Category: Celebrations
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Abraham Lincoln – as Mim’s Grandfather remembered him
Last summer Mim spent many days systematically going through boxes and boxes filled with old papers, photos, and books that had belonged to her parents and grandparents. One yellowed newspaper, carefully protected in a waxed paper-like envelope was the Decorah Public Opinion from Decorah, Iowa, dated Wednesday, February 10, 1909. That is the year Abraham…
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Music Appreciation 101
More than 50 years ago, at Wheaton College, I took a 2-credit requirement during my sophomore year, just to get it over with – “Music Appreciation 101.” Although I had grown up learning to play the piano and organ, I had been exposed to little more than lesson books and hymnals. (I also listened to…
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“Now Thank We All Our God”
I’m almost done writing the first draft of my next book. My first two books in this series about the stories behind hymns were focused on hymns on a particular theme. My first book was a small book about the stories of 31 hymns that were based on the Psalms. My second book had 51…
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The Message of a Kaleidoscope
As soon as I got home from playing at the Presbyterian Church in Cambridge on Sunday, Mim, Floey, and I hopped into the car and drove to Chicago for a late lunch at the Buffalo Ice Cream Parlor. This was a special weekend. Forty-seven years ago I accepted a new job as an editorial researcher…
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Vacation Needed!
“Hey, Mom, we need to talk. These last few weeks have been very different. You and Mim went away on vacation and you didn’t take me along. Instead you sent me away to stay with a couple different friends. Why did you do that? I don’t understand. Why did you go on vacation?” Floey looked…
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The Love of a Dog
On February 23 we celebrated Anna’s 98th birthday. Anna has been living with us as an assisted living resident for eight years now. Some of her family members came for a little party, and everyone, especially Anna, had a really good time. One week later, Anna had a stroke. It was about noon on Friday.…
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Is It Over Yet?
Thanksgiving. Is it over yet? There are two parts to the word. THANKS: I think we did that last Thursday. And today is GIVING Tuesday. So we’re finishing up with THANKS-GIVING today. Good. It’s not over yet. I still have time to blog about “Thanksgiving.” I spent the first and third weeks of November this…
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A Tree, a 100-Year-Old Friend, and Lots of Memories
Twenty-six years ago Mim and I left Chicago to move back to the family farmhouse in Wisconsin – the farm where I had grown up, also where my mom had grown up and lived almost her whole life. My brother re-modeled the farmhouse for us to make it our perfect home – doubling the square…
Whispering Winds Blog 