Category: Life’s Challenges
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Mindfulness – the Earliest Gift of Spring
I just got back from a walk with my dog Floey. It’s a beautiful spring day in southern Wisconsin. I felt the gentle breeze on my face, and smiled. The birds were singing again. A few weeds next to the sidewalk were beginning to show the first hint of green. Yes. Spring is really coming.…
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Why Was I Created?
Over the last few years I’ve had the practice of starting the day with reading from two or three devotional books by my favorite inspirational writers. This year I’m reading: The Monastic Way by Joan Chittister (a pamphlet that comes monthly, with the readings of each month based on a common theme), Bread for the…
Marian
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Canine Wisdom
Floey came running over to me. Her tail was wagging as fast as it can wag, but she dutifully sat down and looked up at me. “Hey, Mom. Has it come yet?” she asked. “What’s that, Floey?” “My check for $50. Remember Ellen at ARVSS (Animal Rescue & Veterinary Support Services) where I came from…
Marian
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Minor Characters in Our Life Stories
In last week’s blog post I wrote about the Sunday dinners of my childhood. To keep the story short, I left out one of the minor characters in those dinners, Eva Frankson. I’ve been thinking about her ever since. Eva lived with Grandma. My grandma had a small house across the street from the west side…
Marian
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Dinnertime
I guess today is a good day to talk about dinnertime. It’s Mardi Gras – Fat Tuesday – a time of feasting the day before beginning a forty-day fast for Lent. Mim and I are planning to go out for a musical feast tonight – an organ recital by Thomas Trotter (a fantastic organist from…
Marian
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Oh, the Conflicted Month of February
Oh, how I long for the “Merry, Merry Month of May.” But first I must struggle through the conflicted month of February, and then March and April. I’m tired of winter. There I’ve said it. But huge piles of snow and sub-zero wind chills just represent the most obvious burdens of February. It’s the time…
Marian
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How Mean Is That Doggie in the Mirror?
Floey, who will turn one on January 24, barks ferociously every time she sees her reflection – whether it’s in a mirror, in a window at night, in the shiny black refrigerator door, or in the oven window. She sees that same dog everywhere! She knows there’s a dog on the other side of that “window” and she…
Marian
doggie, Floey, friends, get along, get along with each other, getting along, God’s love, hospitality, How kind is that person in the mirror, How mean is that doggie in the mirror, How much is that doggie in the window, kindness, life challenges, listening for God, love your neighbor, mirror, reflection in window, reflection mirror, reflection of myself, reflections, Romans 15:5-6, spirituality, talking with God, The Message -
A Dramatic First Entry to My Gratitude Jar
Last week I wrote about the special words Mim, Floey, and I chose for 2015. Mim’s word is WAIT. Floey’s is LEARN. And mine is GRATITUDE. More readers responded to that post than usual, and I really appreciated reading your comments. One friend asked me if I had ever heard of a “Gratitude Jar?” I…
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New Words for 2015
After one year’s experience, I’ve decided that I really like the idea of having one special word to focus on for a whole year, as an alternative to making New Year’s resolutions. Last year’s word for me was JOY. Knowing that JOY was what I would concentrate on every day from January 1, 2014 through…
Marian
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JOY – My Special Word for 2014
“Abbey, Mim & Me – Our Special Words for 2014” was the first blog post I wrote this year. I explained that rather than coming up with any New Year’s resolutions for 2014, I would spend the year focusing on JOY. The idea of choosing one special word to focus on for a whole year…
Marian
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Whispering Winds Blog 