Category: Celebrations

• Another Anniversary. Another Time of Joy.

  This week, 25 years ago – 1989, was a pretty spectacular week. It was a week of beautiful weather, a January thaw. Mim and I were living in Chicago, on the second floor of a two-flat. Mim was teaching nursing at North Park College, and I was self-employed as a business systems consultant. But neither…

  Marian

  January 21, 2014

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Reflections

  Adventures in Hospitality, anniversary, Blessing Ceremony, champagne, Commitment Ceremony, friends, God’s love, hospitality, joy, life calling, life changes, Moet and Chandon, perfect word, reflections, spirituality, wedding, wedding anniversary

• Abbey, Mim & Me – Our Special Words for 2014

  January is a time every year that I start thinking about how I want this year to be different from previous years. Sometimes I make New Year resolutions. Some years I formulate specific goals. Every year I come up with an immediate to-do list. At a minimum I need to plan how I’m going to…

  Marian

  January 7, 2014

  Book Recommendations, Celebrations, Goals, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, New Year

  Abbey, change in my life, daily devotions, Debbie Macomber, enough, God’s love, joy, Let the year begin, life challenges, life changes, listening for God, New Year Resolutions, One Perfect Word, play, reflections, spirituality, talking with God, to-do lists

• Another Year-End Conversation with Abbey

  Abbey had been sitting on the floor next to the patio door, staring out at the pond for a long time. It was snowing again. Big flakes were drifting down, adding to the eight inches already on the ground. I wondered if she was as tired of the snow as I was. I called to…

  Marian

  December 31, 2013

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

  Abbey, friends, gay marriage, gift of love, God’s love, Happy New Year, kindness, life challenges, life changes, love your neighbor, loving each other, New Year, New Year’s Day, Piper, polarization, political polarization, politics, reflections, spirituality, Tucker, understanding each other

• Top 10 Christmas Carols and my new favorite

  What are your favorites – your top 10 Christmas carols? I made a list of mine. It was hard to stop at ten, but I did it. Then I went on the Internet to see if I could find a list of the most popular Christmas carols. Chris Wilson compiled a list of favorites for…

  Marian

  December 24, 2013

  Celebrations, Christmas, God’s Love, Jail Ministry, Music, Reflections

  accomplishments, Away in a manger, Before the Marvel of this night, Christmas Carol Sing, Christmas caroling, Christmas Carols, favorite Christmas carols, God’s love, hymn sing, jail ministry, Jaroslav Vajda, listening for God, Merry Christmas, O Holy Night, reflections, Silent Night, Singing Christmas Tree, spirituality

• A Christmas Letter from Abbey

  This morning as I was sitting at my desk Abbey came over to me and sat down. “Mom,” she said. “I have a favor to ask.” “What’s that?” I responded. “Will you help me write a Christmas letter to send to all my friends? I don’t have fingers like you have, and it’s really hard…

  Marian

  December 3, 2013

  Celebrations, Christmas, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Music, Reflections

  Abbey, aging, assisted living, Christmas Carols, Christmas catalogs, Christmas Letter, Christmas shopping, Christmas Spirit, Edith Sinclair Downing, friends, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, God’s love, Heifer International, Holiday Hounds, If I fly as birds at dawning, Laurie Loughlin, life changes, love your neighbor, reflections, spirituality, wisdom, World Vision

• Thinking too hard

  Sometimes, I think, I think too much. I think too hard about choices as I try to determine what is best. For example,  today I’m trying to decide whether to write my blog about what some inmates said the last time we shared a worship service in the jail chapel, or to write about some…

  Marian

  November 26, 2013

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Jail Ministry, Reflections

  Abbey, Be still and know that I am God, choosing music, Christ the King, Christ the King Sunday, Delores Dufner, different kind of king, Dr. Edman, emperor of Ethiopia, God’s love, Haile Selassie, jail ministry, listening for God, O Christ what can it mean for us, postludes, preludes, Presence of the King, reflections, second chance, serving communion, spirituality, talking with God, thankful, thankful for jail, Thanksgiving, thinking, V. Raymond Edman, Wheaton College, worship experience, worship service

• Sibling Rivalry – We’re at it Again!

  Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring, quite often the hard way.  [Pamela Dugdale] My brother Danny was almost two years old when I was born. According to our mom’s notes in my baby book, Danny’s first reaction to me was “pretty baby Marian” as he watched…

  Marian

  November 12, 2013

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

  Anna Quindlan, brother, childhood memories, childhood squabbles, Dan Korth, Danny, Desmond Tutu, extended family, fairness, family memories, God’s gift, God’s gift to you, God’s love, kindness, life calling, life challenges, love your neighbor, love-hate relationship, Pamela Dugdale, reflections, same-sex marriage, sibling, sibling rivalry, siblings, spirituality, wedding reception, You don’t choose your family

• Remembering the Saints – the most significant people in my life who are now dead

    Thursday of this week is Halloween, the eve of All Saints Day. On Sunday, some churches will read a list of members of the congregation who have died over the past year. This is a time of year to remember the people who are no longer with us who have been significant to us…

  Marian

  October 29, 2013

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Music, Reflections, Reunions

  All Saints Day, Aunt Edith, Auntie Emma, Bill Leslie, change in my life, christmas, church organist, daily devotions, Edith Kenseth, Eileen Scott, Emma Prescott, family reunion, friends, God’s love, God-given gifts, Gospel pianist, Halloween, Helen Knoblauch, kindness, Marion Gilberts, Mark Hjermstad, Mary Borgerud, Mom’s love, Mother’s love, Nancy Kornelsen, reflections, Royal Bailie, saints, Selma Jacobson, significant people in my life, thankful, thankfulness, Thanksgiving

• Why did we do it?

  Sunday in church our pastor announced to the congregation that Mim and I were married in Minneapolis last weekend, after living together 40 years. Seated on the organ bench, which is near the front of the sanctuary, I looked out over all the people who had great big smiles on their faces as they applauded…

  Marian

  September 24, 2013

  Celebrations, God’s Love, Life’s Challenges, Personal Retreats

  Augsburg College, Bible study, Blessing Ceremony, change in my life, church family, Commitment Ceremony, friends, getting organized, goals, God’s love, legal protections, life calling, life challenges, Minneapolis, power of attorney documents, real wedding, reflections, same-sex marriage, wedding, wedding day, wills

• Working Together – Joy or Drudgery?

  Last night Mim and I went to a fundraising concert for the jail ministry of Dane County. Chance Allies, a Madison group of three musicians – a female vocalist, a pianist, and a bass player, performed lots of jazz classics, mostly from the era of Cole Porter and George Gershwin. It was a wonderful evening.…

  Marian

  August 5, 2013

  Assisted Living, Celebrations, Goals, Jail Ministry, Life’s Challenges, Music, Reflections

  accomplishments, assisted living, blogging, Chance Allies, Country Comforts, Country Comforts Assisted Living, David Allen, fundraising concert, goals, God-given gifts, jail ministry, jail ministry fundraiser, jazz classics, jazz combo, jazz musicians, life calling, life challenges, listening for God, Lucas Koehler, Madison jazz musicians, reflections, spirituality, Tisha Brown, UCC pastor, working together