Category: Blogs

• A Roundtable Discussion that Makes My Day

  Imagine starting your day almost every morning in a roundtable discussion with six other people plus yourself. In my case, the people are Joan Chittister, Henri Nouwen, God, Jimmy Carter, Christine Dallman, and M. J. Ryan – and, of course, myself. Wow! Quite a group of seven we are. Usually, everyone speaks up in the…

  Marian

  April 28, 2015

  Blogs, Book Recommendations, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  “Christ in Our Home”, aggravations, Albert Einstein, Attitudes of Gratitude, Bread for the Journey, Christine Dallman, Christmas Mountain, Edward Hays, Henri Nouwen, Jimmy Carter, Joan Chittister, M. J. Ryan, Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim, quiet, quietness, Revised Common Lectionary, roundtable, roundtable discussion, standing in line, The Monastic Way, The Personal Daily Prayer Book, Through the Year with Jimmy Carter

• Being Robbed

  “I will not be robbed!” was the title of a blog post written by Linda Swanson for her blog, Journey in Process. Linda is a spiritual director who works mostly with missionaries all around the globe. She currently lives in New Jersey. She and her husband, Kevin, who is a pilot and a pastor, have…

  Marian

  April 7, 2015

  Blogs, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  being robbed, blogger, blogging, Christmas shopping, concrete flower pot, God’s love, Journey in Process, life challenges, Linda Swanson, reflections, robbery, Schwinn bicycle, Schwinn bike, sense of security, spirituality, stolen bicycles, stolen bike, talking with God, thief, wallet stolen

• Surpassed in Giving

  On Sunday I read the best story about generosity I’ve ever read. It was written by my niece, Michelle Kornelsen Hauge on her blog, www.strategicparenting.us. I asked her if I could share her story on my blog, and she agreed. If you would like to be added to Michelle’s email list to get regular notifications…

  Marian

  May 6, 2014

  Blogs, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  blogging, car for sale, fairness, generosity, generous, give, giving, God’s love, God-given gifts, guest blog post, guest blogger, kindness, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, Michelle, Michelle and Kerry, Michelle Hauge, Michelle Kornelsen Hauge, reflections, spirituality, strategic parenting, surpassed by kids, van for sale

• Happiness Engineer – One of My Favorite Job Titles

  Last week I received an email from someone with the job title of “Happiness Engineer.” It made me smile. The email was from WordPress, the Internet service I use for hosting this blog. Earlier in the week I had contacted WordPress through their website to let them know that I had been charged twice on…

  Marian

  January 14, 2014

  Blogs, Goals, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  blogging, Dagmar Vasby, dysfunctional analyst, goals, God’s love, God-given gifts, happiness engineer, hospitality, Joan Chittister, job title, kindness, life calling, life changes, listening for God, love your neighbor, Mary Cassatt, Monastic Way, reflections, self portrait, spirituality, the Messiah, Who do you say that I am, WordPress

• Reclaiming Sunday

  Do not let Sunday be taken from you. If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan. Albert Schweitzer When I was a little kid, Sundays had a very different rhythm from every other day of the week. The day started with a different breakfast. We had cold cereal with milk and bananas. Every…

  Marian

  August 19, 2013

  Blogs, Goals, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  Albert Schweitzer, blogging, day of rest, goals, life challenges, Maya Angelou, reflections, Sabbath, spirituality, Sunday, Sunday afternoon, Sunday dinner, working on Sunday

• Remembering the past and getting excited about the present

  Saturday evening Mim and I went to a fancy Italian restaurant for dinner. We celebrated forty years of living together. As many of you know, Mim and I met forty years ago at a church Bible Study. I had just been offered a job in Chicago and was staying with a friend for a few…

  Marian

  February 4, 2013

  Blogs, Book Recommendations, Celebrations, Goals, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Reflections

  40th anniversary, Abbey, anniversary, author website, blogging, books, Buffalo Ice Cream Parlor, change in my life, daily devotions, devotional book, friends, Gary Gopher, God’s love, Gregory Goose, hospitality, kindness, life calling, life changes, listening for God, love your neighbor, reflections, reflections on everyday life, remembering the past, spirituality, talking with God, WestBow Press, writing

• Transition Time

  It’s official. Whispering Winds Retreat Haven is on break. As of the first of the year, the farmhouse will be home to another family for at least two years. In January of 2015, the farmhouse may reclaim the name of Whispering Winds and come back to life as a B&B-style retreat center again, or it…

  Marian

  December 30, 2012

  Assisted Living, Blogs, Celebrations, God’s Love, New Year, Reflections, Uncategorized

  Abbey, assisted living, blogging, change in my life, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, farmhouse, God’s love, life changes, listening for God, reflections, spirituality, whispering winds

• Salty Cookies, Burnt Cereal, and Learning Curves

    My mom worked in Madison during most of my growing up years.  She compensated for not being around home to supervise me as much as she would like by suggesting projects for me to do by myself, especially during the summer. One project was learning to bake cookies. One of the first times I…

  Marian

  October 22, 2012

  Blogs, Goals, Life’s Challenges, Personal Retreats, Reflections

  accomplishments, baking cookies, blogging, chocolate chip cookies, Christian Book Market, devotional book, e-book, Guideposts, hospitality, independent publisher, learning curve, life challenges, listening for God, monday mornings, personal retreat, reflections, reflections on everyday life, self-publishing, spirituality, Thomas Nelson, whispering winds, writing a book, writing retreat

• Great Expectations for this week – 7 of them!

  For several weeks now, a friend of mine has been posting a list of three things she’s thankful for each day. Usually the lists are just that – three words or short phrases in a simple list format – just a quick statement of things she’s particularly thankful for that day. That practice got me…

  Marian

  July 2, 2012

  Blogs, Celebrations, Jail Ministry, Music, Reflections, Uncategorized

  blogging, church music, getting organized, goals, God’s love, great expectations, great-great-nephew, jail ministry, life challenges, life changes, Messiah Lutheran Church, monday mornings, past and future, personal retreat, pipe organ, reflections, retreats, safe travel, website changes, weekend guests, whispering winds, writing retreat

• Parish Nurses, Nutty Knitters, and More Blessings

  This past weekend, a group of nine nurses gathered at Whispering Winds. Friday night was essentially a party, a time to relax and have fun together. Saturday was a more reflective time, an opportunity for sharing and contemplating ways to allow ourselves to be renewed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I joined the nurses for some…

  Marian

  January 30, 2012

  Blogs, Group Retreats, Reunions

  Country Comforts, family reunion, farmhouse, God’s love, group retreats, parish nurses, retreats, reunions, whispering winds