A Farewell Running Song

During the past few months I have written a couple of posts about I girl I have called "Anna."  She came to live at St. Charles a little before Christmas, and was incredibly anxious and fearful about everything.  Anna flourished in our program and especially loved her daily runs with Sister Maximilian.  

A few days ago, Anna moved in with her new adoptive family.  In one of her last runs with Sister Maximilian, Anna decided to compose a goodbye song while running.  It went something like this:

Sister Maximilian!

I am gonna miss you!

I am gonna miss running with you too!

Sister Max-i-mil-ill-ian!

I love you, Sister Maximilian!

I am gonna miss you!

I like running with you too!

Sister Max-i-mil-ill-ian!

There were many more verses to Anna's song, which continued for twenty minutes at the top of her voice during their 4 mile run together.  Unfortunately, we do not have it in audio form.  Since I am the blogger, I will also report that Sister Maximilan then composed a similar song for Anna as well!

One of the St. Charles Girls Invited to Speak as an Expert

Last December I wrote a post about one of the girls at St. Charles whom we will call "Anna."  Anna had just arrived at the Home when I met her in December.  She was terrified of everyone she met.  After living at St. Charles for six months and continuing to work hard to face her fears, Anna has made significant progress.

Last week, Anna's teacher invited her to be a guest speaker in her class.  She was  invited because she is considered an expert in running.  Anna's teacher is a runner.  Not only that, but several children in the classroom are preparing right now for their first 5k.  So Anna was invited to speak to the class and give the young runners some pointers for running their first race:

• Start slow
• Run straight so you don't trip over other people and they don't trip over you
• Save your fastest running for the end
• Be a good sport:  you are running to have fun
• Do your best!

Everyone was impressed with Anna's presentation.  So the little girl who was shaking with terror the first time she met me six months ago is now a seasoned 5k runner who gives good advice, and a public speaker!  Go Anna!

An Extra Run to Relieve the Stress

One of the boys from St. Charles is really beginning to understand and internalize the way running can help him handle stress.  This little guy, whom I will call Jimmy, has lived in more than 12 foster homes in his short life, and is getting ready to move into yet another one.  Needless to say, he is agitated.  Since he has not yet experienced a permanent home that was right for him, he has a lot of anxiety about moving to this next home.  The way he sees it, why should he expect this home to be any different from the others?

Last week, Jimmy asked Sister Maximilian if he could go with her on her second run.  Ordinarily Sister Maximilian runs 8 miles a day.  The first 4 miles are with the more experienced group of kids who run a little faster.  The second 4 miles are with beginners.  Ordinarily, she would not allow a child to run 8 miles in one day. However, given Jimmy's level of stress and the fact that he was asking for the extra time running, she approved.  Jimmy had a great run and one of the nicest evenings he has had in a while. Sister was excited because this showed that he really is starting to understand how running can affect the way he feels.  We don't know if he will ask for an extra run again, but  if he does, Sister will allow him to put in an extra 4 miles every once in a while.  Hopefully, this will be a lesson he takes with him into adulthood to help him cope with the stresses of life.

My School in Southern California

I have to take this opportunity to brag about my school: John Paul the Great Catholic University.  While my other sisters in the Daughters of Mary are working hard with the kids in New Hampshire, I have been in sunny San Diego since 2007 attending this truly phenomenal university.  My major is Entrepreneurial Business, but I eventually hope to pursue a Masters in Biblical Theology as well.  I wanted to share the school's latest commercial, which highlights the fact that we are also a film school.  I only have a year left to spend in San Diego.  Then I will return to New Hampshire to finish my studies from a distance.  I have to say, it will be easier writing in this blog about daily life with the kids when I am no longer 3000 miles away!  Check out this ad:

Q:  So, what is a Roman Catholic sister doing in an Entrepreneurial Business program that also happens to be at a film school?  

