, Charlie.
Here are a couple pictures of a triathlon he did recently.
He works so hard at his sport. Without fail, he trains daily. He watches what he eats–and boy do I wish I had the dedication he does. The way that man can turn away chocolate when it’s readily available is unnatural!
I joke, but truly, he inspires me. He shows me by example what it means to be dedicated to something. To work hard for it. Earn it. Yet, he’s quick to smile and give God the credit for any success he has. He’s right, too. God has truly blessed him with a strong mind, heart and soul.
And a triathlete training for the full Ironman needs that. To make it in a 2-mile swim, 110+ mile bike ride, and 26-mile run—YIKES!
So, I thank you, Charlie, for being such a good example to me and those around you. I’m blessed to call you husband.
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Who inspires you?
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Why do I do this again?
Lot’s of people look at me cross-eyed when I mention I ran a half marathon recently. Some smile nicely as if to keep the crazy girl calm and quietly slip away. But many slap me on the shoulder and say, “Great Job!”
Talking about sports, especially some of the things I do (long distance cycling, speed skating, etc), sometimes draws mixed reactions. Especially when I talk about my dad (climbed Kilimanjaro & Rainer, biked 3100 miles across the country, etc).
It’s genetic. And I’m okay with that.
Although this past weekend, I might have questioned it once or twice.
I ran the Sedona half marathon Saturday.
Any athlete knows that some races just aren’t as good as others. Stomach trouble, freak cramping, or some other random issue.
Me and Stina at the start Well, lucky me, I got a few of them. I still managed to enjoy the day and take one minute off my time last year, but it was painful.
At the start, with my friend, Christina, excitement hummed in the air. It was COLD (29 degrees) but the bright sun bounced off the beautiful red rocks. *sigh* I’ll never tire of that view.
Me chugging around the last corner toward the finish By mile five I had a stitch in my side that burned like fire from hades. Couldn’t get a good deep breath and that just snowballed into fatigue, cramping and whole nine yards.
But, my good friend Christina kept my spirits up and chugged along with me. It was her first half marathon ever, so it was fun to share that with her.
I’ll be honest, I thought a few times, “Why do I do this again?” But the answer presented itself shortly thereafter.
A challenge.
What is life without challenges? Some we choose, such as running, extreme sports, etc, and some we don’t. My mother-in-law, while I was running this 13.1 mile race, was sitting in a chair getting ready to receive her very first chemo treatment. She didn’t ask for that challenge, but she’s facing it head on.
Stina and me at the finish with our medals and Sun Drop soda Her finish line might not be lined with spectators cheering, tons of food, Sun Drop soda and a finisher’s medal, but she’s persevering, regardless.
The challenges we face, no matter what they are, we can grow from. Spiritually and mentally.
My race ended with me being a bit short of my goal time, and I was very sore, but I’m stronger because of it.
When I wanted to stop and walk, I thought of my mother-in-law.
When I wanted to stop and walk, I prayed to God for strength.
When I wanted to stop and walk, I thought of my sweet hubby cheering me along back in Phoenix.
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When you want to stop and walk, what do you do to keep going?
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The meaning of a name. . .
Me & my mother-in-law, Lynn. Today I have a heavy heart.
My mother-in-law is in surgery. One that will hopefully prolong her life for many years since her recent cancer diagnosis.
You might wonder what’s this got to do with the title of my post today,The meaning of a name. . .
Most of you know that Lynn Rush is my pen name. My mother-in-law played a part in that, though. So, I wanted to share the story…
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As much as I love my husband and his character-building, very Dutch last name, its complex spelling and pronunciation doesn’t work well in the writing world. So, you can imagine I was encouraged to pick a pen name early on in my writing career.
I’m a sentimental kinda gal. I mean, I tell everyone the diamond in my wedding ring is my mother-in-law’s engagement diamond. She’s been married to her hubby for over 42 years!
It’s just me. I love that stuff.
So, when I was encouraged to pick a pen name, I had to go the sentimental route with that as well. I wanted something nice and short, easy to remember, and just kinda flowed off the tongue.
Yet I wanted some meaning behind it.
We threw out funny last names to go with Sheri (Yep, that’s my real first name) such as Speed, Crash, silly ones like that to kind of represent my love of speed (speed skating, road biking, mountain biking) and the tendency to crash while participating in those adventures.
But nothing flowed.
So, one morning, my sweet hubby and I were on a scenic drive, throwing out name ideas. I don’t remember the exact wording, but the conversation went something like this:
“Hey, Char, what about Lynn?”
He smiled. “Well, it is your middle name.”
