Meet Butch...

Rockingham County Humane Society
Featured Pet
Butch

Butch is a 1 year old Boston Terrier. He is neutered and current on his rabies shot. Butch is a good boy and loves attention. He is very playful and would be a great addition to a family with children. Butch will make you smile with his acrobatic abilities! He loves to see a familiar face and can jump three feet high when excited or ready to play. He is just the right size for a house dog and is energetic enough to keep up with the kids. He is waiting for a special family to adopt him in time to spend Christmas by the fire. If you are interested in adopting Butch or seeing any other animals available for adoption, please visit the Rockingham County Humane Society at 205 Boone Road in Eden, NC. Our adoption fee is $100 for puppies and dogs and $60 for kittens and cats. The adoption fee includes spaying and neutering, shots, and de-worming for all animals. The Rockingham County Humane Society is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday from 11-4.


Butch is a good boy. My daughter loved playing with him. It's not too late to give Butch his forever home. Could you provide this dog the care and companionship he needs? Go see him today...you won't regret it!

The Rorrer Family Christmas Letter 2009

Every year I write a Christmas letter to include in our cards. I like to take the time to reflect on the year and let everyone know a little about each person in our family. I can't possibly fit everything on one page, but I try to highlight the big stuff. I thought I would post our 2009 letter for all of you to read.

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope this letter finds you all happy and healthy. We can hardly believe that 2009 is coming to a close. The Lord has blessed our family in many special ways this year and we look forward to the blessings ahead in 2010.

Lydia is still growing and as sweet as ever. She had her first dance recital this year and she was the cutest bumblebee to grace the stage. She is now in her 2nd year of dance, preschool, and Awanas. She has worked hard on her part for the Christmas play this year as well. She’ll be singing her very own solo and we are very proud.

Robert is still shift manager at Unifi and we are thankful that he has a good job in these uncertain times. He is a wonderful father and husband. Robert is very supportive of everything we do; Lydia and I are proud to be “his girls.”

I just finished up my internship at Dudley High School and the last semester of school work before student teaching. I have enjoyed the transition from student to teacher. In January, I will be student teaching at Morehead High School. Our family is looking forward to graduation in May of 2010 and we are praying that I will find a job within the county.

This year has been a great one, filled with lots of fun and excitement. We keep a busy schedule and always seem to find ourselves involved in something. In the coming year, be sure to pick up a copy of Eden’s Own Journal and read my column that appears every two weeks. And for those of you who live out of town, but are computer savvy, visit my blog and read about all the things going on in our family. The web address is www.runningwrite.blogspot.com.

We hope each of you enjoy the special time of Christmas. We are learning more every day that family and friends are our greatest blessings, so we want to tell each of you, those near and far, that you are loved and dear to our hearts. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Love,
The Rorrers
Robert, Amanda, Lydia
Lil Bit and Sophie, too

Patience...Can I have some of that?

Children seldom misquote. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said. ~Author Unknown

My daughter loves her Barbies. She can get lost in her world of pink doll houses and purple convertibles for hours. She talks out loud, making her dolls carry on full conversations with one another. I love to listen to her and I sometimes giggle at what I hear. But I stopped in my tracks when I heard, “Ken will be here in a minute! He called and said ‘BE PATIENT!’”

There was no need to wonder where she heard those words because she only hears them ten times a day from my own mouth. “We’ll be there in a minute. Be Patient!” “Supper will be ready soon. Be Patient!” and on and on it goes. I know I’m not the only parent who says these words on a daily basis, yet how often do we as adults fail to be patient ourselves? I’m just as guilty as the next person. I can’t wait to “hurry up and graduate,” can’t wait for the weekends, and even in the middle of a good run, I can’t wait for an ice cold tea and a hot shower so I can get on with the things I have to do that day. But if we aren’t patient with the little things in life, how will we ever conquer and overcome the big things?

We live in a world that expects everything yesterday. Most of the time, we fail to focus on today for worrying about tomorrow. We all have places to be, deadlines, responsibilities, and goals to achieve. Can we really expect our children to learn patience when we constantly rush them along? “Hurry up and brush your teeth,” “Hurry up and get dressed,” “Hurry up and get in the car,” and on and on this goes, too.