A:  I co-founded the Daughters of Mary to be an association that works with children and families.  The association is already growing.  Entrepreneurial Business is teaching me the skills I need to help our sisters launch new programs to help children and families in the future.  To meet the other sisters who co-founded the Daughters of Mary, click here.

Q: The rest of the sisters and the children are at the St. Charles Children's Home in New Hampshire, aren't they?  Why did you choose a school in Southern California?  Wouldn't you rather be closer to home?  

A:  I wanted to find a school where I could not only learn business, but also participate in a Theology program.  John Paul the Great Catholic University was the only Catholic University I found with a strong emphasis in both Theology and Entrepreneurial business.  I will be honest:  when I learned the University was in San Diego, I was not sad.  I am thoroughly enjoying the weather while I am here!

A Father Son Story

After writing on fatherhood last week, I was delighted to come across a blog post by Noah Moore with a wonderful father/ son running story.  They wanted to be the first father & son to run over the newly renovated Ben Sawyer Bridge.  I quote:


"The bridge is not that big, but it is special.  It is an icon of the Low Country (anyone who has seen pictures of Charleston during Hugo will recognize it as the bridge that was turned on its side).

It felt awesome being there with my son, knowing that we were the first father and son to ever cross that span.  As we turned to go back over the bridge, my son looked at me and said, "You are the best dad in the whole world!".  It was one of those moments that can not be scripted, can not be artificially constructed, there was pure joy and excitement in his voice.  This was an adventure."


Mind you, their first attempt to cross that bridge was after 10 PM the night before, when the bridge was supposed to open.  When it got too late and the bridge did not open, they came back the next morning.  I love this story not only because it involves running, but because a dad and his son are on a mission together.  It reminds me of adventures I had with my Dad when I was a little girl, such as skiing down a new, untried trail or hiking in the woods to see a beaver dam.  


Parents, don't worry if you can't afford to take your kids to Disney World (or Disney Land ... I am living on both coasts right now).  It is the little adventures that are important.

Running Helps One Child Overcome Her Fears

I have just completed the fall quarter at school in San Diego, and returned to New Hampshire on Monday.  My goal over the Christmas holiday is to get a couple of other people who run with our kids to join the blog.  In the meantime, I can share running stories firsthand:  something that is much harder to do when I am 3,000 miles away. 

I would like to share an experience with one of our children who has only lived at St. Charles for a few weeks.  I was sitting at the table finishing supper, and I felt a light tap on my shoulder.  I turned around to find Anna (names must be changed for the privacy of the children) looking at me with absolute terror in her eyes and wanting to know who I was.  I smiled and introduced myself.    She moved behind Mother Paul Marie, who was also at the table, and hid herself.  After a few moments, she gathered enough courage to come back over to me and ask me my name.  She did not run away when I answered this time, but had both hands in her mouth and was still shaking with terror.  After about a minute she gathered the courage to tell me her name:  Anna.  Clearly, this is a child with high anxiety levels and who wants to meet new people but has to struggle with her terror to do it.

The next morning, Sister Maximilian was telling me how Anna’s run went the day before.  Since Anna is a beginner, Sister takes her for a walk/run by herself after the other children come home from their run.  Sister is careful to give Anna a lot of positive encouragement.  She was talking to Anna about how to respond to strangers when they say “hello” during a run (it is rude to ignore people yet we want the children to know not to stop and begin a conversation).  Sister suggested to Anna that it is nice to say “Merry Christmas” to people this time of year.  Soon they were passing the school, and the janitor was walking near the building.  Sister Maximilian said, “Good afternoon,” as they passed.  Anna said, “Merry Christmas!”  The man smiled and Anna was beaming with happiness as Sister Maximilian pointed out to her how she had made that man’s day happier. 

Children learn more than running during their runs.  In this case Anna had the opportunity during her walk/run to confront a big fear she has, and to learn how to be polite to a stranger in an appropriate and beautiful way.  She is on the road to learning so much, and her daily walk/ runs are helping her to do it.