Month: September 2012

• The Kindness of Strangers

  In 1970 I graduated from college as a newly minted English teacher. Growing up as a Midwesterner, I had never been to New England, but I thought it would be an interesting place to live, a place with lots of history and literature to discover. I didn’t know a soul out there, but I figured…

  Marian

  September 29, 2012

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  bag lady, friendliness of strangers, friends, God’s love, kindness, life challenges, life changes, living in Chicago, living in Connecticut, plainfield connecticut, random acts of kindness, reflections, stranger, strangers, wooden fishing boat

• God Sent a Deer to Remind Me

  As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. [Psalm 42:1 NRSV] A young deer was cautiously watching me as I stood at my copier making a few copies of some music to put in my organ binder for Sunday’s church service. I spied her as I looked through…

  Marian

  September 24, 2012

  God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Music, Nature, Personal Retreats, Reflections

  As the deer, deer, God’s love, Hans Margolius, Joan Chittister, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, my soul longs for you, nature, personal retreat, Psalm, psalm 42, quiet mind, quiet waters, reflections, retreats, Socrates, spirituality, Take time to be holy, talking with God, The Monastic Way, to see the world undistorted, unexamined life, unexamined life is not worth living, whispering winds

• The Message of Two Cornstalks

  This morning as Mim and I were walking Abbey I asked Mim if she had any ideas for me to write about in today’s blog. She responded, “How about the two cornstalks growing next to the road at Whispering Winds? Remember Jesus talked about seeds that fell on good ground.” It’s actually been kind of…

  Marian

  September 17, 2012

  Gardening, God’s Love, Nature, Reflections

  Abbey, corn, cornstalks, farmhouse, gardening, God’s love, God’s messages, good soil, Jesus, listening for God, nature, parable, plants, raccoon, reflections, seeds, spirituality, stalks of corn, talking with God, whispering winds

• Owning My Name

  My name is Marian. I never had a nickname. That’s too bad, because I never liked my name. I first struggled with my name in kindergarten, as I described in my blog a couple weeks ago. My teacher, Miss Polly, tried to spell it with an “o” instead of an “a” and I knew she…

  Marian

  September 10, 2012

  God’s Love, Jail Ministry, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  call by name, Elsie Korth, God’s love, jail ministry, Jesus, life challenges, MARIAN, Marian Korth, name, names, reflections, shepherd

• Here’s my 2-cents worth on working

  The earliest job I can remember having was before I started school. My Mom hired me to do two jobs – clean the bathroom and dust all the furniture in the house. Each job paid 2 cents, and each job usually took me about half an hour. (I wasn’t fast, but I was pretty thorough.)…

  Marian

  September 3, 2012

  Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  2 cents, 2-cents’ worth, assisted living, baling hay, big promotion, career, Country Comforts Assisted Living, editorial researcher, English teacher, Following the Path, Frederick Buechner, growing up on a farm, H tractor, Joan Chittister, job, jobs, labor, Labor Day, Lent, life calling, life challenges, life purpose, making the world a better place, reflections, the place God calls you, The Search for a Life Passion Purpose and Joy, the star we must follow, the world’s deep hunger, where your deep gladness, whispering winds, Wishful Thinking, work, working