Psalm 46:10 tells us, “Be still and know that I am God.”In that stillness, those moments when we really stop and listen to God, we are most likely to hear what He may be telling us, which sometimes may be: “Be patient!” We often communicate our wants and desires to God, but rarely stop to hear what He has to say. Yet, having patience doesn’t mean sitting idly by, waiting for an answer to fall from the sky. It’s not waiting for something to be handed to you or waiting for the right thing to “just happen.” Instead, having patience means taking action, doing our part, our job, our task, our responsibility. It’s doing all we are capable of, even under pressure or when the odds are against us, and trusting in God to handle the rest.

Back in the year 1377, author William Langland was the first to say that “patience is a virtue,” but I say that it’s still one hard concept even for adults to grasp. I don’t claim to be an expert on patience (nor the Bible for that matter) but I know that every day I am learning more about the value of both. So the next time I plead for patience from my child, I’ll try to remember she really is listening. And I’ll remind myself to pause and do the same.


But sometimes, at the end of the day, I just feel like the chicken here!!!

Pain or Suffering?

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."
~From What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
By: Haruki Murakami

November 18, 2009...

I just finished reading the book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, a memoir by award-winning novelist and runner, Haruki Murakami. I found the above quote about suffering and pain in the early pages of his book and I’ve been pondering over the quote ever since. Even as a runner, when I read this, I thought, “Geez! Who wants to suffer?” If I actually thought of running as pain and suffering, I would have quit yesterday, or the day before.

Of course I see running as a physical challenge and of course I have experienced some pain along the way. A sprained ankle, sore muscles, joint aches…nothing I can’t handle and nothing I haven’t taken steps to educate myself on how I can prevent them. I’ve even learned the hard way NOT to eat a sausage biscuit the morning of a long run and how to hold my breath when passing road kill in July and August. And since I have asthma, sometimes I have difficulty breathing when running. But overall, my breathing has improved since I became a runner, and I’m sure my blood pressure and resting heart rate have too. So, it might be better if I stick with my old saying, which doesn’t involve pain or suffering. It’s this: “There may be a day when I can’t do this anymore. Today is not that day.” I found that saying in Runner’s World several years ago, and it has been a favorite mantra ever since.

Yet, I can see why some runners might value this quote about inevitable pain and optional suffering, especially distance runners. After all, nothing in life comes free—or totally devoid of pain and suffering at some point—anything worth having, be it a job, a house, an education, a good marriage, requires hard work. And I’ve never trained for and finished a race without hard work.

As I set out on a run I asked myself which part of the run was the “suffering” part. And then I began to understand. I’d have to say it was the ½ mile hill at the 60% incline near my house. Even after 3 years of climbing this hill, it takes mental and physical endurance to reach the top. Slowly and steadily I climb, thinking about each step, placing one foot in front of the other and telling myself to keep breathing. Each time I climb this hill, a fleeting thought of walking enters my mind. And then as I continue coming closer to the top, the thought dissipates and I’m glad I kept on running. The hill is hardest near the top- when I’m worn out from the climb and I can almost see the top, but I still have a choice to continue or stop.

December 12, 2009

And now, three weeks later, I’m still thinking about that quote, even though I haven’t gone for a run in two weeks. I have an inflamed tendon in my foot and the doctor’s orders were to slow down and let it heal. When I asked how “slow” I needed to go, his reply was, “If it hurts, don’t do it. Cut back on your distance and don’t run on consecutive days.” So now I really get it…the pain in my foot has made it all too real. This aggravated tendon is the result of extremely flat feet and it has made walking and running two painful tasks. My thinking about the situation has been as follows: I have to walk, but I love to run. Right now I can’t do either without pain. So in order to do what I have to do (walk) and eventually be able to do what I love (run), then I must do something I really don’t like (slow down…rest…take days, maybe weeks off from running). Well, not running equals suffering to me…

December 15, 2009

Today I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I set out for a short run. I decided I wouldn’t push myself too hard and I allowed myself to walk when necessary. I just couldn’t take it anymore; I needed to feel sunshine and wind on my face and sweat on my brow. I tried to run at least 4 minutes at a time and walk for 2 minutes or less. It took me and Sophie, my dog, 40 minutes to finish 3.3 miles, but today’s pain will make tomorrow’s run somewhat easier…at least I hope so. Or maybe that's when the real suffering will begin.

It’s amazing how much your muscles can forget and the strength and endurance they can lose in two to three weeks. My mileage per week has decreased significantly since I ran the ½ marathon in October, but here lately, that mileage has come to a screeching halt. In his book, Murakami says our muscles are like animals, that they would rather not work hard, and that they forget the memory of the hard work of training when we fail to push them (p. 71). I think he’s right. But it doesn’t matter what I think on this one; science has proven that when we don’t use it, we lose it.