“But I was thinking more of your mom, though. It’s her first name and she was the first to read anything I’d ever written. Plus, she’s a great writer. Remember she wrote When Was It Love for our wedding?”
He smiled and nodded. “It’s nice.”
I thought it only appropriate, considering Lynn was instrumental to where I am today, and not just as a writer, but as a woman and wife as well.
We decided on Rush to kind of go with the speed-junky-thing I have going on, but most importantly is the first name. Technically it’s my middle name, but I know the real reason behind it.~~~
So, I dedicate today’s post to Lynn Boeyink. She’s stepped into a war for her life after having been diagnosed with a form of liver cancer that didn’t leave her with great odds of beating. One of the many battles she’ll face is today…surgery.
Love you, Mom II.
If you’re interested, you can follow her journey on CaringBridge.
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Too funny . . .
I saw this on the web a few weeks ago. I had to post it here. Have you seen this? It’s hysterical.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9fc-crEFDw&feature=player_embedded#]
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I get asked all kinds of questions about writing when people find out I’m a writer.
“Oh, are you published yet?”
“I’ve always wanted to write. You know I’ve written . . . .”
“How do you get started as a writer?”
“You?” **eyes nearly burst from their sockets** “A writer?”
“What’s paranormal romance?”
“You’re not published yet?”
Most people don’t know much about the process. For some writers publication happens very quickly, but for most, it takes a long time. Lots of ups and downs. Laughter and tears. Doubt and confidence.
But isn’t it like that for anyone trying to make their dream a reality? I mostly think of Olympic or professional athletes. Look at the blood, sweat, and tears they shed.
So I say:
Keep at it! No matter what your dream!
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Top Five . . .
We’re down to the second most memorable thing . . . This one stings a little, but remember when I mentioned how I believe we grow from any experience life throws at us–good or bad?
Yeah, well, I’m going to sum up a couple not-so-great-ones into a general category. . .
Number TWO:
Facing the Giants
Yeah, I know, that’s a name of a movie, but I had to steal it for this one.
Two giants I faced in 2010 were: Learning my mother in law has liver cancer and my publishing deal falling through. I’ve written enough on the publishing deal falling through, so I wanted to mention the newest thing….Lynn’s cancer.
You might notice her name is the same as mine. I did that on purpose. Lynn Rush is my pen name, and
I chose Lynn mostly in part because of Lynn Boeyink (my mother in law.)Sure, it happens to be my middle name, so that works, too, but my mother in law was the first person to ever to read my writing.
Yep. Even before my hubby. He started to read a little then set it down…romance so isn’t his thing.
Anyway. Lynn read the very first and very ugly draft of Light of Truth. The first book I ever wrote. Even in its raw, POV-shifting, all kids of telling form, she still found positives to look at and build on.
And besides that, she’s a great writer. I’m proud to have her name. At my wedding, she wrote the most beautiful thing ever called, When Was It Love. You can see that post if you CLICK HERE.
So, while I survived my first publishing deal fall apart–with her support of course–I will strengthen my resolve and be a strong support for her as she faces a tough road ahead of her while battling liver cancer.
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Any big OUCHES you’ve survived only to come out stronger?
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Christmas Check up . . .
How is the holiday season going so far for you?
We’ve got quite a change for this year’s celebration. Good things and not so good. 2010 has proved to be a most eventful year.The first few months of 2010 turned out to be very crazy. I got a new job after four months of unemployment, got a book contract, got an agent, and thenlost a book contract because the publisher closed its doors.
**whew** Right?
Oh, it gets even more exciting . . . I found myself unemployed again here this past September, but then a couple months later, I landed the best job ever! Assistant to a bookstore manager.
What better job for a writer, right?Right after starting that spectacular new job, we got some devastating news. . . my sweet mother-in-law, Lynn, got diagnosed with cancer. At first it looked pretty grim–but as testing went on, we’ve been told she may be a candidate for surgery after all.
So, if you pray, pray. . . she’s only 62 and I’m so not ready to lose the one who inspired my pen name.
Yep, she’s why I picked Lynn. . . but that’s a post for another day.
Christmas 2010, if everything goes right, will be hopping here. Everyone is converging here in the desert to escape the frigid midwest weather. But most of all, I’m just thankful we can all be together, especially with my mother-in-law’s health concern hovering over our heads.Looking back over the year, it sure made me focus on the true meaning of Christmas. For me it’s Jesus’ birthday, and second to that, celebrating the love of family and friends. I’m so blessed!
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How are the holidays going for you? What are your plans?
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