So the pain felt today was an all-over-the-body pain, and I know I’ll feel it tomorrow. My chest hurt as I struggled to breath. My body hasn’t gotten adjusted to the change in the weather and this time of year someone is always burning leaves in my neighborhood. (The remnants of a really bad sinus infection and chest congestion didn’t help my breathing either.) My foot actually felt okay…thanks to time off and new $300 orthotics for my shoes. But my legs screamed at me in anger because they were not only out of practice, but they were carrying about 10 extra pounds I’ve gained in the last 2 months. I’m the kind of person who can eat whatever I want as long as I exercise. But when I put the brakes on physical activity and forgo the brake on eating, I swell up quicker than Violet from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

All that aside—I would rather suffer like this during a run than not run at all. I needed to feel the sunshine today and so did my dog Sophie. I looked down at her while we were running and I could see that she was happy to be restored to her faithful duty of keeping me company on the road. I’m sure you’ve heard it said that running helps to clear a person’s mind. Well, I can tell you it really does. Why would I want all that junk in my head that could cleared and sorted through during a run? To me, that’s optional suffering, and I opt not to do it. Whew. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to get back out there today. I’ve really missed it.

Lydia Loves Animals

Last week, Lydia and I visited the Humane Society. I love taking her there because she loves to visit the animals and it is good for the dogs to come in contact with children. When we visit, I know that she is learning valuable lessons. She has many questions and I can't provide her an answer to some of her questions like, "Why don't these dogs have a home?" and "Why don't some people take care of their animals?" I tell her that these animals are the lucky ones; these are the animals that have a chance and will eventually have a home. Until the volunteers who dedicate their time and energy can find them a home, we can visit and play and LOVE the animals. There are many things that I want my daughter to learn in life, but one of the things I think is most important is to treat all animals with kindness and love.

“We find a delight in the beauty and happiness of children, that makes the heart too big for the body”
~Ralh Waldo Emerson

Beyond the Sales of the Season

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree."
~Roy L. Smith



I’ve heard it said that the holiday season can be equal to madness. From shopping to spending to eating, this is the “biggest” time of the year. The advertising that surrounds us tells us bigger is more and louder is better for practically everything on the consumer market. Our society emphasizes excess-to the extreme-and it’s easy to get caught up in all of it. Overspending temptations bombard me at every corner. Television, radio, mail advertisements, sale papers, magazines…Each screaming “Sale! 50% Off! Save Today!” As a self-confessed shopaholic, I admit I fight the urge to whip out the plastic to pay for Christmas gifts. I could attempt to justify my weakness by rationalizing how I got a really great deal since the item was, after all, “On Sale”. While sales are great, I have to be realistic and stay within my budget. I would love to shower my family and friends with expensive and unique gifts, but they understand I can’t. After all, that’s not the real meaning of Christmas anyway.

Whatever you do this season, whatever your traditions are, I hope that each and every one will remember what Christmas is truly about. Christmas is more than a sale, a dinner, a party, or a present wrapped in frilly bows. It’s about the birth of Jesus. And while retail and some politicians try to shut Christ out of Christmas, they will only be successful if we allow them to be.



So what can I do to let loved ones know they are loved without expensive gifts and without breaking the bank? Of course I’ll still buy some presents this Christmas, but here are a few ideas I have that we can all do to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

1. Pray. Thank God for sending His Son who died for us. That’s a good starting point. After that, thank Him for our blessings. When we think about it, that’s a really long list.
2. Share the story of Christmas with a friend. Invite them to attend your church for the Christmas play or cantata. You never know when God will use you to plant a seed in someone else’s life. After Christmas, invite that friend to church again.
3. Call a loved one. Do more than send a card this year. Even if you haven’t talked to someone in your family in a while, reach out and tell them how much they are loved. We never know when they’ll be gone for good.
4. Read the Christmas story as a family. Gather the kids, make hot chocolate, sit by the fire, and open the Bible. Enjoy the time together and thank God as a family.
5. Volunteer. Pick a charity and get involved. Ring a bell, cook a meal, or visit a shut-in. Christmas is the perfect time to spread cheer, but we can only do that by being around people. Remember that money wastes away but the time we spend helping someone can have a lasting impact on that life.



As the Christmas season approaches, I hope we can all avoid the “madness” of the season and use every opportunity we can to spread some “gladness.” Merry Christmas everyone!